Take It Home (B. B. King album)
| Take It Home | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | December 1978–January 1979 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 34:46 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Stix Hooper, Joe Sample, Stewart Levine, Wilton Felder | |||
| B. B. King chronology | ||||
| ||||
Take It Home is a studio album by the American musician B.B. King, released in 1979.[1] As with his previous album, Midnight Believer, members of the fusion band the Crusaders participated in the recording sessions.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[4] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
In the United States, the album reached number 112 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 22 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.[8] The track "Better Not Look Down" reached number 30 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart.[9]
The Bay State Banner noted that "the voice remains striking and the stinging fills when they come are impressive, but they cannot make routine arrangements and lyrics memorable."[10]
Cub Koda of AllMusic commented that "the backing is grandiose and in line with contemporary trends, including a seven-piece horn section and a female chorus, but at the same time, B.B.'s piercing guitar and deep, rough vocals can still be fully appreciated" and described it as "one of B.B.'s more pop-oriented works."[3] Robert Christgau noted that "while the songwriting by members of the Crusaders does not reach the heights of their 1978 collaboration, it yields a positive result in that it does not encroach upon each other's musical identity."[4]
Track listing
- "Better Not Look Down" (Will Jennings, Joe Sample) – 3:22
- "Same Old Story (Same Old Song)" (Jennings, Sample) – 4:32
- "Happy Birthday Blues" (Jennings, Sample) – 3:15
- "I've Always Been Lonely" (Jennings, Sample) – 5:28
- "Second Hand Woman" (Jennings, Sample) – 3:20
- "Tonight I'm Gonna Make You a Star" (Jennings, King) – 3:26
- "The Beginning of the End" (Jennings, King) – 2:21
- "A Story Everybody Knows" (Stix Hooper, Jennings) – 2:47
- "Take It Home" (Wilton Felder, Jennings) – 3:07
Personnel
- B.B. King – guitar, vocals
- Dean Parks, Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar
- Wilton Felder – double bass, saxophone on "Take It Home"
- Joe Sample – keyboards
- Stix Hooper, James Gadson – drums, percussion
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Larry Williams, Quitman Dennis – saxophone
- Chuck Findley, Jack Richmond – trombone
- Gary Grant, Steve Madaio – trumpet
- Julia Tillman, Luther Waters, Maxine Williard, Oren Waters – background vocals
References
- ^ "B.B. King : Album : Take It Home". Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ Elias, Jason (October 17, 2023). "The Crusaders: A Retrospective". All About Jazz. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Take It Home - B.B. King | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 211.
- ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 395.
- ^ "B.B. King - Chart History - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "B.B. King - Chart History - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Lane, George (August 23, 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 46. p. 20.