Bobby Womack: The Poet (Beverly Glen Music) ***½

ORIGINALLY A protégé of Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack is a gritty-voiced soul singer who has written a wealth of terrific songs, including 'It's All Over Now', a Number One hit for the Rolling Stones in the Sixties. But Womack's immense talents as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer have not earned him the kind of stardom he deserves. The Poet is changing all that. Both the album and the single 'If You Think You're Lonely Now' have topped the soul charts and are also making steady inroads on the pop charts.