Release Date: 27/11/26 - Naked & Warm (Blue Vinyl)

Bill Withers was a modest, gentle, and yet towering musical figure responsible for some of the most important, universally known soul hits ever written. It’s no wonder that “Just the Two of Us” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” won him two Grammy awards and undoubtedly played a huge role in getting him inducted into both the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Naked & Warm is Withers' fifth studio album, released in 1976. A year earlier, the Sussex label—home to Bill's first four landmark albums—ceased operations. Withers then signed with the mighty Columbia Records, which would remain his home until the end of his recording career. While Naked & Warm retains Bill's unique, earthy approach to soul that made him Sussex's biggest star, it's clear that musically too, he was in transition; the first half of the album is full of synthesized jazz-funk vamps, while "City Of The Angels" is an almost 11 minutes long cosmic funk excursion combining biting Rhodes chords with swirling synth pads and Dorothy Ashby's spiritual harp work.

All in all, Naked & Warm might be one of Bill's most underrated records, simply because his previous work for Sussex was just that impactful.

Side A
1. Close to Me
2. Naked & Warm
3. Where Are You?
4. Dreams
Side B
1. If I Didn't Mean You Well
2. I'll Be with You
3. City of the Angels
4. My Imagination