The O'Jays – So Full Of Love

The last two albums by "The O'Jays" were not what we were accustomed to, being that they gave us some of the most Classic songs in history...With "So Full Of Love", at least right here, this one was much better for "The O'Jays"....

Unlike most of their albums, this one starts off with the Slow t "Sing My Heart Out", which showcased their Vocals very nicely...

They even got a BIG HIT with the 1st Crown Jewel, "Use Ta Be My Girl"....."Gamble & Huff" was able to get "Walter Williams" to really come in the clutch here (and it was the HIT that they sorely needed).....

The terrific ballad and 2nd Crown Jewel "Cry Together" is an ABSOLUTE STANDOUT!!!! It has "Walter" giving us a smooth intro, and beginning Croon, before "Eddie LeVert" just RIPS the t apart!!!!

The 3rd Crown Jewel, "This Time Baby", was a very good Get On The Floor t..

I will say that the 4th Crown Jewel, "Brandy" (Produced by the ONE and ONLY "Thom Bell"), is one of the most BEAUTIFUL songs I ever heard, even though it is about a dog...So many Guys got in trouble for dedicating this song to their Lady....But because the Melody was SO FANTASTIC, that for most People, it was easy not to pay attention to the Lyrics (even though when I listen to it now, it's hard to understand why)...

"Take Me To The Stars" and "Help (Somebody Please)" (co-written by "Eddie" along with "Robert Dukes") are ok, but not really all that to me personally...

The final song and 5th Crown Jewel, "Strokety Stroke" (Written and Produced by "Bunny Sigler"), was a Straight Up And Get Down t!!!! Every time this song was played when I was a Kid, People used to just JUMP on the Floor!!!

This album thankfully put "The O'Jays" back in the conversation, and cemented their rich Legacy...The only really thing that's wrong is that the Social Conscious material was gone...I think maybe because by this time "Disco" was in Super Bloom, and no one wanted to hear anything else (until the "Disco Sucks Movement")....

But with that being said, it was good to see "The O'Jays" put out a very good Record.....

No one handles a slow jam quite like the O'Jays. The way Eddie Levert and Walter Williams interchange their emotive, heart-stopping leads alongside Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's peerless productions and songwriting was second to none. With disco reaching its peak in the mainstream, many established soul acts heeded the call of the changing guard. For the O'Jays, the socially conscious messages that won them acclaim and fame in the early half of the '70s were nixed for luscious romantic balladry. And that wasn't at all a bad thing. After all, the group's aptly titled 1978 release, So Full of Love embodies the urbane soulfulness of the quiet storm boom in the late '70s. It's one of those staple albums late-night quiet storm programmers adored and played madly. Nearly every cut on this album has retained their power and longevity as standouts in the O'Jays' canon: there's the ultra-smooth nostalgic trip to the group's doo-wop roots on "Used Ta Be My Girl," the affecting, melancholic heartbreakers "Cry Together" and "Help (Somebody Please)," and the most unusual song the group ever did; a tender ode to a runaway dog named "Brandy." But the whole album is prime romantic soul served in splendid Philly style, a testament to how the O'Jays were definitive messengers for the People as much as they were lovemen for the bedroom.

Like every album under the Philadelphia International banner, this 1978 Terre Haute pressing sounds excellent. The now-OOP 1993 Right Stuff CD remaster is recommended, too.

Many of this band's music is NOT available on CD , what are these labels waiting for it is 2020 !