Having said all that, it would be easy to suspect that his artistic well was running dry by now. I'm pretty sure that this 1978 album from Love Unlimited Orchestra, entitled "My Musical Bouquet", has never seen any kind of official CD release, as a whole, anywhere in the world, and even an authentic VINYL copy is damn hard to come by (a couple of the tracks on here do appear on the CD "The Best Of Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra", and "Whisper Softy" is in the track listing of a 2009 box set from Hip-O Records). Even if Barry's well HADN'T run dry, he probably knew this would receive basically zero promotion from the label and fall largely on deaf ears, which could have undestandably sapped his enthusiasm. But leave it to Barry White to defy all expectations--apart from one throwaway track (the shortest track on the album, conveniently enough!), this is an absolutely fantastic album--if you're looking for something that's soothing, melodic, funky, and chills you out all at once, I can hardly think of another album that would do the trick in such an uncanny fashion. Seriously wonderful stuff here.
One of Barry White's savvy techniques was his keen sense of how to make each album have a certain special 'gimmick' (for lack of a better term) to set it apart. On this one, he talks at or near the beginning of every track, usually very briefly, with words that basically fit in with the album's title (notice the flower theme)--very laidback, nothing along the tormented lines of his famous "Love Serenade Pt. 1". This device complements the music perfectly, and the musical arrangements on this record are a wonder to behold. But it isn't all just sheer atmosphere, as the record is brimming with memorable riffs, gorgeous melodies, and complementary background vocal parts courtesy of the Love Unlimited vocalists, typically serving up a memorable chorus to go with what are otherwise basically instrumental compositions, another great technique.
The opening "Don't You Know How Much I Love You" has a percussive, railroad-style intro section, and after about half a minute, it suddenly gives way to the 'main melody' which is gently stated on mellow electric guitar, with a crisp, stuttering drum pattern behind it. Tension is built masterfully through a gorgeous series of chord changes and a deftly executed bass line, and the little variations 'between the lines' add just the right amount of additional interest without becoming disconcerting.
"Stay Please and Make Love To Me" is an absolute tour-de-force, with its alternation of intoxicatingly lush 'makeout' sections and the playfully mischievous funky parts which are methodically drawn out for tension-building effect, and featuring the girls with their gentle spoken intonations.
"Hey Look At Me, I'm In Love" is, again, a tour-de-force--uptempo, but with a curiously hushed and moody minor-keyed feel, with a mesmerizing wordless vocal section and a great riff that appears fairly close to the end when you're least expecting it. Even the slightly out-of-tune rhythm guitar only seems to add to its pensive feel.
Side 2 starts off with another masterful uptempo track, the feel-good, yet still sweetly romantic "Love You, Ooh It's True I Do". The exquisite "Whisper Softly" is every bit as tender and warm-'n-fuzzy as you could possibly hope for, and it also works as a cautiously-yearning, yet optimistic mood piece. The closing "Can't You See" is in a similar, although slightly more relaxed vein, with a memorably echoing piano part that periodically jumps out and grabs your attention.
The one track that really doesn't do anything is "Enter Love's Interlude", which is basically 2 and a half minutes of a typical Barry White chord sequence and nothing of note happening on top of it, and it just happens to have Barry's one notably cringeworthy spoken bit on the whole album. Still, being positioned where it is in the album, after the first five virtually flawless tracks, and really being quite short in its own right, it could be viewed as a 'break' intended to set you up for the splendid last track (I suppose it doesn't have the world 'Interlude' in its title for nothing).
In today's modern world, you can most likely listen to most or all of the tracks from this album online without a great deal of effort (although perhaps not with the greatest sound quality...). If you're a fan of Barry's MUSIC itself (aside from his vocals) and haven't heard this yet, you're in for a huge treat. This is definitely a can't-miss album, and a further demonstration to the moving dedication Mr. White had in regards to offering up the best of the best in music, knowing how to surprise and hook a listener, while always remaining distinctly and inimitably Barry White.
Tracklist
A1. Don't You Know How Much I Love You - 5:21
A2. Stay Please And Make Love To Me - 6:59
A3. Hey Look At Me, I'm In Love - 7:28
B1. Love You, Ooh It's True I Do - 4:00
B2. Whisper Softly - 7:32
B3. Enter Love's Interlude - 2:20
B4. Can't You See - 6:59
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