Blow the House Down (album)

Blow the House Down is an album by the American saxophonist Junior Walker, released in 1983.[2][3] It marked the third time that Walker had signed with Motown Records.[4]

Blow the House Down
Studio album by
Junior Walker
Released1983
GenreSoul
LabelMotown Records[1]
ProducerHal Davis (tracks 1, 3 and 4), Alpha Centauri Ltd. (track 1), Junior Walker (tracks 2 and 6), R.C. Ratliff (track 2), Norman Whitfield (track 5), Wille Hutch (track 7), Benny Medina (track 8), Kerry Ashby (track 8)
Junior Walker chronology
Back Street Boogie
(1979)		 Blow the House Down
(1983)		 19 Greatest Hits
(1987)

The album peaked at No. 210 on the Billboard 200.[5]

Production

Billed without his All Stars, the album included Walker's son, Autry DeWalt III, on drums.[6] It contains Walker's take on "Urgent", the 1981 Foreigner hit on which he had played a wide-praised sax solo.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Robert ChristgauB+[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]

Robert Christgau thought that "Walker was always funky in the generic sense, but on this welcome return to his home label eight different producers help him get all fashionably funky as well—without any sense of strain."[9] The Globe and Mail wrote that "the Walker sound is padded and filled with synthesizers, back-up singers and a couple of dozen studio musicians, but the music is never choked in the modern studio mix the way so many Motown albums are these days."[4] The Philadelphia Inquirer praised "Sex Pot", writing that it "has all the bite and wit of Walker at his best ... In the '60s, this song might have put him in the Top 10 again; these days, however, a big, lewd piece of music like this scares off rock radio programmers."[11]

AllMusic noted the album's themes of "sex and lust," writing that "Walker's signifying sax cries are showcased on eight explosive tracks."[8]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sex Pot"Angelo Bond, Kennedy William3:59
2."Rise and Shine"Angelo Bond, Junior Walker, R. C. Ratliff3:57
3."Closer than Close"Gerald Albright, Willie Hutch4:38
4."Ball Baby"Angelo Bond, Hal Davis, Junior Walker7:28
5."T-OO (T Double O)"John Whitfield, Michael Whitfield5:47
6."Urgent"Mick Jones4:41
7."In and Out"Willie Hutch3:44
8."Blow the House Down"Al Boyd, Kerry Ashby4:00

References
  1. Dahl, Bill (February 28, 2011). "Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 rare photographs". Penguin – via Google Books.
  2. "Junior Walker & the All-Stars | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. "Perfect Sound Forever: Junior Walker & the All-Stars". Perfect Sound Forever.
  4. Lacey, Liam (29 Oct 1983). "INSIDE THE SLEEVE POP Blow The House Down". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 825.
  6. "Junior Walker: Obituary". The Times. Features. 4 Dec 1995. p. 1.
  7. Perrone, Pierre (25 Nov 1995). "Obituary: Junior Walker". The Independent. Comment. p. 22.
  8. "Blow the House Down - Junior Walker & the All-Stars | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  9. "Robert Christgau: CG: Junior Walker". www.robertchristgau.com.
  10. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 483.
  11. Tucker, Ken (23 Sep 1983). "IN CONCERT: SOUL LEGENDS OF THE '60S". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E24.
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