BILL WITHERS / ビル・ウィザース / GREATEST HITS / レコード

BILL WITHERSの'81年リリースのベスト・アルバムがMOBILE FIDELITYよりHybrid SACDと180g重量盤アナログ盤でリイシュー!

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Bill Withers created mellow, downhome-style soul for barely morethan a decade before electively retreating from the industry topursue craftsman interests. Yet over the course of the handful ofalbums he made for Sussex and CBS, the Appalachian native strucklasting emotional chords in legends ranging from Booker T. Jonesto Stephen Stills?not to mention the millions of listeners that fellunder the spell of now-standard tracks such as “Lean on Me,”“Use Me,” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The antithesis of the sweatyR&B shouter that prowled the edge of stages, Withers dealt in calmand vulnerability. Serving as a template for modern British soulcontemporaries like Sam Smith and an extension of the timelessfare explored by Van Morrison, Curtis Mayfield, and Al Green, BillWithers’ Greatest Hits belongs in every music lover’s library.

Mobile Fidelity’s reissues of the 1981 compilation provide atransparent view of Withers’ relaxing timbre and the subtle groovesunderlining his arrangements. Characteristics ranging from thetension of the guitars, funky bends of the bass, whisper-soft coo ofthe formal strings, airiness of the backing harmonies, and sharpnessof the snare drum emerge with utmost clarity and lifelike presence.Always prized for its naked honesty and pure conviction, Withers’music positively caresses the senses on this LP and SACD, theunadulterated production and beautiful soundscapes revealedanew with each listen. You won’t find a better-sounding rootsR&B collection.