Ranking The 10 Best Barry White Studio Albums
When people think of influential musicians, it’s not at all uncommon for one of the individuals who springs almost immediately to mind to include Barry White. A gifted musician as well as a composer, songwriter and record producer, he had more than his fair share of success. As a matter of fact, he recorded a number of studio albums that have become quite popular with fans over the years. Below are 10 of his best, ranked from number 10 to number one. Of course, there is a YouTube link associated with each of them so if you want to know more, all you have to do is click on it, sit back and listen.
10. Let the Music Play (1976)
This was White’s fifth studio album, produced by the singer himself. It was released on the 20th Century Records label and incorporated genres such as disco, soul and R&B. Initially, the album only featured six tracks but it was remastered and re-released in 2012 with several additional tracks included. The album was eventually certified silver and was considered one of his most influential works, despite the fact that it’s just over 30 minutes in length. Regardless of its relatively short track listing, there were three singles released from the album. That means that 50% of the entire album became singles.
9. The Message Is Love (1979)
This was White’s 10th studio album, again one that was self-produced. Like many of his other albums, it included his favorite genres of R&B, soul and disco. The album eventually went gold and reached number 67 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. From the album’s seven tracks, three of them were released as singles. Distributed from record label Unlimited Gold, the album eventually sold 500,000 copies in the United States alone.
8. Staying Power (1999)
This is White’s 12th studio album and it also marked the last album he would ever record in the studio. This time around, it was recorded for Private Music, a label that he had never recorded for in the past. This particular album was considerably longer than most of his other pieces of work, coming in at roughly 67 minutes in length. It featured 11 tracks, but only one of those became a single. Nevertheless, the album was certified gold and it landed at number 43 on the Top 200 Billboard charts in the United States.
7. Stone Gon’ (1973)
This is only the second studio album recorded by White. It’s interesting to note that he not only had a hand in producing the album, but also in arranging it. It was released on 20th Century Records and out of the five tracks on the album, two of them became hit singles. Overall, this particular album was certified gold, landing at number 20 on the Top 200 Billboard charts in the United States.
6. Just Another Way to Say I Love You (1975)
This was White’s second studio album, one which he self-produced. There were only seven tracks on the album, yet two of them became hit singles. This became a very important R&B album that eventually made it to number 17 on the mainstream Top 200 Billboard charts. It also landed at number one on the R&B charts.
5. I’ve Got So Much to Give (1973)
This was the very first studio album released by White on 20th Century Records. He also produced the album which contains seven tracks. Out of the seven, two became singles. The album was composed from genres including R&B and soul, measuring just over 36 minutes in length. It was certified gold, making it to number 16 on the Top 200 Billboard charts and hitting number one on the R&B charts.
4. Can’t Get Enough (1974)
This was the third studio album for White. Like most of his other work, it was released by 20th Century Records and produced by White himself. It didn’t take long for it to fall into the standard format featuring seven tracks, two of which became singles. The record was certified gold, making it to number one on the Top 200 Billboard charts.
3. The Man (1978)
This was White’s eighth studio album. He also produced it, as it was common for him to do so. The album featured the standard seven tracks. This time, three of them became singles. The album became a critical success as well as a fan favorite, becoming certified platinum even though it only made it to number 36 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. That said, it sold one million copies in the United States alone and debuted at number one on the R&B charts.
2. Barry White Sings for Someone You Love (1977)
This album was his seventh studio album overall. It was released on the 20th Century Records label, and was produced exclusively by White himself. It featured seven tracks with two singles and sold roughly one million copies in the United States alone, where it debuted at number eight on the mainstream Billboard Top 200 charts. It also hit number one on the R&B chart.
1. The Icon Is Love (1994)
This was White’s 19th album, this time from A&M Records. It’s important for a number of reasons, not the least of which includes the fact that it marked an important comeback for him. He hadn’t had an album this successful since the 1970s. From this particular album, there were 11 tracks, five of which became hit singles. The album was certified double platinum, selling two million copies. It also hit number one on the Billboard Top 200 charts. Despite the overwhelming success of this particular album, White would not record another album for five more years and when he did, it would be on a different record label. That album would be the last studio album he ever recorded, being completed in 1999. White died four years later, in 2003.