Jimmy Witherspoon - Love Is a Five Letter Word (2015)

All one has to do is glance at the instrumentation to quickly realize that this is not a Jimmy Witherspoon date one would recommend to blues purists. With the utilization of such instruments as Pete Wingfield's dated electronics, steel guitar, electric sitar and Johnny Dankworth's electrified alto, plus a string section, the music does not look too promising. Actually, Witherspoon sings in prime form throughout the set and sounds quite strong, but with a few exceptions (such as "Fool's Paradise"), the material is not up to his level and the arrangements are so much of the period that they often come across as corny. A pre-disco R&B set that is closer to Isaac Hayes than to Spoon's roots, this 1997 CD reissue is just a historical curiosity today.

Tracklist:
01. Jimmy Witherspoon - Spoon Tang (0:59)
02. Jimmy Witherspoon - Buried Alive in the Hills (3:35)
03. Jimmy Witherspoon - Aviation Man (3:11)
04. Jimmy Witherspoon - Fool's Paradise (3:19)
05. Jimmy Witherspoon - What's Going Down (2:34)
06. Jimmy Witherspoon - The Other Side of Love (4:31)
07. Jimmy Witherspoon - Reflection (2:53)
08. Jimmy Witherspoon - No Money Down (4:11)
09. Jimmy Witherspoon - Love Is A Five Letter Word (3:08)
10. Jimmy Witherspoon - Nothing's Changed (2:47)
11. Jimmy Witherspoon - Landlord, Landlord (2:56)
12. Jimmy Witherspoon - I Love You, Yes I Do (3:02)
13. Jimmy Witherspoon - Rollin' Like a Pebble in the Sand (3:03)
14. Jimmy Witherspoon - I Was Lost (But Now I'm Found) (3:12)