The Poet is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Bobby Womack. The album was released in November 1981, by Beverly Glen Music. The album reached the top of the Billboard Top Black Albums chart due to the success of the single "If You Think You're Lonely Now", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart.
In a 2024 overview of Womack's output, Sebastian Zabel of Rolling Stone Germany wrote of The Poet that "Womack's classic songwriting and his warm, passionate voice work perfectly here with the contemporary, but also subtly personalised production...The album is one of the few outstanding soul albums of the eighties."
Contents
Personnel
Bobby Womack - guitar, lead vocals
Nathan East, David Shields - bass
Dorothy Ashby - harp, percussion
David T. Walker - guitar
Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Paulinho da Costa - percussion
James Gadson - drums
Patrick Moten, Dale Ramsey - keyboards
Regina Womack, Sally Womack, Vincent Womack, Tondalei - handclaps
Cecil Womack, Curtis Womack, Friendly Womack, Jr., The Waters, Richard Griffin, Fernando Harkless, John Parham, Jon Rami - backing vocals
Technical
Otis Smith - executive producer
Avi Kipper, Barney Perkins, Robert Battaglia - engineer
Ginny Livingston - art direction
Norman Seeff - photography