2003 ’ s Do It For Love is now available for reevaluation . The album is appearing for the first time on vinyl as a gatefold 2xLP set ,
g g y falsetto a la “ One on One ” during “ Intuition .” Oates has a strong songwriting presence on the album and sings the lead vocal on album-closer “ Love in a Dangerous Time .” Delivered with a gospel choir chorus , the song pleads for a return to togetherness in divided times and offers a prayer that seems more relevant now than ever .
– Jeff Elbel
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16 illinoisentertainer . com january 2023 cut at 45RPM for high-fidelity sound . The rock and roll edge that made albums like Private Eyes and Big Bam Boom such fun has been dialed back , but Hall and Oates immerse themselves in the creation of crafty adult contemporary pop . “ Man on a Mission ” leans into the pair ’ s familiar blueeyed soul sound with an effortlessly emotive vocal by Hall . The shimmering sound is heightened by longtime partner and concert bassist T Bone Wolk ’ s acoustic guitar . Although Do it For Love is a fully plugged-in affair that draws upon its principals ’ famous foundation in Philly soul , acoustic textures are highlighted throughout the album and give an R & B-meets-roots music sound to songs including temptress tale “( She ) Got Me Bad ” and the winsome “ Life ’ s Too Short ” ( which has a hook that faintly echoes older favorite “ Say It Isn ’ t So ”). Many of the songs swing thematically between the familiar territories of devotion and love gone wrong . The title track was a # 1 single on the Adult Contemporary chart , with a soaring pop-R & B chorus and a lyric about the lengths Hall would pursue to prove his devotion . A cover of The New Radicals ’ “ Someday We ’ ll Know ” finds Hall , Oates , and guest Todd Rundgren sharing lead vocals in a song that wonders where love went wrong . Rundgren adds a pair of spirited guitar solos . Jeff Catania plays stinging blues-rock guitar on “ Make You Stay ,” a pleading pop song in the vein of NSYNC ’ s bombastic “ Bye Bye Bye .” The evocative and tender “ Forever for You ” is sung in character as a devoted lover who knows he ’ s losing his partner ’ s heart to someone else . Gary Haase and Billy Mann ' s composition “ Getaway Car ” was a single for several groups , including R & B act Dakota Moon ( featuring singer Ty Taylor later of soul-rockers Vintage Trouble ) and country music family trio The Jenkins , but makes its greatest escape here with a simmering version on Do It For Love . Hall returns to the duo ’ s sweet spot of Motown influences , including the Temptations and Smokey Robinson on the slow-burner “ Heartbreak Time .” “ Something About You ” returns to the adult contemporary style emphasized on most tracks , augmented by Wolk ’ s tasty R & B guitar licks and
THE STAPLE SINGERS Be Altitude : Respect Yourself 50th Anniversary LP reissue ( Stax / Craft )
By 1972 , the Staple Singers were justly recognized as a national treasure . Lovers of inner-city Gospel music will find no act more quintessential than this Chicagobased family band . Students of the American Civil Rights movement will find this album , widely considered to be the Staples ’ best fusion of Gospel fervor and pop appeal , to be a joyous component of the syllabus . Fans of soulful blues guitar can ’ t miss Roebuck “ Pops ” Staples ’ inimitable touch , and it bears repeating that Mavis Staples ’ voice is touched by grace and deployed by genius . Chicago meets Memphis on this reissued Stax platter , with backing by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section ( who had backed hits by Aretha Franklin , Wilson Pickett , and many more ) and the Memphis Horns . For some people , it will be enough to say that Be Altitude includes bedrock entries “ Respect Yourself ” and Billboard Hot 100 # 1 single “ I ’ ll Take You There .” “ Respect Yourself ” features a message of self-reliance sung by Pops . The words were intended and relevant for a marginalized African-American community and were broadly accepted elsewhere as well . “ I ’ ll Take You There ” imagines a world