Released: 1978
This album was truly a duel effort between the Love Unlimited Orchestra and Love Unlimited. The female trio provide vocals so prominent on five of the seven tracks that they really can’t be called instrumentals.
Granted the lyrics they sing are very simple and have no real verses, but are instead all chorus. Makes me think these were originally fragments of songs planned for Love Unlimited that were never fully fleshed out lyrically and instead turned into Love Unlimited Orchestra music.
Anyhoo, let’s get to the actual tunes beginning with “Don't You Know How Much I Love You”.
This group project starts off with Barry White speaking, “I need to say I love you in a very special way. And that’s why I have written this musical bouquet.”
How sweet.
Now drums. Y’all ready? Guitars. Y’all ready? Horns and strings. Ready to roll?
Let’s hit it.
That song is the best example of the Love Unlimited Orchestra having dueling guitarists working off one another. You have the jazzy one strumming and the rhythm player just rockin’ away. Superb.
After being absent from that jammer, Love Unlimited shows up on “Stay Please And Make Love To Me” a pretty simple song with very slight hints of reggae and lots of percussion. “Hey Look At Me, I'm In Love” is also a simple disco song that’s too long for its own good (7:21).
“Love You, Ooh It's True I Do” closes out Side One, which was entirely dedicated to the boogie. And this is the boogiest song of them all.
Side Two is the sexy side with basically two songs: “Whisper Softly” and “Can’t You See” plus an interlude that technically counts on the track listing too. They’re all serviceable Barry White product. Nothing groundbreaking, but mercifully not embarrassing either. What is notable on these two songs is Love Unlimited’s ability to sing softly. The trio had some pipes able to blow away, so it’s nice to see them successfully do the task of singing well with whispery vocals.
Anyways, this thing was a complete stink bomb commercially reaching #53 R&B and #201 on the pop albums. The lone single, “Hey Look At Me, I'm In Love”, didn’t chart anywhere.
ALBUM GRADE: C+
Despite the vocal prominence of Love Unlimited, this is the least ambitious Love Unlimited Orchestra album yet as it sounds like a throwback to Barry White 1.0, while his solo work was focusing less on orchestration and more on groove.
Still a respectable effort with no shameful music, but no towering highs either.
Song Scores
Don't You Know How Much I Love You: 8/10
Stay Please And Make Love To Me: 6/10
Hey Look At Me, I'm In Love: 6/10
Love You, Ooh It's True I Do: 7.5/10
Whisper Softly: 7/10
Enter Love's Interlude: 7/10
Can’t You See: 7/10