Blow the House Down is an album by the American saxophonist Junior Walker, released in 1983.[1][2] It marked the third time that Walker had signed with Motown Records.[3] "Closer than Close" was released as a single.[4]
| Blow the House Down | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | Hal Davis (tracks 1, 3 and 4), Alpha Centauri Ltd. (track 1), Junior Walker (tracks 2 and 6), R.C. Ratliff (track 2), Norman Whitfield (track 5), Wille Hutch (track 7), Benny Medina (track 8), Kerry Ashby (track 8) | |||
| Junior Walker chronology | ||||
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The album peaked at No. 210 on the Billboard 200.[5] Walker supported the album with a North American tour.[6]
Production
editBilled without his All Stars, the album included Walker's son, Autry DeWalt III, on drums.[7] It contains Walker's take on "Urgent", the 1981 Foreigner hit on which he had played a much-praised sax solo.[8]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| Green Bay Press-Gazette |  [12] |
Robert Christgau thought that "Walker was always funky in the generic sense, but on this welcome return to his home label eight different producers help him get all fashionably funky as well—without any sense of strain."[10] The Globe and Mail wrote that "the Walker sound is padded and filled with synthesizers, back-up singers and a couple of dozen studio musicians, but the music is never choked in the modern studio mix the way so many Motown albums are these days."[3]
The Philadelphia Inquirer praised "Sex Pot", writing that it "has all the bite and wit of Walker at his best... In the '60s, this song might have put him in the Top 10 again; these days, however, a big, lewd piece of music like this scares off rock radio programmers."[13] The Buffalo News deemed the album "real unabashed, bopping R&B."[14] The Green Bay Press-Gazette said that "Walker is in excellent form in earthy singing and many blistering sax runs."[12]
AllMusic noted the album's themes of "sex and lust," writing that "Walker's signifying sax cries are showcased on eight explosive tracks."[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sex Pot" | Angelo Bond, Kennedy William | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Rise and Shine" | Angelo Bond, Junior Walker, R. C. Ratliff | 3:57 |
| 3. | "Closer than Close" | Gerald Albright, Willie Hutch | 4:38 |
| 4. | "Ball Baby" | Angelo Bond, Hal Davis, Junior Walker | 7:28 |
| 5. | "T-OO (T Double O)" | John Whitfield, Michael Whitfield | 5:47 |
| 6. | "Urgent" | Mick Jones | 4:41 |
| 7. | "In and Out" | Willie Hutch | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Blow the House Down" | Al Boyd, Kerry Ashby | 4:00 |
References
edit- ^ "Junior Walker & the All-Stars Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Junior Walker & the All-Stars". Perfect Sound Forever.
- ^ a b Lacey, Liam (29 October 1983). "Blow the House Down". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
- ^ Shaw, Ted (29 June 1984). "Junior Walker's content to let his music do the talking". The Windsor Star. p. C5.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research. p. 825.
- ^ "Junior Walker blows up a storm". Entertainment. Ottawa Citizen. 9 August 1983. p. 82.
- ^ "Junior Walker: Obituary". Features. The Times. 4 December 1995. p. 1.
- ^ Perrone, Pierre (25 November 1995). "Obituary: Junior Walker". Comment. The Independent. p. 22.
- ^ a b "Blow the House Down Junior Walker & the All-Stars". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Robert Christgau Junior Walker". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 483.
- ^ a b Gerds, Warren (9 October 1983). "Records". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 18.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (23 September 1983). "In Concert: Soul Legends of the '60s". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E24.
- ^ Allen, Carl (23 September 1983). "Soul". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 35.