Track Listing

1. What's Your World - Leon Ware
2. You Do The Right Things - Al Wilson
3. I Don't Know - Syreeta
4. Heart, Mind & Soul - El DeBarge
5. No Tricks - Chuck Jackson
6. Point Of View - Rockie Robbins
7. Everywhere Inside Of Me - Leon Ware
8. I Can't Hold Back - Shadow
9. Trust Your Heart - Bobby Womack
10. Almost Everything - Melissa Manchester
11. I Know It's You - Donny Hathaway
12. Girl, Girl, Girl - Leon Ware
13. Can You Feel What I'm Saying - Minnie Riperton
14. I Came To Love You - Booker T
15. Just Don't Make It Hurt - Krystol
16. You Make me Wanna Love Again - Vesta Williams
17. I Can Dream - Thelma Jones
18. Thank You Early Bird - Jerry Butler
19. Looking Up To You - Michael Wycoff

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15891 in Music
• Released on: 2009-03-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

Simply Beautiful
This is another quality release by Expansion Records (UK), which was the label responsible for re-issuing the legendary Leon Ware album 'Musical Massage' (a project resulting from Ware's engagement with Marvin Gaye and the 'I Want You' sessions and the albums 'Inside is Love' and 'Candlelight' (featuring Dave Grusin).

This time, Expansion Records offers an overview of Ware's work, stretching from 1972 ('What's Your World') to 1989 ('Just Don't Make It Hurt'), showcasing his talents as writer, performer and producer. In the accompanying liner notes Ralph Tee refers to the collection as bringing together "just some of his songs, performances, and productions from his extensive body of work" with the purpose of celebrating "a unique soul artist".

It is principally as a writer and producer that Ware features, hence the inclusion of 'and Friends' in the cd title. And what friends they are! The sheer class of the performers gives an indication as to the quality of the work presented here, and anyone not familiar with Syreeta, Bobby Womack, Minnie Ripperton, Vesta Williams and Donny Hathaway will welcome this collection as a means of discovering their voices, and will hopefully be prompted to explore further their work and that of Ware himself. And threading through all is the unmistakeable Ware musical signature, which slowly draws in and envelopes the listener as the cd progresses, with an emphasis on sensuality. Purchase is easily justified by the inclusion of Donny Hathaway's 'I Know It's You' (from his album 'Extension of a Man'), a powerfully controlled vocal performance, and Syreeta's 'I Don't Know' (from the 'One to One' album), which features a spine tingling gospel inflected coda that is utterly gorgeous.

The mastering of the cd is remarkably good, especially considering the time range from which the material is drawn, and though it doesn't include anything from 'Musical Massage', 'Inside is Love' or his work with Maxwell ('Sumthin' Sumthin' from 'The Urban Hang Suite') there isn't a great deal to criticise. For soul lovers seeking music with a degree of sophistication (lyrically and in production terms) and an escape from the largely beat driven material prevalent in contemporary soul music, this cd offers the perfect respite.

Full marks to Ralph Tee and Expansion Records for issuing this wonderful cd. Highly recommended - simply buy.

A Journey into Leon Ware
A really special album, this is much more than a "greatest hits" or a stop-gap piece of "product". What could have been, in less sensitive hands, a tacky compilation, contains some truly great music that hangs together as a complete work. The compilers of this selection deserve credit for a great job. How often does a compilation work as an album in its own right, with not a turkey in sight? As a long-standing fan of Leon Ware, some of these tracks (Bobby Womack, Donny Hathaway) are known to me, but others (Krystol, Norman Connors) I would never normally have come across.

The selection covers songs from 1972 up to the mid 90s, and considering the time-span involved, the overall sound quality is remarkably consistent. I guess this is a combination of the Leon Ware sound and some conscientious re-mastering, done with care and respect. My only complaint is that it would have been good to see more information on the musicians involved in these recordings, as I shall certainly be investigating some of these names further.

If you love Leon's work you'll love this CD. Don't hesitate - this really is essential listening.