Although saxophonist Gerald Albright gets co-billing on this CD and two of the ten selections are instrumentals, this is very much a Will Downing vocal set.
The emphasis is on romantic ballads; in addition to some newer material, it includes some older songs like "The Nearness of You," the Beatles' "Michelle," "The Look of Love," and "We'll Be Together Again." Downing has long had a strong, warm, and deep voice, and this type of outing is perfect for him.
The performances, although touched a little by jazz, are really a soulful blend of middle-of-the-road pop music.
The co-leaders are joined by a variety of top rhythm section players, including pianists John Beasley, Bobby Lyle, Patrice Rushen, and Ronnie Foster.
This CD serves as an excellent showcase for Will Downing's voice.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pleasures of the NightGerald Albright, Will Downing | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 05:38 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 2 | Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)Thom Bell, Linda Creed | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | MichelleJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 4 | Like a LoverAlan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Dori Caymmi, Dorival Caymmi | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Here's That Rainy DayJohnny Burke, James Van Heusen | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 05:23 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Back to the RootsGerald Albright | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 05:41 | 13 MB | 34 MB |
| 7 | We'll Be Together AgainCarl Fischer, Frankie Laine | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 07:01 | 16 MB | 36 MB |
| 8 | Girl BlueStevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright | Gerald Albright, Will Downing | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Nearness Of You | Will Downing, Gerald Albright | Play | 07:19 | 16 MB | 41 MB |
| 10 | Look Of Love | Will Downing, Gerald Albright | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 52 mins | 119 MB | |||||
| 52 mins | 295 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerald Albright | Composer, Engineer, Flute, Flute (Alto), Performer, Primary Artist, Producer, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) |
| 2 | Burt Bacharach | Composer |
| 3 | Thom Bell | Composer |
| 4 | Alan Bergman | Composer |
| 5 | Marilyn Bergman | Composer |
| 6 | Johnny Burke | Composer |
| 7 | Hoagy Carmichael | Composer |
| 8 | Dori Caymmi | Composer |
| 9 | Dorival Caymmi | Composer |
| 10 | Luis Conte | Guest Artist, Percussion |
| 11 | Linda Creed | Composer |
| 12 | Hal David | Composer |
| 13 | Will Downing | Composer, Photography, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Tony Dumas | Bass (Acoustic) |
| 15 | Carl Fischer | Composer |
| 16 | Ronnie Foster | Guest Artist, Keyboards, Organ, Producer, Synthesizer |
| 17 | Jimmy Haslip | Bass (Acoustic), Guest Artist, Guitar (Bass) |
| 18 | James Van Heusen | Composer |
| 19 | Paul Jackson, Jr. | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 20 | Anthony Jeffries | Engineer, Mixing |
| 21 | Abraham Laboriel, Sr. | Bass, Guest Artist |
| 22 | Frankie Laine | Composer |
| 23 | John Lennon | Composer |
| 24 | Bobby Lyle | Guest Artist, Keyboards |
| 25 | Harvey Mason, Sr. | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 26 | Paul McCartney | Composer |
| 27 | Uwe Ommer | Photography |
| 28 | Land Richards | Drums |
| 29 | John "J.R." Robinson | Drums |
| 30 | Patrice Rushen | Guest Artist, Keyboards |
| 31 | Richard Seidel | Executive Producer |
| 32 | Marvin "Smitty" Smith | Drums |
| 33 | Giulio Turturro | Art Direction, Design |
| 34 | Tommy Vicari | Engineer |
| 35 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| 36 | Stevie Wonder | Composer |
| 37 | Yvonne Wright | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |