This is the first US Transparent blue vinyl re-issue, mastered from the original tapes in 50 years, for this classic Brunswick Records sweet soul album by The Chi-Lites. I must admit that until quite recently I would have considered The Chi-Lites far to saccharine to pay any attention too, obviously I was wrong. Produced by Eugene Record who also arranged the album with help from Cliff Davis and Tom Tom Washington.
The A side opens with Oh Girl a sweet sweet soul song, wrapped up in strings, with a gentle piano line, as the pleading vocals make clear that he doesn't want you to leave him, as he can't go on without you, no matter what he's done to make you walk out, he sounds shamefaced for what he's done, as he considers he'll never find love again aah.
Living In The Footsteps Of Another Man is a sorry tale, of another swordsman whose moved in, with another man's girl, well she still goes on about the other guy, as the brass section brings his worries to the foreground, how will he cope, can he convince her to ignore the ex, who is also father to her kids, things are messy despite how beautifully organized this songs music is.
Love Is one of those tunes that made me cringe when I first heard it as a kid in the 70's, but now with all those years of living since I just sit in awe at the majestic arrangement, as the super sweet harmonies convince you, that he really does love you, so deeply the strings can be plucked as gently as this.
Being In Love has me wondering exactly what instrument makes the key sound of love in the early stages of this beautiful windswept song of lust and longing, lots of pleading those promises made, that he may or may not be able to keep, as the orchestra swells with the backing vocals.
The title track A Lonely Man re-works the tune to the Chi-Lites big hit Have You Seen Her, as this song tries to explain what went wrong, how if she lets him back things will be different this time, yeah of course they will, as the harmonies set against lush arrangements hopefully make her go weak for him once more.
The B-side opens with The Man And The Woman trying to explain how things work in the normal course of love and lust, between men and women with some deep harmonies, sweeping strings full of hope for a world full of love and desire rather than hate and pain.
Too Much Of Nothing is another song begging for a little redemption, a whole lot more loving, all crooned as if you mean every last word, as the careful production has that glorious sheen to it, as it shines like the finest Jeri Curls.
Inner City Blues Make Me Wanna Holler takes the Marvin Gaye classic cry of desperation, at the state of play in America in the late 60's and early 70's, with elegiac super sweet sheen, hiding how hard hitting the lyrics are, as all the desperation among the desolation of Harlem, living among the poverty and decay, destitution without restitution.
The album closes with the majestic sounds of The Coldest Day Of My Life awash with saccharine sounds for this sad sad tale, with doleful violin, twittering birds as your heart breaks, as your dreams have been dashed, as while love had made him ten feet tall, like he was Lou Reed, before everything came crashing down, as the wind blows, chilling you to the bone, as she goes down below, dabbing at the tears, at the memories of that last spring, of the days before she was gone, he's so sad and blue trying to bring some warmth to those who've lost their nearest and dearest too soon.
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