Barry White - Dedicated 1983

Dedicated was Barry White's fifteenth studio album, released in March 1983. White's popularity and record sales were at an all-time low and, as a consequence, his relationship with CBS Records had soured. Dedicated and his album Rise with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, released around the same time, sold poorly and failed to chart. All the tracks were recorded at White's R.I.S.E. studio in the grounds of Sherman Oaks, with White and Jack Perry playing all instruments of the rhythm section themselves. Gene Page added the strings. White dedicated the album to his mother, Sadie Marie Carter. 

CBS released White of his contract in 1984. Since 1977, 14 albums had been released in total on his Unlimited Gold label, five by himself, one duet album with his wife Glodean, one album by Love Unlimited, three by the Love Unlimited Orchestra, and one each by his signings Danny Pearson and Jimmie & Vella Cameron. Its biggest success had been a 1980 2-LP set of his greatest hits from his 20th Century-years. White had lost an estimated $10M over those 7 years. CBS was that keen to get out of their deal that they even returned all the mastertapes to White. In April 1984, White received a phone call from Marvin Gaye who wanted him to produce his next album. Only the next day, he woke up to the news that Gaye had been killed by his dad. For the next three years, White survived on royalty checks from his glory years and the occasional touring, before finding new spirit when he signed with A&M Records and started recording again.

The album would see a CD release in 1993. In 1996, Japan re-issued the album on a gatefold miniature LP-replica compact disc. 

The interesting thing about this album is instead of being full of love songs like most of his albums, it's more of a social conscience record. At the time his albums were selling less and less, so he tried something different and it actually works quite well. He took a break after this record and later went back to his more typical love songs approach. Perhaps the most atypical album he did.