I donвЂ™t know if the make up loving Richardson refers to his the kind couples engage in after an argument or the type that occurs when folk are making up for lost time. For me, the albumвЂ™s gem is the blue light slow jam вЂњMake Up Love.вЂќ That track features a laid back bass line and the whoever engineered those dreamy strings should get a raise. That love explains why he is so effective at rendering songs in this style. Many of the tracks, such as the aforementioned вЂњTreat Her Right,вЂќ and the mournful begger вЂњBreaking Down Inside,вЂќ find Richardson diving deep into the old school southern soul that he loves so much. In a way, All or Nothing has two personalities. The ballad that features bluesy, wah wah guitar licks, RichardsonвЂ™s gritty vocals and gospel quartet styled backing vocals. вЂњTreat Her RightвЂќ opens with Richardson giving a monologue вЂ“ Womack style вЂ“ that warns men to be mindful of how they treat their women. вЂњTreat Her Right,вЂќ the lead single from All of Nothing,В is an original that possesses an old-style southern soul spirit in part due to Richardson tapping Chicago based blues and southern soul legend Willie Clayton as producer.

Richardson, perhaps more than most, embraces the blues and southern soul community and that can heard in the production and the attitude of All or Nothing, his latest album. Of course, there are plenty of contemporary artists who possess a vocal вЂold soulвЂ™ вЂ“ Andra Day and Jaheim come to mind. Richardson released a cover album of Bobby Womack songs 2009, and his gravelly baritone makes him ideally suited to take on вЂњWomanвЂ™s Gotta Have It,вЂќ and the tunes on that record. Though not related by blood, Calvin Richardson has a body of work that makes him this generationвЂ™s closet link to the singers from the 60s and 70s such as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and especially Bobby Womack. His father, Curtis, passed away earlier this year, leaving his eldest uncle Friendly as the last surviving member of the singing siblings that has been making music collectively and individually for more than 60 yeas. Binky, the son of Curtis Womack, released a record after years behind the scenes.

The Womack family has been in the news in the past year.

Calvin richardson new album