Everything Is Everything - DONNY HATHAWAY***

Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)/Je Vous Aime/I Believe To My Soul/Misty/Sugar Lee/Tryin' Times/Thank You Master (For My Soul)/The Ghetto/To Be Young Gifted & Black

Everything Is Everything was the debut album from the Louisiana soul singer and pianist Donny Hathaway. He is best remembered today for his successful duets with Roberta Flack. (US:73)

“This album is a fine listen, despite its inconsistencies, because, as they say, when it's good it's very good and even when it's bad, it's still okay and I'll take okay Donny Hathaway over a fair bit of other music.”

“70s soul stuff tends to get schmaltzy quite quickly but whilst Everything Is Everything can drag at points, the raucous grooves of Sugar Lee and The Ghetto are astonishingly good and make me want to hang on just to hear them again. This is soul with some backbone.”

“A mixed album, with some brilliant moments, but also a few weak ones. Sugar Lee and Voices Inside are definitively in the first category, with sloppy, gritty jams. But even the weak songs benefit from his great voice.”

“Donny Hathaway’s debut album is an exciting introduction to an artist who not only sung, but played, performed and composed straight from the heart. His vocal and piano talent really shine on this one and, combined with the strong song selection, make for an impressive release. Of all his albums this is the most innocent and playful, and the easiest to listen to. It simply goes straight to your heart.”

“The album has a cool vibe to it and Donny excels at getting his point across soulfully. Newcomers to the genre should also find a lot to latch onto here, thanks to the charm and the overall warmth and uniqueness of his music. It has a cross-over appeal without any kind of sacrifice.”

“What makes this album special is that it plays out very much like that of an artist giving his interpretation of pure soul music. You get straight ahead soul where his individuality shines through musically, and his voice obviously sets him apart.”

“Donny Hathaway has a voice like a slightly gruffer Stevie Wonder, let loose with big gospel choruses and brass sections. Everything Is Everything is practically a stereotypical soul record, which borrows every single idea from the Soul Handbook without improving upon any of them.”