Bill Withers – Menagerie

Great review Brandosoul. I agree 100% and was so happy to find this LP at an affordable price. Truly essential. The cast of supporting musicians, including Ray Parker Jr, is top notch

1977 marked a rather crucial year in popular music where mainstream America embraced tastes and sounds that had been boiling in the underground for years: disco ruled the day and punk rock became the new status quo. Recognizable soul vets like Withers had difficulties adjusting to the new landscape, resulting in their music not being given the same regard as it once did in the marketplace. In order to garner commercial love, every great artist encounters a period where they have to refine their established style to fit the present climate. It can work in their favor, or be disastrous. Luckily, Bill Withers didn't stray too far from his soulful grace to strike up his highest-charting hit since "Kissing My Love" four years prior with the summery, optimistic staple, "Lovely Day." That classic's parent album, Menagerie evoked the similar posh, easygoing spirit of that song, with Withers embracing decidedly commercial and slick sounds of the disco era, while forgoing the risk of losing his artistic integrity. It's one of those stellar platters that obviously wasn't hard to love among soul and jazz purists who enjoyed the sophisticated flavors of the quiet storm era because, as its title suggests, it unfurled a mix of musical textures with lasting immediacy that works, courtesy of the series of respected co-producers Withers worked with. While everything here wasn't as fully-realized and affecting as Withers' former work, Menagerie proved to be one of the most consistent entries in his canon.