25 Albums I Can't Live Without: #16

Paul Davis, "Cool Night"

Last year, I wrote about “Cool Night” in one of my Underappreciated Albums columns at PJ Media.

“I will maintain until the day I die that the late Paul Davis is one of the most underrated vocalists of all time,” I wrote. “I call Davis’ music Southern Pop. It’s definitely not Southern Rock, but he ran around many of the same circles and worked with some of the best musicians in Atlanta and Nashville. His long hair and scruffy beard made him look like a rock star or an outlaw country musician and belied the smooth talent (and synthesizer enthusiast) inside.”

The “Cool Night” album contained two of Davis’ biggest pop hits in the title track and “‘65 Love Affair.”

His remake of the Friends of Distinction hit “Love or Let Me Be Lonely” was a minor hit as well.

But beyond what people heard on the radio, “Cool Night” is full of Southern pop gems. “You Came to Me” and “One More Time for the Lonely” are just as radio-friendly as any of the album’s singles.

“Oriental Eyes” isn’t exactly the most politically correct track, but it’s a nice ballad.”

“Somebody’s Gettin’ to You” tells the story of romantic insecurity from a young man’s perspective.

And “We’re Still Together” captures the mood of the rise of divorce in the ‘70s and early ‘80s and how couples remaining together through thick and thin were growing increasingly rare.

“Cool Night” isn’t a perfect album by any means; it sounds like a product of its time, and a couple of the songs don’t hold up well at all. But it’s one of the most underrated male vocalists of all time at its best.

Photo credit: Arista Records