For a so-called one-hit surprise, Frederick Knight has been concerned in quite a lot of hits. Nonetheless greatest identified for the title observe of this excellent album, I’ve Been Lonely For So Lengthy, Knight emerged from Birmingham, Alabama, within the early 70s, with a principally light, clever soulful fashion. He launched three singles earlier than signing with Stax in ’72 and dropping the bombshell that was “I’ve Been Lonely For So Long” – although this was one heat, nice-to-be-near explosion. As near singer-songwriter territory because it was to soul, the track instantly made him a reputation, and, from this level on, his songs can be seen by different artists.
Hearken to I’ve Been Lonely For So Lengthy now.
The curiosity of this example was that Knight’s breakthrough report was the truth is written by his spouse, Posie, in collaboration with Jerry Weaver, whose credit embrace songs for Joe Tex and Joe Simon. However “I’ve Been Lonely For So Long” was solely of a chunk with Knight’s usually understated fashion. He seemed funky as hell, with ice-cool tinted glasses and a patchwork leather-based coat with a furry collar any Bronx pimp would kill to put on. On the only, nevertheless, his falsetto sounded weary and extra mature than that of a person in his mid-20s, and the report was as nation as a cattle public sale, with slide guitar and a dusty, acoustic really feel. “I’ve Been Lonely For So Long” was an outlier for positive, nevertheless it caught a temper and made No.22 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 and put Knight on the map.
A many-sided expertise…
There was much more to the mother or father album than a Xerox duplicate of the only’s rural fashion. “This Is My Song of Love To You” carried out the identical (principally) two-chord trick as the only, however this time the association was subtle, an orchestra including a lush setting, patenting a type of uptown down-south sound. “Now That I’ve Found You” provided a honest however sentimental doo-wop facet allied to a stripped-back, down-home really feel, as if The Chi-Lites had ditched the Windy Metropolis in favor of an Alabama porch. “Pick Um Up, Put Um Down” fits the singer’s coat, being superbad, and Knight reveals a powerful streak of Bobby Womack’s affect right here, significantly within the semi-spoken asides. Knight’s expertise is many-sided, then, however someway he stays himself, because of that particular, airily gentle excessive voice.
“Your Love’s All Over Me” just isn’t a request for bathe gel, however one other funky reduce with buzzing guitar from Jesse Carr, taking break day from classes with Betty Wright and Swamp Dogg. “Take Me On Home Witcha” is regular midtempo stuff with Knight, for essentially the most half, avoiding his excessive register, leading to a pleading track that loosely resembles a much less lusty Clarence Carter. His high finish is in full impact on “Trouble,” one other extremely quirky providing that grew to become the follow-up single to the eccentric title hit; its B-side, “Friend,” is much extra typical and sounds extra honest. The wailing “I Let My Chance Go By” is the perfect straight soul tune right here, with throbbing piano and a faintly Latin really feel, Knight fantastically dealing with Harrison Calloway’s story of remorse. The album says farewell with one other track of misplaced love, “Someday We’ll Be Together,” a fired-up, building-up model that’s as dissimilar to Diana Ross & The Supremes’ sign-off single as grits are to caviar.
… who ought to have been a much bigger star
When I’ve Been Lonely For So Lengthy ends, you notice it’s a nice soul album – which makes you surprise why Knight was not a much bigger star, scoring only one extra respectable R&B hit, “I Betcha Didn’t Know That,” on one other Stax imprint, Fact. Perhaps his fashion of soul was just a bit too leftfield to construct a loyal viewers. However on this album, Knight had discovered a writing companion in Sam Dees on two tunes, and the collaboration would serve him properly: like Dees, Knight earned most of his bread along with his pen. He wrote for Aretha Franklin, Gwen McCrae, Main Lance, and plenty of extra, making main cash with sole authorship of Anita Ward’s international disco smash “Ring My Bell” in 1979.
As for “I’ve Been Lonely For So Long,” it’s been lined by everybody from Mick Jagger to Rita Marley to Graham Central Station. However if you wish to actually really feel its soul, the unique model is the one place to go.
I’ve Been Lonely For So Lengthy may be purchased right here.
