In Control

Performer: Johnnie Taylor
Engineer: Vickie Lancaster; Tom Easley; Wolf Stephenson
Producer: Tommy Couch; Wolf Stephenson
Distributor: Distribution N. America

Notes: Personnel: Johnnie Taylor (vocals); Jimmy Johnson , Michael Toles, Dino Zimmerman (guitar); Tim Mika, Mark Hatch, Bob McNally, Mickey Davis, Peggy Plucker, Janet Dressler, Claudette Hampton (strings); Gary Armstrong, Harrison Calloway, Jimmy "Bo" Horne, Charles Rose, Harvey Thompson (horns); Larry Addison, Carson Whitsett (keyboards, synthesizer); Freddie Young (synthesizer); James Robertson, Vince Barranco (drums); Richie Puente (congas); Jewel Bass, Jackson Southernaires, Thomisene Anderson, Tommy Tate, Catherine Henderson (background vocals). Audio Remixer: Jerry Masters. Recording information: Malaco Studios, Jackson, MS. Photographer: Lee Crum. In the 1960s and early to mid-'70s, Johnnie Taylor was omnipresent on Black radio. But in the '80s and '90s, it all but ignored him -- the reason being his refusal to embrace high-tech "urban contemporary" sounds. Taylor has continued to excel by sticking with the type of unapologetically gospel-influenced soul music he's always done. Crazy Bout You may have been recorded in 1988, but this treasure sounds like it could have been recorded 15 years earlier. Indeed, unpretentious and straightforward offerings like "It Don't Hurt Me Like It Used To," "Let's Get Closer" and the funky title song aren't significantly different from his early to mid-'70s Stax output (which was smoother and sleeker than his '60s work for that label). A cover of Wilson Pickett's "I Found A Love," however, is more '60s-like. Taylor has been one of Malaco's best-selling artists, and In Control points to the fact that he's also one of its most consistently rewarding. ~ Alex Henderson

Johnnie Taylor first achieved notoriety when he joined Sam Cooke's former group, the Soul Stirrers, in 1957. Taylor's blues-based R&B records of the '60s, like his biggest hit, "Who's Makin' Love?," featured an irresistible beat and Taylor's gruff, emphatic vocals. While he never achieved the fame of Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett, Taylor stuck around long enough to enjoy a second surge in popularity with the lusty hit "Disco Lady" in 1976.

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