TP
US Philadelphia International 36745, 1980
CD reissue by US Right Stuff / UK Edsel
1) Is It Still Good To Ya 2) Take Me In Your Arms Tonight 3) I Just Called To Say 4) Can't We Try 5) Feel The Fire (duet with Stephanie Mills) 6) Girl You Know 7) Love TKO 8) Let Me Love You
Produced by Ashford & Simpson, Dexter Wansel, Teddy
Pendergrass, Cecil Womack, Cynthia Biggs, John R. Faith, McFadden, Whitehead
& Cohen
As you can see from the credits, the producers consisted of
a slightly more diverse bunch than before, and Gamble & Huff only acted as
executive producers. Nevertheless, TP is an excellent album and contains
a couple of soul classics.
The opening cut for one deserves such an accolade. Written
by Ashford & Simpson, whom Teddy had met a while ago when they
opened shows for him, it was also originally performed by the legendary duo on
their 1978 album of the same name. Teddy initially sings the mightily soulful
ballad tune in a wonderfully warm and expressive tone, but after a while it
seems almost as if some kind of dam breaks inside him and he switches to
low-down raspy preaching. His shattering super-emotional delivery is almost
painful to listen to; the man sounds like an open wound. If you are a real soul
fan, you cannot live without this track. The other Ashford & Simpson
contribution, Girl You Know, is an emphatic uptempo pounder, nothing
extraordinary but a typically soulful A & S tune nevertheless.
The other bona fide classic of the album is the Cecil
Womack – Gip Nobel composition Love T.K.O. It was originally performed
by the late great David Oliver, and later also interpreted by Cecil
& Linda Womack on their first (and overwhelmingly best) album, although
it should be mentioned that the best tune Cecil & Linda have ever performed
is without a doubt Baby I’m Scared of You (James Gadson’s drum
work is pure genius). Anyway, those two versions are both excellent to say the
least, yet Teddy’s take on the subject is, for me, the ultimate interpretation
of this ultra-soulful jewel. The second you hear the laid-back groove and get a
taste of the instrumental nuances with bass, guitar, strings etc. you feel like
you could listen to the song for about a week without a pause. But the real
depth of the song comes from the profound composition and Teddy’s skilful
reading where he finds just the right balance between the subtlety the song
requires and the more emotionally charged style to which he is naturally
inclined. Love T.K.O. defines the perfect combination of mellow and
soulful. The second single of the album, it spent six weeks at second position
on the R&B chart.
On I Just Called to Say it takes about two seconds
to hear that this is another classy Cecil Womack composition. Teddy wisely
relies on the beautiful melancholy melody, and the end result is a fascinating
soul swayer and yet another personal favourite of mine.
Soul songstress extraordinaire Stephanie Mills is
featured on two tracks. Steph had opened for Teddy in concerts, and Teddy had
heard her sing the Peabo Bryson song Feel the Fire, which
Stephanie had already cut in a highly soulful way for her 1979 album What
Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin’. Teddy & Steph’s version is as impressive
as you would expect from these two magnificent soul throats with the tension
heightening towards the end in a suitably dramatic fashion. The only downside
is that the song ends too soon. The second duet with Stephanie is the Dexter
Wansel tune Take Me in Your Arms Tonight, a snappy disco-funk mover
which still sounds listenable mostly on the strength of the dynamic vocals.
The remaining tracks are less inspiring. The first single
release, the MOR ballad Can’t We Try, is a pretentious tune despite
Teddy’s best effort, but it did go up to number three on the charts, so
apparently somebody liked it. Let Me Love You might otherwise be a
decent enough McFadden, Whitehead & Cohen tune, but the utterly weird
arrangement with its synth and guitar whining makes it virtually unlistenable.
Yet another platinum album for Teddy, and, in my mind, the
second best Teddy Pendergrass album ever.
During 1980, Teddy also lent his vocal talent to Leon
Huff’s solo album Here to Create Music. And before his next album, Teddy
appeared on the charts on yet another duet with Stephanie Mills. Two Hearts
(to be found on her 1981 Stephanie album) reached 3rd position on the R&B
chart, and quite deservedly so. The sounds are rich and bassy, the melody
attractive and the midtempo groove grabs you from the very start. Teddy &
Stephanie complement each other beautifully, so it is safe to say that Two
Hearts is a Mtume-Lucas production that stands the test of time as a dance
track you can still listen to solely for its musical values.
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