Second in a series of three Hi studio albums, O.V. Wright was finally allowed to record for Willie Mitchell’s own label, since his former employer, Don Robey, had sold Backbeat to ABC in 1973. As was the case with Al Green, Mitchell had developed a longtime friendship with Wright, overseeing most of his Backbeat single sides and albums. Come the end of the ’70s the famous Hi sound started to lose a little of its tightness, but this is fairly overcome by Wright’s exceptional vocal qualities. The Bottom Line wasn’t crafted with the same session men as it’s predecessor. Mostly made up of ballads, the single “I Don’t Do Windows” stands apart as the only up-tempo exception. Bobby Womack’s “That’s the Way I Feel About Cha” gets a nice Southern soul makeover. A “late night jazz bar everybody gone home contemplative” “I Don’t Know Why” is similar to a lesser known Stevie Wonder track, coincidentally of the same name. The shimmering “A Little More Time” deserves special mention: starting out as a roll call of soul singers who had died way before their time, it’s a tribute of prophetic proportions. Soon enough Wright would join their league. Many compilations of his Hi output were released throughout the second half of the ’90s. Both Hi Masters and That’s How Strong My Love Is collect almost everything of this album and its predecessor, Into Something (Can’t Shake Loose). The Complete O.V. Wright on Hi Records, Vol. 1: In the Studio also includes the third and last of the Hi studio albums, We’re Still Together. – Quint Kik
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