Cecil Holmes - Music For Soulful Lovers (Quad Reel to DVDA DTS9624 Dolby)

review by Jason Ankeny (allmusic.com) 3 1/2 stars
If Barry White's love-god shtick sometimes seemed to veer into parody, then imagine what a Barry White knock-off record sounds like -- still, arranger Cecil Holmes' lush, aggressively sensual Music for Soulful Lovers has its obvious charms, not least among them a grandiose scale that perfectly captures the over-the-top sexuality that defined the swinging '70s. Holmes' richly appointed interpretations of crossover classics like Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and Al Green's "Call Me" percolate with a funkiness largely absent from White's sweeping soul aesthetic, there's something undeniably adult, even naughty, about Holmes' approach, and like the slutty redhead you take home at last call, the utter filthiness of it all is a huge part of the appeal.