If
Barry White's love-god shtick sometimes seemed to veer into parody, then imagine what a
Barry White knock-off record sounds like -- still, arranger
Cecil Holmes' lush, aggressively sensual
Music for Soulful Lovers has its obvious charms, not least among them a grandiose scale that perfectly captures the over-the-top sexuality that defined the swinging '70s.
Holmes' richly appointed interpretations of crossover classics like
Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and
Al Green's "Call Me" percolate with a funkiness largely absent from
White's sweeping soul aesthetic, there's something undeniably adult, even naughty, about
Holmes' approach, and like the slutty redhead you take home at last call, the utter filthiness of it all is a huge part of the appeal. ~ Jason Ankeny