The Last Word [Purple Splatter Vinyl] [Signed] [B&N Exclusive]

by The O'Jays

Overview

A 2018 television segment on the O'Jays regarding their 60 years together -- and their plan to stop the following year -- was seen by Sam Hollander, co-writer of multi-platinum hits for One Direction, Fitz & the Tantrums, and Panic! At the Disco. No mention of an upcoming LP was made. This prompted Hollander to contact the group's manager, which led to him -- along with Steve Greenberg, Michael Mangini, and soul great Betty Wright -- co-producing the legends' first proper album since 2004 and final statement. Founding members Eddie Levert and Walter Williams and early-'90s addition Eric Grant are given material that diligently emulates the O'Jays' '70s peak with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and other Philadelphia International studio teams, such as Gene McFadden and John Whitehead. It's an impossible task; however, with the exception of a couple specific later singles, this is the best and most comfortable the O'Jays have sounded since the '70s. The romantic and nostalgic numbers all have a similar combination of grit, conviction, and finesse, capped off by stirring vocal arrangements. There's a high-grade message song, "Stand Up (Show Love)," while "Above the Law" is a fiery protest resembling Norman Whitfield's Temptations productions ("Ball of Confusion") as much as the urgent moments from the second side of Back Stabbers. The finishing touch is an update of the 1967 single "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)." Accompanied only by Angelo Moore on piano and the floating background voices of Williams and Grant, Levert revisits the lead in wiser, more powerful form. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2019
Label:	Barnes Noble Consign
UPC:	4050538475784

Tracks

1. I Got You
2. Stand Up
3. Enjoy Yourself
4. Do You Really Know How I Feel
5. Above the Law
6. '68 Summer Nights
7. Start Stoppin'
8. I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)
9. Pressure

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The O'Jays   Primary Artist
Leon Boykins   Bass
Maxim Moston   Strings
Peter Levin   Keyboards
Randy Andos   Trombone
Jim Hynes   Trumpet
Kaveh Rastegar   Bass
Michael Davis   Trombone
Randy Bowland   Guitar
Katie Kresek   Strings
Adam Levy   Guitar
Lisa Matricardi   Strings
Tony Kadleck   Trumpet
Antoine Silverman   Strings
Stewart Rose   French Horn
Delious Kennedy   Vocals (Background)
Ghost Of Harlem   Keyboards
Brian Pareschi   Trumpet
Shelagh Abate   French Horn
Katie Thomas   Strings
Jake Goldbas   Drums
Michael Mitchell   Keyboards
Entcho Todoron   Strings
Jonathan Dinklege   Strings
Jonathan Weber   Strings
Senfu Stoney   Percussion
Kiroko Taguchi   Strings

Technical Credits

Angelo Morris   Composer
Betty Wright   Composer,Producer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Michael Mangini   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Adam Pallin   Composer
Steve Greenberg   Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Sam Hollander   Composer,Producer
Sean Gould   Engineer
Bruno Mars   Composer
Philip Lawrence   Composer
Delious Kennedy   Vocal Arrangement
Dan Edinberg   Composer
Vella Cameron   Composer
Robert Poindexter   Composer
Toby Ludwig   Executive Producer
Josh Edmondson   Engineer
Oliver Straus   Engineer
Theron Feemster   Composer
Stanley Poindexter   Composer
Sebastian Kole   Composer
Michael Blume   Composer
Jacqueline Poindexter   Composer
Emma Jean Thomas   Composer
Patrick Monahan   Composer
Joaquin Salim   Design,Artwork