Bobby Womack – Soul Seduction Supreme
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Film: B-
Bobby Womack is one of the great soul vocalists of the
1970s, but he also happened to play guitar and was a major musician in albums
by some very key artists. At the
now-defunct United Artists Records, he hit with Harry Hippie, That’s
The Way I Feel About Cha and Lookin’ For A Love. Soul Seduction Supreme takes an
earlier short film about his career not too long after that period before Disco
and big record label interference took their toll on R&B and the music
industry in general.
Lasting only 77 minutes, you get some behind the scenes
footage that may be more than you want to see (like Womack going to take a
shower or bath here and there for whatever reason) inter-spliced with nine of
his hits and a few other choice cuts.
The music performances are good and he has a decent band, but the film
overall is not long enough or focused enough to show us the artist in depth, while
more music might have also helped. The
result is mixed and too short, though big fans will be happy even this
exists. It is worth a look for all
serious R&B fans.
The 1.33 X 1 image is a little softer than expected for
something shot on film, indicating an analog transfer of the 16mm materials. The audio is also from the simple stereo
materials that sound a generation down, though a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is
included. Too bad it does not have many
surrounds or the kind of fidelity one would expect from Mr. Womack’s
recordings. The only extra are previews
for other titles from the Cherry Red DVD label.
- Nicholas Sheffo
