Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS***

Harlem/Ain't No Sunshine/Grandma's Hands/Sweet Wanomi/Everybody's Talkin'/Do It Good/Hope She'll Be Happier/Let It Be/I'm Her Daddy/In My Heart/Moanin' & Groanin'/Better Off Dead

Just As I Am was the debut album from 1970s soul star Bill Withers. The cover photo had to taken during his factory lunch break. Includes the US top five single Ain’t No Sunshine. (US:39)

“Withers lays down one of the best soul albums of all time. The guitar playing is fantastic, it's just an all-around great album, a necessity for anyone who likes soul.”

“Bill Withers in his quiet unassuming way, made some fine music in the early 70s. Unshowy and modest, just check the album sleeve where he looks as if he's off to do a shift at work rather than make music. The music inside is just as unpretentious, a mixture of down-home soul, blues, R & B, gospel and funk, most of it sounding like it could have been recorded on his front porch.”

“Bill's songwriting and composition style is very much his own. Stylistically based in the folk-blues, very accessible in the singer/songwriter era, his songs also utilize plenty of instrumentation of the funk/soul era such as cinematic orchestrations, slowed Afro-Cuban type percussion and a style of songwriting that is extremely memorable.”

“Everything on this album is solid, the song writing, instrumentation and production. While nothing is really exceptional (except for Withers' voice which is pretty fantastic), everything is strong enough that it elevates the work as a whole to the level of great. There is only one moment of transcendence which is Ain't No Sunshine.”

“Bill Withers is my favourite male soul artist. There's something in his voice that makes me love his songs. Although Ain't No Sunshine is brilliant and already a classic, he's so much more than this single. All his songs tell wonderful stories; he just knows how to create great music.”

“Quite possibly the most soulful album I've heard - absolutely superb from the beginning to its sublime gunshot end. Withers' voice is beautiful throughout, and the, material is excellent. We all know the classic Ain't No Sunshine, but it's no exaggeration to say that there are some equally good highlights amongst the lesser tracks.”