''Gettin' Down to It'' is the 24th

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American musician

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. The album was released in May 1969, by King Records. A pet project of Brown's, the album consists of standards sung in the jazz ballad style of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, whom Brown greatly admired. In addition, two of Brown's own compositions, "

Cold Sweat "Cold Sweat" is a song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. Brown recorded it in May 1967. An edited version of "Cold Sweat" released as a two-part single on King Records was a No. 1 R&B hit, and reac ...

" and an instrumental version of "

There Was a Time "There Was a Time" is a song written and performed by James Brown. Release history "There Was a Time" was recorded in June 1967 during a live performance at the Apollo Theater in a medley with " Let Yourself Go" and "I Feel All Right", and was ...

", are included, reinterpreted in the same style.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

has called it "a ballad album that could scare the shades off Ray Charles".

Track listing

Personnel

*James Brown – vocals and producer *Dee Felice Trio: **Frank Vincent – piano **Lee Tucker – bass **Dee Felice – drums

References

1969 albums James Brown albums Albums produced by James Brown King Records (United States) albums {{1960s-album-stub