360 Degrees of Billy Paul
| 360 Degrees of Billy Paul | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Billy Paul | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 at Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genre | Soul, Philadelphia soul | |||
| Length | 44:45 (original LP) | |||
| Label | Philadelphia International | |||
| Producer | Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff | |||
| Billy Paul chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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| Robert Christgau | B− |
| Chris Wells Echoes |
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| Džuboks | (favorable) |
360 Degrees of Billy Paul is an album by soul singer Billy Paul. It was produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and arranged by Bobby Martin, Lenny Pakula and Norman Harris. Released in 1972, it includes the Grammy Award-winning number 1 pop and soul single "Me and Mrs. Jones" and its follow-up "Am I Black Enough for You?" which reached number 29 on the soul chart and number 79 on the pop chart. The album was expanded and remastered by Big Break Records for compact disc in 2012 with three bonus tracks, new liner notes by Andy Kellman, and new quotes from Billy Paul.
The cell is cold as hell
You'll never get use [sic] to the smell
My bed is hard as wood
I got to fight to keep my manhood
The LP's original liner notes were written by Louise Williams from WDAS (AM) Radio: "A star is someone very special, talented, warm, human and personal and an outstanding performer. In the lineup of stars, Billy Paul was rejected because he is super warm, super human, super personal and a super performer; in short, Billy Paul is a super star. If you haven't discovered him yet, you will whenever you listen to this album, especially the selection "Me and Mrs. Jones" - and don't forget I told you so." Kenny Gamble was similarly enthusiastic in discussing how Paul's sound developed over the years from the early club jazz of Feelin' Good at the Cadillac Club (1968) to the merging of jazz and soul on Going East (1971): "and then we did Billy's 360 Degrees album and it all came together with "Me & Mrs. Jones."
During his appearance on Soul Train in October 1972, Paul was asked by host Don Cornelius whether he had a jazz background. Paul used the opportunity to promote his new album and highlight its diverse styles: “That's very correct. I've been singing since I was 11. At 16 I was working with Charlie Parker. He's one of the giants. Coming from a jazz background it was one of the greatest things to happen for any singer because of the fact I took an interest at heart but learned to build on it. When I say that I just didn't want to be labeled as a jazz singer but like my new album, the one that "Me & Mrs. Jones" is on, it's called 360 Degrees of Billy Paul and that means I'm covering all of the territories."
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Wikipedia