I Love to Sing the Songs I Sing was issued as the same time as
Barry White's CBS Records debut The Message Is Love, with most of the attention going towards the latter. It's a shame because its one of the maestro's best albums. The title track single was his homage to Motown. There are several sweet ballads -- "Girl, What's Your Name," "Once Upon a Time," and "Oh Me, Oh My, (I'm Such a Lucky Guy)." The delicious up-tempo tracks "I Can't Leave You Alone," "Call Me Baby," and "How Did You Know It Was Me" are jams and feature horns, a rarity on
White tracks. Thankfully, this album was reissued as a 1996 Polygram CD. The
White-produced My Musical Banquet from
Love Unlimited Orchestra met a similar undeserved overlooked fate. ~ Ed Hogan