''Ow! Ow! Ow!'' is an album by the American musician Barrence Whitfield. The album is also credited to Whitfield's backing band, the Savages, which on ''Ow! Ow! Ow!'' constituted an entirely new lineup. Released in 1987, ''Ow! Ow! Ow!'' is a packaging of the ''Call of the Wild'' EP with five additional songs. It sold around 19,000 copies in its first six months of release. Whitfield supported the album by touring

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been called ...

and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, among other.

Production

"Apology Line" is a cover of the

Ben Vaughn Ben Vaughn (born ) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, composer for television and film, and a syndicated radio show host. Biography Vaughn grew up in Mount Ephraim, New Jersey, outside Philadelphia, and graduate ...

song. Guitarist Milton Reder and saxophonist David Sholl wrote five of the album's songs.

Critical reception

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

thought that the "best originals are indistinguishable from the obscure old backbeat grooves and frantic novelties that are his trademark." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' determined that "it's likable enough—this man can sing—but seriously short in the funkalicious spirit that makes the earlier eleasesso precious." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' concluded that the album "is a magnificent show of first-class songwriting by the Savages (especially guitarist Milton Reder) and allows Whitfield the freedom to smash stereotypes about his limited range." The ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' stated that "Whitfield growls and prowls, whoops and hollers, while his ready-steady Savages get to setting a wild yet solid foundation etched in guitar and sax." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote that "the album boasts some great party tunes, beginning with 'Rockin' the Mule, a blustery old-fashioned Little Richard-whooping shout mercilessly driven by the band." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' deemed the album "loaded with ultra-tuff swing and sway," writing that Whitfield's "lean and mean butt kick has developed more nuance while losing none of its maximum torque groove power." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' opined that "the playing on ''Ow! Ow! Ow!'' is workmanlike at best, and despite heaps of whoops and shouts tossed in by Whitfield—give him credit for trying to create some excitement—this LP never packs the rough-and-raucous punch of the earlier album."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that "what makes this the strongest Whitfield/Savages album is its variety, and the fact that Barry's voice is strong and versatile enough to bring more nuance and emotion to the material." ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' called the album "incendiary," writing that it captured the band's "garrulous brand of garage-rockin' R. & B."

Track listing

References

{{reflist Barrence Whitfield albums 1987 albums Rounder Records albums