1987 · Behind the Songs
Four years away, a new label, and seven-plus minutes of funk.
It opened The Right Night & Barry White, the sixteenth self-produced studio album, released September 24, 1987 on A&M Records after sessions across 1986–1987. White wrote it with Jack Perry, and the track runs 7:43. It was his first album in four years, following Dedicated (1983) — and a new label home.
The single reached No. 17 on US R&B and No. 14 in the UK. The album hit No. 28 on R&B and earned 2× Gold in France (200,000 copies) — a quieter kind of triumph than the 1970s peaks, but a comeback all the same.
White kept his hands on everything: lead vocals, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. Around him were guitarist Melvin “Wah Wah” Watson, bassist Nathan East, Gene Page’s string arrangements, and background singers including Glodean White and Brenda Holloway.
The reviews were split — Smash Hits gave it 8.75/10 while AllMusic was cooler — but the groove speaks for itself. Seven-plus minutes of funk from a man who never really left.