Wilson Pickett, playing to diminishing audiences, has been touting himself as "the last of the great soul men"—as if he were a member of some soon-to-be extinct species. Pickett's original breed of soul is, in fact, nearly gone. He has been overtaken by people with greater versatility and sophistication, but less grandeur—men like his former guitarist Bobby Womack.

Womack was not only Pickett's guitarist. He was deeply involved with Sam Cooke's music and, to a lesser extent, Ray Charles. He claims credit for having written the former's most beautiful melody, "Change Is Gonna Come," and then, as Pickett's guitarist, his most memorable ballad, "I'm In Love," as well as "Midnight Mover." On his own, he has thus far seemed at a loss for a way to translate his varied musical background into a coherent individual style and so, on two earlier albums, Communication and Understanding, he would sometimes shriek exactly like Pickett or hum precisely like Cooke—as if he had swallowed both men's styles whole.

Both of those albums overreached, tried too hard to please, diffused his artistic identity and produced more confusion than enjoyable music. Occasionally brilliant, but generally too slick and slippery, they positioned poetry and jive, good songs and filler, side by side. On Facts Of Life, his vocal style has come into its own, and although it is not exceptionally distinctive, he uses it with charm and conviction. And he does continue to rely on the past—including covers of "All Along the Watchtower" (via Hendrix), "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (via Redding), "Natural Woman" (Franklin), "Look Of Love" (Hayes) and "That's All the Heaven Man Needs" (Cooke).

On Communication, Womack came up with his masterpiece so far, "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha": "Everybody talks about love, then everyone's scared of love," and then he played a lovely guitar riff and we entered into a musical labyrinth where feelings were fleetingly suggested against the settings of exquisite musical lines. The inspiration came more in the conception than the execution because he was still not thinking of himself as a singer. But now, on Facts Of Life we are increasingly the beneficiaries of a rich, muted, elliptical style capable of really hurting, as on "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out."

Regrettably, more often than not, he still misses the mark. For the most part, Facts Of Life is middle level music—never hitting the low points of previous albums (an appalling "Sweet Caroline") nor the highs of "That's The Way." Things open nicely with a seduction ballad—the title track. Charming and personable, he puts Ike Hayes to shame but nothing much follows. His blues treatments are best—imaginative and full of drive.

With the incredible commercial success of the slow, soul pop of Roberta Flack and Ike Hayes I understand Womack's increasing use of pop and neo-Sam Cooke ballad material, but they fail to utilize what is best about him. He sings a fine, gritty "Look Of Love," but at this late date, who needs it? His version of Aretha's "Natural Woman" is disastrous; a Sam Cooke hommage, reverent but dull. And by the fourth slow ballad my attention lags and collapses.

Womack is still working his way through the conflicts in his style, trying to decide between the counter models of the artistry of a Sly Stone or the hackdom of Isaac Hayes, recording old-fashioned soul or contemporary pop, singing or playing, between being himself or reacting to the prevailing soul ethos. For all his exceptional talents, his latest album remains both confused and even schizoid. And yet I sense that we will be hearing more and better music from this man soon. (RS 145)

RUSSELL GERSTEN