Can't Get Enough

White, Barry

album cover

The Maestro of Satin Sheets and Candlelight

Though based on the West Coast and often associated with disco, the songwriter, producer, and deep-voiced love god Barry White (1944–2003) made his biggest artistic contribution during the heyday of smooth, orchestral Philly soul. In 1973 and 1974, White and/or his Love Unlimited Orchestra were inescapable on the radio and, alongside the O'Jays and Isaac Hayes, helped trigger one of pop music's gaudiest outbreaks of polished symphonics. In that two-year period alone, White's recordings generated more than sixteen million dollars in sales.

White's 1974 release Can't Get Enough is the most consistent in his discography, and an all-time classic of baby-making bedroom soul. It begins, as many White projects do, with an opulent instrumental. "Mellow Mood Part 1" serves as a showcase for the band of ace session musicians White kept on retainer, which included rhythm guitarist Melvin "Wah-Wah" Watson and Crusaders' bassist Wilton Felder. Then comes "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," a driving disco anthem that became the blueprint for big hits by Donna Summer and others. It might just be the one track that best epitomizes the songwriting and production innovations of disco.

From there White dishes a few trademark spoken-word bended-knee declarations (including the one from the album's other massive hit, "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe") interspersed with shining string fantasias. White was frequently derided as a one-trick artist, and it's true that as a singer, he did rely on a limited repertoire of quiet groans and deeply worshipful postcoital crooning. But what he couldn't do with his voice he did with his orchestra: Like nothing before or since, these inventive arrangements cook forever on low flame, creating an ideal setting for an evening of bliss.

Genre: R&B
Released: 1974, Twentieth Century
Key Tracks: "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe," "Oh Love, Well We Finally Made It."
Catalog Choice: Stone Gon'.
Next Stop: George Benson: Breezin'
After That: Al Green: The Belle Album.
Book Pages: 856–857