After rereleasing hisself titled album, bewith celebrates his legacy further by presenting the vinyl reissue of one of his finest achievements: Rockin’ You Eternally.
This customarily smooth set from 1981 is perhaps most famous for featuring three unforgettable tracks made with Marcos Valle. Rio’s pop-soul wunderkind was exploring soul textures at the same time as Leon was absorbing the rich flavour of Brazilian harmonics. Together, they crafted rhythmically sophisticated and melodically adventurous soul.
The centrepiece of the album is the lush, creeping title track – a hypnotically arranged stepper’s groove and an enduring classic. A perfect slice of orchestral soul, it features Leon’s patented unusual chord progressions, Valle on Rhodes and restrained string arrangements from Gene Page.
The nimble funk groove of “Baby Don’t Stop Me” is another collaborative delight and one of Leon’s rare uptempo tunes. “Got To Be Loved” is a timeless ballad, a sublime quiet storm version of Valle’s loping jazz-funk favourite “Bicho No Cio”.
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