It also features some of Withers' most popular songs, including the hit singles " Lean on Me" and " Use Me". Then there's the quality of the songwriting, which is as assured on the grooving "Lonely Town, Lonely Street" as it is on the suspicious, paranoid "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?

Do the vocals on the original sound as forward as the MoFi does at times, or is that offset by the low end? Looking back on “Lean on Me” years later, Withers said it seemed like “something that was there before I got here” – the kind of song that could be 100 or 10 years old, or one we encounter anew 10 years into the future. Featuring Use Me and Lean on Me, it also includes one of the great opining verses for a song: 'A man we passed just tried to stare me down, when I looked at you, you looked at the ground. The songs on Still Bill are tethered to modesty and actuality, wedded to a belief in simplicity, and connected to universal truths that link us all – independent of our economic or social standing.His proclivity for authenticity extends to the record’s other big hit: the sexual, funk-laden “Use Me,” which reached No. It's an identity couched in keeping it real, the very inclination that ultimately led Withers to retire in the mid-'80s rather than bend to industry pressures or risk credibility.

Though the saying "keeping it real" did not exist in popular parlance when Withers released his sophomore effort on Sussex Records, no words better capture the music's approach, mindset, and value.Included by The Guardian on its "1,000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" list (2007) as well as in Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die book (2008), its contemporary standing as one of history's most venerated soul efforts eclipses the positive reception it enjoyed in the early ‘70s. Withers’ calm, self-assured voice hovers above it all, doubling as a warm blanket that adds comfort and grace to lyrics steeped in maturity, perspective, and compassion.

Not in the sense that he plays to it, but in the way he approaches it without so much as acknowledging its presence. Hoping for better with this Bill Withers, but reading the above it appears to be par for the MFSL course. It comes as little surprise that Kevin Rowland made this record one of his key texts during one of the most intense phases of Dexys Midnight Runners.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity’s renowned mastering system and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition LP of Still Bill gives this lush classic the luxe treatment it has always deserved. Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. Audio Venue Ltd, t/a Audio Venue is a credit broker, not a lender and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 738562). I find that it has all of the signatures of a typical modern MoFi pressing, the bass is definitely enhanced over what you are going to hear on the original pressings. Still Bill boasts the classic Bill Withers sound: warm and easily accessible, with a depth and complexity that reveals itself over numerous plays.

Like those landmarks, Still Bill plays with a mix of consistency, effortlessness, and complexity that rewards repeat listening and transcends categorization.Vote up content that is on-topic, within the rules/guidelines, and will likely stay relevant long-term.