Marvin Gaye

A collaboration with songwriter/producer Leon Ware, this stands up as one of Marvin Gaye's finest LPs, with a love vibe that out-mellows Barry White's cinematic soul and turns the Philly disco sound into waterbed music. Sure, this smooth, intricately produced make out platter is more style than substance, but every record collection needs a little music this stylish in it.

With Barry White on the wane, Marvin Gaye seems determined to take over as soul's master
philosopher in the bedroom, a position that requires little but an affectation of constant,
rather jaded horniness. The pose has already been established in Let's Get It On (1973), on
which Gaye was hot, tender, aggressive, soothing and casually raunchy -- the modern
lover with all his contradictions. I Want You continues in the same vein but with... More >

This isn't as disgraceful as would first appear--as disco-identified mood mewzick for light necking it offers nifty engineering, pleasant harmonies, and the occasional snatch of melody. But as a Marvin Gaye record it's a Leon Ware record. Ware is the producer who cowrote every one of these . . . tunes? segments? . . . cuts (which is more than Marvin can claim). But was it Ware who instructed Marvin to eliminate all depth and power from his voice? I mean, if you're into insisting on sex it's in bad taste to whine about it. (Grade - C+)