Barry White Stone Gon' CD

Personnel: Barry White (vocals, piano).
Audio Remasterer: Gary N. Mayo.
Recording information: PolyGram Studios.
Photographer: Norman Seeff.
Arrangers: Gene Page; Barry White.
Stone Gon' was the second release in an incredible run of sensually charged titles White produced during the first half of the '70s. His patented mix of love monologues and rich vocal dynamics would come to mark the best songs of the period, including the two chart-toppers here, "Honey Please, Can't Ya See" and "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up." Of course, White's inventive arrangements and crack band only add to the stock of these soulful pop excursions. And beyond the hits, tracks like "You're My Baby" and "Hard to Believe That I Found You" maintain the high standard, compliments of mesmerizing backdrops and more vocal seduction; with wine and candlelight already casting a spell, it's just a matter of time before White's supremely tranquil delivery and blissed-out wash of strings and saxophone will cause the amatory to completely lose it. Bringing things back to earth, White displays unerring sensitivity on "Girl It's True, Yes I'll Always Love You," a love song as sincere and sanctified as any he's made. Essential listening. ~ Stephen Cook
In Barry White's world, everything revolves around the sentiment of love. Giving love, receiving love, and spreading love, all set to a symphonic rhapsody of lush musical arrangements. These are the ingredients with which White has crafted a solid career spanning nearly three decades. STONE GON', his Top Twenty charting 1973 release, is soaked in that festival of love. Each song begins with at least three or four minutes of White's husky growl elaborating in spoken word about the love he has in his heart and how he would be lost without that special someone with whom to share it. In the five songs on the album, he sustains that romantic groove through almost 40 minutes of music. The opening song, "Girl It's True, Yes I'll Always Love You" begins with his trademark string section easing into a slow-jam as White professes endless dedication to his lady. "Honey Please, Can't Ya See," backed by his female vocal trio, Love Unlimited, is the singer's promise of ceaseless dedication. "You're My Baby" capitalizes on White's silky smooth lyrics letting his woman know that he'll be loving her always. The self-explanatory "Hard To Believe That I Found You" is filled with the wonder of the feelings at the start of a love affair. Ending the album is the Top Seven hit "Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up" which is the perfect Barry White song. Beginning with a space-age buildup coupled with White's moans, it eventually turns into a disco devotional that makes it difficult for listeners not to want to move to the beat of sticking to the one you love.