Bobby Womack: The Poet II (Beverly Glen)

NOMINALLY A sequel to 1981's The Poet, this is less a second helping of that album's personal expressiveness than a second side of Bobby Womack. Granted, 'Love Has Finally Come At Last', the exhilarating single that kicks off The Poet II, falls easily into the same well-measured view of domestic passion that sparked its predecessor, The Poet's 'If You Think You're Lonely Now'. But that's only true if you look at the single as a function of its lyrics, and it's anything but that — instead, it's about the musical push/pull that develops between Womack and guest vocalist Patti LaBelle.