Gettin' Down to It
| Gettin' Down to It | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1969 | |||
| Recorded | December 18, 1968 – March 1969[1][2] | |||
| Studio | King Studios (Cincinnati, Ohio)[1][2] | |||
| Genre | Soul jazz | |||
| Length | 48:35 | |||
| Label | King 1051 | |||
| Producer | James Brown | |||
| James Brown chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Gettin' Down to It is the 24th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in May 1969, by King Records.[5][3]
Overview
A pet project of Brown's, the album consists of standards sung in the jazz ballad style of Frank Sinatra, whom Brown greatly admired.[3] In addition, two of Brown's own compositions, "Cold Sweat" and an instrumental version of "There Was a Time", are included, reinterpreted in the same style.
Chart performance
The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated May 31, 1969, peaking at No. 99 during a fourteen-week run on the chart.[6]
Reception
Robert Christgau has called it "a ballad album that could scare the shades off Ray Charles".[7]
Al Campbell on AllMusic wrote "Although laid-back could be applied to the album's overall tone, these 12 tracks are by no means 'mellow'."[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunny" (Marva Whitney, vocals) | Bobby Hebb | 3:17 |
| 2. | "That's Life" | Kelly Gordon, Dean Kay | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Strangers in the Night" | Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Willow Weep for Me" | Ann Ronell | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Cold Sweat" | James Brown, Alfred Ellis | 5:02 |
| 6. | "There Was a Time" (Kenny Poole and Lee Garrett, guitar) | James Brown, Bud Hobgood | 2:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chicago" | Fred Fisher | 2:51 |
| 2. | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" | William Best, Deek Watson | 7:40 |
| 3. | "Time After Time" | Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne | 4:48 |
| 4. | "All the Way" | Sammy Cahn | 3:40 |
| 5. | "It Had to Be You" | Isham Jones, Gus Kahn | 2:42 |
| 6. | "Uncle" (Kenny Poole, guitar) | Frank Vincent | 2:35 |
Personnel
Charts
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[6] | 99 |
References
- ^ a b Leeds, Alan; Weinger, Harry (2007). Jazz. p. 5.
- ^ a b Leeds, Alan (November 25, 2016). James Brown's Funky People (Part 3).
- ^ a b c d Al Campbell. "Gettin' Down to It - James Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "James Brown". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 109. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Gettin' Down to It by James Brown". iTunes. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1955–1972. Record Research. p. 23. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ^ "Album: James Brown: Star Time". Robert Christgau. Retrieved November 11, 2018.