| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| Record Collector | [3] |
The Poet II is the fourteenth studio album by American musician Bobby Womack. The album was released in 1984, by Beverly Glen Music.[4] The album features three duets with fellow soul legend Patti LaBelle, including the top three R&B charted ballad, "Love Has Finally Come At Last", and the more modest follow-up, "It Takes a Lot of Strength to Say Goodbye". It also includes the top 75 UK dance hit, "Tell Me Why". The UK music magazine NME named it the best album of 1984.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Has Finally Come at Last" | Bobby Womack, Patrick Moten[6] | 5:36 |
| 2. | "It Takes a Lot of Strength to Say Goodbye" | Chris Brubeck | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Through The Eyes of a Child" | Bobby Womack, Jim Ford | 5:21 |
| 4. | "Surprise, Surprise" | Bobby Womack, Jim Ford | 3:38 |
| 5. | "Tryin' To Get Over You" | Bobby Womack, Jim Ford | 4:16 |
| 6. | "Tell Me Why" | Bobby Womack, Jim Ford | 6:16 |
| 7. | "Who's Foolin' Who" | Bobby Womack, Jim Ford | 4:02 |
| 8. | "I Wish I Had Someone to Go Home To" | Cecil Womack, Linda Womack | 3:47 |
| 9. | "American Dream" | Bobby Womack, Jim Ford | 4:40 |
"American Dream" contains an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 speech "I Have a Dream"
Personnel
- Bobby Womack – vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, arrangements
- Patti LaBelle – vocals
- Courtney Sappington, David T. Walker, George Benson, Robert Palmer – guitar
- David Shields – bass
- Michael Wycoff – keyboards
- Denzil "Broadway" Miller, Frank "Rusty" Hamilton – synthesizer
- James E. Gadson – drums
- Fred Johnson – electronic drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Frank "Rusty" Hamilton − harmonica
- Fernando Harkless, Fred Wesley, Harry Kim, Sidney Muldrow, Thurman Green, Wilton Felder – horns
- Dorothy Ashby – harp
- James Gadson, Kathy Bloxson, Regina Womack, The Valentinos, Luther Waters, Julia Waters, Oren Waters, Maxine Waters – background vocals
- David Blumberg – string arrangements
- Technical
- Otis Smith – executive producer
- Barney Perkins − mix engineer
References
- ^ Jason Elias. "The Poet II - Bobby Womack | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
- ^ Colin Larkin (2006). "Womack, Bobby". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8 (4th ed.). Muze, Oxford University Press. p. 751–2. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
- ^ Kris Needs, "From Bad To Verse", Record Collector, no. 518 (May 2021), p. 111
- ^ "iTunes - Music - The Poet II by Bobby Womack". Itunes.apple.com. 1944-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
- ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Bobby Womack Featuring Patti LaBelle - The Poet II (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
