Barry White - Barry White Sings For Someone You Love 1977

 Barry White Sings for Someone You Love is the self-produced seventh album by soul singer Barry White, released in 1977 on the 20th Century label. 

 

The album topped the R&B albums chart, White's first to do so since 1975. It also reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200, his second to reach the top ten. The album was a success, yielding two Billboard R&B Top Ten singles, "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me", which peaked at No. 1,^[1] and "Playing Your Game, Baby". "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" was also a hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 4. A third single, "Oh, What a Night for Dancing", reached No. 13 on the R&B chart^[1] and No. 24 on the pop chart. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD on September 24, 1996, by Mercury Records. The original vinyl album was released with three different covers. In addition to the beige fur with black letters cover shown above, the LP was also issued with dark brown fur and grey fur. Each of these covers had White's name and the album's title in white letters, and are harder to find than the more common light brown fur with black letters cover.

"Playing Your Game, Baby", the first track featured on the album, was remixed by British electronica group Groove Armada for their 2000 album Back to Mine: Groove Armada.

 This was Barry White's first bona fide success in close to two years. It is due in part to the slight change of his music formula. After albums such as the Love Unlimited Orchestra's Music Maestro, Please and 1976's Is This Whatcha Wont? disappeared without a trace, White ended his over the top musical extravagance and returned with a sleeker more relaxed style. Barry White Sings for Someone You Love is often so laid back, it's almost reclining. This album biggest hit was "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me." That song more than anything else here typified White's new and improved production style and offered one of his drollest vocals. The amazing "Oh What a Night" has him effortlessly capturing the drama of R&B from a decade or two earlier and it is both sensual and romantic. The sleeper of the album, "I Never Thought I'd Fall In Love With You," is lush, confident, and assured. If it appeared on an album before this, it's doubtful White could have gotten the subtle musical nuances or the plaintive vocal. As for pure ballads, "You Turned My Whole World Around" and "Of All the Guys in the World" are good, but with their interchangeable dirge-like paces, they practically cancel one another out. Barry White Sings for Someone You Love in essence restarted White's career and contains some of his best work.