A skillful guitarist, singer and songwriter who has had moments of greatness, Bobby Womack has never been able to put together a thoroughly well-crafted album. Since the groundbreaking Communication in 1972, he has produced his own albums, striving to be as versatile as his mentor, Sam Cooke. Womack's LPs have included stabs at ballads and pop standards as well as rock and even country & western, the types of material around which Cooke maneuvered expertly. And although Womack is the master of one trade—sinewy gospel-soul, including such songs as "Lookin' for a Love," "That's the Way I Feel about Cha" and "Woman's Gotta Have It"—he has often flubbed badly in his choice and execution of other materials.

The critical and commercial indifference that greeted Womack's last album, I Don't Know What the World Is Coming To, seemed to indicate that he needed someone to weed out his excesses and spot his limitations. To that end, UA hired David Rubinson, whose production aided in the crossover successes of the Pointer Sisters and Herbie Hancock. Oddly enough, Rubinson's touch is barely discernible here, and Safety Zone is yet another inconclusive Womack LP (although his best since Facts of Life in 1973).

At his best, Womack has few peers. The Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain" is given new life by the addition of a marvelous Dixie Hummingbirds-styled vamp in the refrain. On "Daylight"—marred only by an overly obtrusive Pointer Sisters chorus—he combines Cooke's phrasing and feeling with Wilson Pickett's harshness, while the self-penned "Trust in Me" treats a stock theme without cliché. Like the best of Bobby's songs, it has a believability that almost defines the soul experience.

Unfortunately, Chris Kenner's overworked "Something You Got" is given an excruciatingly dull reggae treatment; the frantic "I Feel a Groove Comin' On" is rigid and mechanical, failing to re-create one of his most successful dance records. "I Can Understand It," and "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is an incongruous attempt at a grandiose, Norman Whitfield-styled production.

Like Womack albums in the past, Safety Zone will yield its share of hit singles—but it also exhibits his lack of perspective and an ongoing obsession to prove himself every bit Sam Cooke's equal. (RS 204)

JOE MCEWEN