Some Guy's Top 1000 Albums

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283: LET THE MUSIC PLAY | BARRY WHITE

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Stephen Cook at AllMusic: In between his run of gold in the first half of the '70s and a pre-comeback sabbatical in the '80s, Barry White produced this top-notch album in 1976 as one of a long line of releases on the 20th Century label. While not full of any Top Ten pop hits, the six tracks do feature minor successes in "Baby, We Better Try to Get It Together," "You See the Trouble with Me" (co-written with White's guitarist at the time, Ray Parker, Jr.), and the title track. White's disco arrangements are of the highest order here, full of sophisticated orchestrations and silky but solid funk-lite rhythm tracks. The lyrical content, though, does not speak of the endless nights of lovemaking and blossoming relationships addressed in earlier songs, but instead focuses on the hurdles and downside of love. White expertly couples his subtle vocal delivery with just the right amount of pathos to highlight the lover on the outs. Something of an overlooked gem, Let the Music Play is a must for Barry White fans and qualifies as a fine choice for listeners looking for something beyond the singer's base of hits.

Wiki: Let the Music Play is the self-produced fifth album by American R&B singer Barry White, recorded in 1975 and released in January 1976 on the 20th Century label.

The album reached #8 on the R&B albums chart and peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200. It also reached #22 on the UK Albums Chart. The album yielded the Billboard R&B Top Ten single, "Let the Music Play", which was actually an outtake from his previous album "Just Another Way to Say I Love You" and peaked at #4. It also reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the UK Singles Chart. Another single, "You See the Trouble with Me", reached #14 on the R&B chart and #2 on the UK Singles Chart. A third single, "Baby, We Better Try to Get It Together", reached #29 on the R&B Chart, #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #15 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD with bonus tracks on February 14, 2012 by Hip-O Select.