Ronnie McNeir [1972]

by Ronnie McNeir

Overview

Studio wiz Ronnie McNeir's one and only album for RCA -- his follow-up, another self-titled set released on Motown subsidiary Prodigal, didn't come until 1975 -- was laid down when the singer was in his early twenties. McNeir's combination of keyboard flair and sweet and low-key tenor was already in effect, as was a fully developed knack for the conceptual. These 11 songs aren't just sharply conceived songs of heartache and gratitude; they flow into and out of one another as a full piece, sometimes connected by brief interludes -- romantic dialogue with Kim Weston, for instance. A surprising level of maturity is there as well, with "Daddy's Coming Home" standing out the most in that respect. Deeply regretful about having to be away in order to provide, he addresses a son who is also caught in the middle of a broken relationship: "Me and your mama, we just couldn't get along/Please don't hold it against me, 'cause I'll never do you wrong." By no means a commercial success, the album was perhaps too subtle and low-profile for its own good, lacking that one bold single with a snappy chorus to help it stick out, but it is sturdily constructed. It's a fine companion piece to the debut from another Detroit product, the first self-titled album from Leon Ware, also released in 1972. (Ware coincidentally co-wrote this album's "Trouble's a Loser.") [Dusty Groove issued the album on CD for the first time in 2009.] ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	09/27/2024
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262033030
Rank:	144976

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ronnie McNeir   Primary Artist,Piano,Conductor,Keyboards,Tambourine
Jessica Smith   Vocals,Voices
Kim Weston   Vocals,Voices,Spoken Word
Pat Hodges   Vocals,Voices
David Kemper   Drums
Tony Maiden   Guitar
Charles Garnett   Trumpet,Trumpet
Harriet Hurst   Vocals
Rocky Peoples   Flute,Sax (Tenor)
Denita James   Vocals,Voices
Curtis Colbert   Vocals,Voices
Bobby Ray Watson   Bass
Harriet Hurst Callier   Voices

Technical Credits

Andre Moore   Composer,Composer
William Stevenson   Composer
Leon Ware   Composer
Ronnie McNeir   Arranger,Composer,Dialogue,Producer,Vocal Overdubs,Audio Production
William "Mickey" Stevenson   Composer,Executive Producer