The R&B music community experienced a significant loss on June 26th with the passing of Walter Scott, a member of The Whispers. Reflecting on how to pay tribute to his legacy, I considered various options. Ultimately, I found inspiration last Sunday in the song “A Song For Donny,” which proved to be an appropriate selection for this week’s edition of Slow Jam Saturday.
The lead single from their self-titled sixth album, “A Song For Donny,” has the instrumental foundation of Hathaway’s timeless “This Christmas,” and the lyrics (by Carrie Lucas) are a simple but effective substitution of mournful remembrance for yuletide jollity. The Whispers are famous for their wordless ad-libs and velvety smoothness, but in “A Song for Donny,” they pull back a bit. The gravity of the subject matter and the sincerity of their devotion force them to be a little more restrained, a little more sacred.
The first time you hear that opening riff, you’re already enveloped. “He sang a song as if he knew / the magic that he had inside,” they intone as one in lush four-part harmony, and right there, you feel it. You can almost see him up there on that church stage, those tenors’ smiles wide, the melody already lifting from their lips and into the choir loft and out of this world.
David Arnold’s arrangement is straightforward, which is precisely what makes it effective. It allows the song to shine and lets the vocals take center stage. The only embellishments needed are the shimmering harmonies, a solid bass line, and a groove that everyone knows by heart. You can almost visualize the flicker of candles in a chapel and hear the whispers as they continue to sing to us and Donny. Each verse feels like a prayer.
“A Song for Donny” is so effective because it knows when to be quiet. There’s no grandstanding. It’s a eulogy, not a showcase. It’s a prayer, not a testifier—a black-and-white photograph in a gold frame. There is silence in the room just before the preacher steps up to the pulpit. The proof that soul music is less about the music and more about the memories.
“A Song for Donny” isn’t just a tribute to an artist. It’s a testament to love. In four minutes and nineteen seconds, The Whispers crafted a musical benediction that endures almost half a century later.
If you’ve ever grieved for a departed artist or even a departed friend who left us far too soon, then “A Song for Donny” is a song for you.
Thank you for the memories, Mr. Scott
Final Grade: A
“A Song For Donny” is available on all streaming platforms.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.