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James Brown<\/strong> might have been Soul Brother Number One, but it was Isaac Hayes<\/strong><\/a> who brought soul into the mainstream with his lush, romantic workouts such as his cover of \u201cBy the Time I Get to Phoenix.\u201d And while Hayes would remain the master of that style, he had other things on his mind as well, such as the driving soundtracks to Shaft<\/em>, <\/a>Truck Turner <\/em>and other flicks of the era.<\/p>\n But in the 1970s we had Barry White<\/strong> to carry the torch of that particular sub-style. Rock fans might even think of White as a sort of ELO<\/strong> to Isaac Hayes’ Beatles<\/strong>: he took one specific part of a great act’s musical approach and ran with it.<\/p>\n Some say he ran it into the ground. But with the benefit of hindsight, and if approaching it while attempting to keep irony at a safe distance, it’s actually a lot of fun. Can’t Get Enough<\/em> was White’s third album, but he had been successful right out the gate with his first two solo LPs: I’ve Got So Much to Give<\/em> and Stone Gon’<\/em> (both 1973) hit #1 on the US R&B charts, and top-twentied on the pop charts. Still, Can’t Get Enough<\/em> was the crowning achievement: number one on both<\/em> charts, and certified Gold in both the USA and UK.<\/p>\n The album is characterized by a mix of lush songs \u2013 often including his lugubrious Isaac Hayes-inspired raps \u2013 that were in turns heavily orchestrated and filled with propulsive, proto-disco beats. \u201cMellow Mood (Pt. 1)\u201d is such an orchestrated number that segues quickly into the #1 dancefloor hit \u201cYou’re the First, The Last, My Everything.\u201d But most of Side One is consumed by the slow jam \u201cI Can’t Believe You Love Me,\u201d a prototype of 70s makeout music that features equal parts low-register rapping (the old kind, kids) and equally-low-register romantic crooning. A studio full of strings, harpsichords, Rhodes, female choruses and a slowed-to-the-breaking-point drum part all come together to make this signature track.<\/p>\n The sort-of title track, \u201cCan’t Get Enough of Your Love, Baby\u201d topped the pop and R&B charts, and deservedly so. With the drums mixed way out front (right up there with the orchestra and ol’ Barry’s multi-tracked voice), it was made for dancing. And the production and arrangement are impressive and crystalline. \u201cOh Love, Well We Finally Made It\u201d has a memorable sax riff, but otherwise it tends \u2013 at least when compared to the other tracks on Can’t Get Enough<\/em> \u2013 to come off a bit faceless.<\/p>\n \u201cI Love You More Than Anything (In This World Girl)\u201d features a stronger melody, and strikes a balance between slow jam and disco territories; it probably works best as a slow dance number, conjuring as it does visions of glittery disco balls. The brief \u201c\u201dMellow Mood (Pt. II)\u201d wraps up the disco with a repeating riff of strings and wah-wah guitar while imaginary credits roll.<\/p>\n When White was ruling the charts, this ten-year-old Billy had no use for his romantic notions and discofied beats. When I was a teen and bought my first of several copies of The Rolling Stone Record Guide<\/em>, I laughed aloud when I read part of Dave Marsh<\/strong>‘s review of White’s side-project Love Unlimited Orchestra<\/strong>: \u201cAnd Barry White is (you know, baby) pretty (uh-huh) goddamn lame.\u201d But hearing Can’t Get Enough<\/em> some forty years after its original release \u2013 on 180-gram Audio Fidelity vinyl, I must hasten to add), it’s some pretty fine music, well worth reconsideration. This 2014 reissue comes in numbered editions housed in a sturdy gatefold sleeve; like the ’74 original, it includes all of the (yeah, baby) lyrics so you can (uh-huh) sing along.<\/p>\n
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