Bobby Womack FACTS OF LIFE

Personnel: Bobby Womack (vocals, guitar); Pete Carr, Dave Turner (guitar); Barry Beckett (piano, keyboards); Clayton Ivey (keyboards); David Hood, Jerry Masters (bass); Rodger Hawkins (drums).
Reissue producer: Tom Cartwright.
Personnel: Bobby Womack (vocals, guitar); Jimmy Johnson , David Turner , Pete Carr (guitar); Barry Beckett (piano, keyboards); Clayton Ivey, Truman Thomas (keyboards); Roger Hawkins (drums).
Audio Mixer: Christina Hersch.
Illustrator: Phillip Hays.
Photographers: Martin; Martin.
Unknown Contributor Role: Dawn Van Patten.
One of Bobby Womack's best albums, THE FACTS OF LIFE is also one of the real landmarks of early '70s Southern soul. Highlights include an almost unrecognizably funky version of the venerable blues song "Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out," complete with one of Womack's trademark raps (the title track is also almost totally spoken), and a gorgeous reading of "That's Heaven to Me" (originally done by his mentor Same Cooke).
There are also revelatory covers of both Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" (sung as "Natural Man," of course) and Burt Bachrach's "The Look of Love." The concluding take on Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" may not be as cosmic as the better known Jimi Hendrix version, but it does give Womack the album's one big opportunity to really burn on guitar.

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B