Back To My Roots

Listen to an audio narration in Bobby's voice please click on speaker below:

Bobby on his newest album Back To My Roots

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In his latest album, Bobby takes us back to his spiritual upbringing. This is the music that Bobby and his five brothers grew up singing in Cleveland Ohio as The Womack Brothers. Bobby says that, "These are the songs that got me through the day. And they're still the songs that get me through the day. I wanted to present them to the world the way they were presented to me. I think this album lets you know where I come from." He goes on to say that, "Gospel is the truth. And if it's the truth, then there's only one way you can treat gospel. You can't take it too much out of it's element," he says. "I'm just singing one of the ways gospel hit me. I wasn't hip hoppin' through the church. I was in there releasing all of that inner tension, some good and some bad."

With his return to gospel, Womack hoped to reconcile the conflict with his father, to whom the album is dedicated. Unfortunately, his father died during the making of the album and would never get to hear the finished product.

Listen to "O Holy Night", strong and soulful, my favorite from Bobby's Christmas album. Please click on the speaker:

WOW! Full song sample (should load in about 3 minutes)

HINT: No need to stare at the gray download box. Just click on the minus sign in the upper right corner to minimize the box to the bottom of your screen. The download will continue as you browse the site, and the song will play when it's done.

It almost seems unbelievable that it has taken Bobby Womack this long to release a Christmas album - but his recently-released disc Traditions is indeed his first foray into the holiday music market.

For someone who is a cornerstone in modern soul music, it's that much more surprising. And once you listen to this disc, you'll realize that it was worth the wait, as Womack shows some people just what it means to record Christmas music with a more urban flavor. There are very few mistakes made on this disc, and is a pleasant surprise addition to the market this year.

Womack kicks things off with an original composition, "Dear Santa Claus," a track that is both charming in its lyrical content as it is solid in its performance. He later puts an interesting spin on the same track when Cheyenne Womack makes her recording debut, turning the song into a letter to Santa asking that her father be given his own toys - to keep him from the gifts left for her. ("I swear, I was just making sure the batteries were installed correctly, sweetheart...")

Womack puts his own spin on many of the holiday's classic songs - and he comes close to making them his own. Songs like "White Christmas," "Joy To The World," "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" all benefit from the gospel-tinged backgrounds that Womack brings to the music. If I had any one complaint, it would be that I wish Womack had tried to hold out the higher notes on "O Holy Night" to punctuate the hymn. Otherwise, no matter where you live, you might find yourself surprised at just how charmingly addictive Womack's version of Christmas soul really is.

Even tipping his hat to the upcoming new year, Womack turns "Auld Lang Syne" into a gospel-like celebration that is sure to get you clapping your hands in joy. The fact is that, with only one exception, Womack plows through these songs like a snowblower with ease, and infuses them all with the joy of both the season and the genre he's both helped create and master.

Take a musical journey with BET on Jazz: The Jazz Channel and legendary guitarist/singer/songwriter Bobby Womack as he performs live at Black Entertainment Television Studio II in Washington, D.C. It's classic Womack, gritty, soulful and raw, singing the R & B songs that have made him famous.

This Original Motion Picture Soundtrack includes an incredibly soulful rendition of "I'm Your Puppet" performed by Bobby Womack.