Love City (LP)

Detroit native Ronald “Ronn” Matlock's musical journey has largely resided behind the scenes as a songwriter on myriad of projects, getting his first cuts at Motown Records. He worked with and wrote songs for such industry greats like Mike Stokes, Rick James, Norman Whitfield, The Originals, Eddie Kendricks & his proteges The Posse, ex-Temptation Paul Williams, Keith Barrow, Bobby Taylor, Millie Scott's, Merry Clayton and Shirley Caesar, amongst others. His only solo album, Love City (1979) is considered a classic by Soul aficionados. Hit singles off the album were “Can't Forget About You”, “Working Man” and “Take Me To The Top (Of Your Mountain)” from the Love City EP, recorded in Sound Suite Studion in Detroit. Lackluster promotion of the album snuffed its chances for chart action, however. His husky, smooth, understated baritone and sensitive compositional skills merge to create an album free of the saturation of many of his contemporaries' efforts. It's the swooping ballads and swaying mid-tempos here, like the plush “Take Me to the Top (Of Your Mountain)” and the breezy “I Can't Forget About You,” that truly show his essence. Michael Stokes' organic production and arrangement expertise is a steady complement to Matlock's unique stylings, whether it's on the low-key “Feeling Something” or the more agile “Back Street.”