R&B music suffered another loss earlier this week when Ronnie Wilson, a founding member of The GAP Band, passed away. While mainstream music listeners know Charlie Wilson’s name, I wanted to highlight Ronnie and his pen game.
While The GAP Band is known for its funk numbers, their catalog also has its share of Outstanding (pun intended) ballads. Now I could have chosen “Yearning For Your Love,” “Going In Circles,” or “Wednesday Lover.” However, there is something special about “Season’s No Reason To Change,” which is this week’s pick for Slow Jam Saturday.
Initially appearing on the group’s 1982 album, Gap Band IV showcases Ronnie’s songwriting ability and, of course, Charlie’s ability to sing anything. Through a lush four-minute arrangement, the listener is treated to mature lyrics such as:
“So I was rolling down the Mountain Side the Sun come around melting the snow away
Girl I’ve been gone for such a long long time Seasons no reason to change
Girl I love you more and more each day and each and every day I pray that you will stay
Girl I keep loving you more and more each day Seasons no reason to change”.
For me, the song is a correlation to weather and relationships. When you are in a relationship, just because things around you change does not mean you should be negative when it comes to the treatment of your partner. Furthermore, the song’s production could have easily crossed over to a country music station.
While Charlie Wilson would become a mega solo star in his own right, his work with The GAP Band, particularly the ballads, still sounds fresh in 2021. Charlie’s brothers, who made up the rest of the band, equally deserve their flowers as well. “Season’s No Reason To Change” is just one of the many highlights from Ronnie
Wilson’s songwriting catalog.
Final Grade A
Gap Band IV is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.