Johnathan Butler was a decade into his career when his self-titled album arrived in stores in 1987. Listeners may recall his hit singles “Lies” and “Overflowing” from that album. However, I wanted to highlight the project’s second track, “Love Songs, Candlelight & You,” for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Butler’s music frequently carries the description of R&B, jazz fusion, or worship music, but with “Love Songs, Candlelight & You,” the South African-born singer-songwriter and guitarist, elegantly solidifies intimacy. Butler opens the track with lush instrumentation and smooth cooing before kicking off the first verse.
“In the middle of the night, the doorbell rings
My baby’s come to call
She wants to make love, and I don’t mind at all
No, baby
‘Cause nobody loves me the way she does
She’s got that special touch
It’s just too much, the way she makes me climb the walls
Ooh, baby”.
Butler then glides through the pre-chorus before giving us the chorus.
“So, give me some love songs, candlelight and you
It’s the perfect situation
Love songs, ooh, candlelight makes dreams come true
And all I wanna do is be with you”.
“Love Songs, Candlelight & You” was one of the many songs I discovered in my mid-twenties while deployed to the Middle East. At the time, Al B. Sure was hosting the romantically themed nighttime music program, The Secret Garden. Sure’s radio show was on the programs broadcast through internet radio. Thirty-five years later, the song still holds up as Butler creates a vibe of sensuality while avoiding vulgarity.
Final Grade: A
“Love Songs, Candlelight & You” from Johnathan Butler is available on all streaming platforms.
It’s hard to believe that an iconic singing competition like American Idol has produced only two Black male winners in its more than two-and-a-half-decade history. Jamal Roberts made history last year when he won the show, following Ruben Studdard’s well-deserved victory in Season Two.
One wonderful aspect of supporting physical media is that I never run short of albums to choose from when deciding what to cover for Second Listen Sunday. Often, I’ll head to the man cave, browse through my CD collection, and an album will pop out at me. This week’s pick is T-Pain’s fourth album, “Revolver.”
One of my favorite singers, Mr. Eric Roberson, is performing this weekend at America’s legendary music venue, The Birchmere. To show Eric some love, I want to highlight something longtime R&B fans have always known: he’s had remarkable songwriting talent.