Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack
Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack is the fourth studio album American singer-songwriter Calvin Richardson. It was released by Shanachie Records on August 25, 2009 in the United States. A tribute album dedicated to singer Bobby Womack, Richardson was chosen to record the album to coincide with Womack's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It peaked at number 30 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[1] and garnered two nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards.[2]
Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 25, 2009 | |||
Length | 48:28 | |||
Label | Shanachie | |||
Producer | Tres Gilbert | |||
Calvin Richardson chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PopMatters | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllMusic editor Thom Jurek rated the album three and a half stars out of five and called it a "wildly ambitious but logical step. The dangers in doing a tribute to a legendary artist, especially Womack, one of soul music’s most storied and colorful legends as both a singer and songwriter, is a daunting task. But Richardson’s and Womack’s voices are very similar, though the latter’s is not as rough as the former’s and has more gospel in it, which works very well in adding to most of these songs."[3]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Across 110th Street" | Bobby Womack | 3:54 |
2. | "You're Welcome, Stop On By" |
| 3:55 |
3. | "Harry Hippie" | Jim Ford | 4:03 |
4. | "Woman Got to Have It" |
| 3:49 |
5. | "American Dream" |
| 4:35 |
6. | "Daylight" |
| 3:23 |
7. | "That's the Way I Feel About Cha" |
| 4:47 |
8. | "Love Has Finally Come at Last" (featuring Ann Nesby) |
| 5:17 |
9. | "I Can Understand It" | Womack | 4:47 |
10. | "I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You" | Womack | 4:16 |
11. | "Fact of Life"/"He'll Be There When the Sun Goes Down" | Womack | 5:43 |
Total length: | 55:31 |
Personnel
Performers and musicians
- Evan Bendit – saxophone
- Ron Benner – violin
- Michael Burton – saxophone
- Jorel "Jfly" Flynn – drums, percussion
- Justin Gilbert – clavinet, organ
- Tres Gilbert – bass
- Latonya G. Givens – backing vocalist
- Charles Gray – violin
- Tony Hightower – backing vocalist
- Artia E. Lockett – backing vocalist
- Tony Otero – engineer
- Derek Scott – guitar
- John Raymond – trumpet
- Calvin Richardson – lead vocals
- Derek Scott – guitar
- Twin Cities Horns – horns
- Justin Verhasselt – trombone
Technical
- Ron Benner – mixing engineer
- Lance Conrad – recording enginneer
- Tres Gilbert – mixing engineer, producer
- Randall Grass – executive producer
- Timothy Lee – executive producer
- Paul Marino – recording enginneer
- Calvin Richardson – associate executive producer
Charts
Chart (2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[5] | 50 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] | 30 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | August 25, 2009 | Shanachie | [7] |
References
- R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack – Calvin Richardson. billboard.com; 2009 [cited September 27, 2011].
- "Calvin Richardson > Nominations". Grammy.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- Allmusic review
- Lewis, Tyler (June 28, 2022). "Calvin Richardson: Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack". PopMatters. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- "Calvin Richardson Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- "Calvin Richardson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- "Facts of Life: The Soul of Bobby Womack". Apple Music (US). Retrieved June 28, 2022.