a) Genre
Philadelphia soul / R&B / Jazz. Unmistakably Lou is Lou Rawls's second album for Philadelphia International Records (PIR) and, in the AllMusic assessment of critic Ron Wynn, a record on which Rawls's vocals are in certain respects superior even to his landmark debut for the label, All Things in Time (1976): 'Where the Gamble/Huff production team's efforts on the preceding project rivaled Rawls' vocals, he took the spotlight this time, while their arrangements and productions were more on the subdued side.' The album is notable within the PIR catalogue for its distinctively jazz-inflected character — described by Wikipedia as 'atypical and distinctive for a PIR production' — alongside the lush Philadelphia soul orchestrations for which the label was famous. The MFSB orchestra's string and horn arrangements, an Amazon reviewer notes, give the sessions 'that jazzy feeling that MFSB became well known for.'
b) Release
Original US release: Philadelphia International Records (1977; catalogue PZ 34488, vinyl LP), phonographic copyright ℗ & © 1977 CBS Inc. Philadelphia International Records was distributed by CBS Records (Columbia Broadcasting System). Multiple pressing variants are documented on Discogs: a Columbia Records Pressing Plant variant (Pitman, New Jersey); a Frankford/Wayne mastered pressing ('Mastering by Frankford/Wayne Phila.' in runout); and others. Rights region codes BIEM/STEMRA indicate European licensing. International editions include a Philippines pressing (Blackgold Records Corp., manufactured under license by CBS/Sony Inc., Tokyo). Mastering was done at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Laboratories, Philadelphia, on at least one pressing. A 2005 UK CD double pack reissue by Demon Music presented Unmistakably Lou together with All Things in Time. The album is available on digital streaming platforms.
c) Production
Production was shared across four producing entities, each handling specific tracks: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (tracks A1 through B1, and B3 — the majority of the album); Jack Faith (track B2); Dexter Wansel (track B4); Bobby Martin (track B5). Kenny Gamble (born 11 August 1943, Philadelphia) and Leon Huff (born 8 April 1942, Camden, New Jersey) were the co-founders of Philadelphia International Records and architects of the Philadelphia Sound — one of the most commercially and artistically successful production partnerships in the history of American popular music. Dexter Wansel (born 22 August 1950, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) was a keyboard player, arranger, and emerging producer who had joined PIR's production team and was developing his own signature sound. Bobby Martin was a veteran PIR arranger and occasional producer. All instrumental performances were by MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother), the large ensemble of Philadelphia session musicians that served as PIR's house orchestra.
d) Recording
Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios, 212 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Sessions took place during 1976–1977. Sigma Sound was the central recording facility of the Philadelphia International Records operation and the room where the Philadelphia Sound was defined. Its owner and chief engineer Joe Tarsia's acoustic sensibility was fundamental to the MFSB sound.
e) Reception
Unmistakably Lou performed respectably but not as spectacularly as its predecessor All Things in Time (1976), which had gone Platinum and reached number 3 on the R&B chart. Unmistakably Lou peaked at number 14 on the US R&B Albums chart and number 41 on the Billboard 200. One single was released in the US: 'See You When I Git There', which reached number 8 on the R&B singles chart and number 66 on the pop chart. Most significantly, the album won Rawls the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 20th Grammy Awards in 1978 — his third Grammy in that category (previously awarded for 'Dead End Street' in 1967 and A Natural Man in 1971). An Amazon LP reviewer describes it as sounding 'great — big, bold sound that expands beyond the speakers to fill the room with strings and horns and the warm, rich voice of Lou Rawls.' AllMusic and Rolling Stone Album Guide list it as a well-regarded album, though specific star ratings vary. The 2005 Demon Music UK double-CD reissue with All Things in Time made both albums readily available in that format.
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen Rawls (born 1 December 1933, Chicago, Illinois, USA — died 6 January 2006, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American R&B, soul, and jazz singer with a rich baritone voice and an enormous commercial and critical output spanning over forty years. He grew up in the Ida B. Wells housing project in Chicago and sang gospel music from childhood in church, including a period with the Pilgrim Travelers — a gospel group whose other members included Sam Cooke, with whom Rawls maintained a close friendship. After serving in the US Army (as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division), he returned to Los Angeles and began pursuing a secular music career. He signed with Capitol Records in 1962. His live album Lou Rawls Live (Capitol, 1966) went Gold and became one of the most commercially successful live recordings of the decade. His single 'Dead End Street' (1967) won a Grammy for Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance. After leaving Capitol he recorded for MGM, and his album A Natural Man (1971) won a second Grammy. He signed with Philadelphia International Records in 1975; his PIR debut All Things in Time (1976) went Platinum and spawned 'You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine' (number 2 pop, number 1 R&B). Unmistakably Lou (1977) won him a third Grammy. He launched the United Negro College Fund's Parade of Stars television fundraiser in 1979 and hosted it annually for many years, raising over $200 million. After recording for Epic Records in the 1980s, he moved to Blue Note, where the Grammy-nominated At Last (1989) was made. He died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on 6 January 2006, aged 72.
This text was generated by Claude (Anthropic). It may contain errors or inaccuracies.
