In 1990, his fanciful funk keyboard action on Rejoice was masterful; when he later played with Marion Meadows, he became part of smooth jazz consciousness. This follow-up to his debut is a pop, jazz, and soul collection that rivals the first one in likeableness and simple adventure. Most of the cuts convey an easygoing sense of R&B rhythms, along with a propensity by Baldwin to improvise over the tastiest grooves imaginable. His version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" is so perky, you might not recognize it. The bounciness of "Billy's Funk" and "It's Not Enough (Enuf)" are indicative of the party flavor apparent throughout. And as if Baldwin wasn't impressive enough with his keyboards and occasional bass playing, he adds the sax talents of Grover Washington, Jr. and Meadows and the vocalese of Dwight Sills. A horn section is also used to great effect on "Everything You Want (In Time)." There are a few serious moments, such as "In a Sentimental Mood," but for the most part, this is a fun spirited, let your hair down kind of listen.
The smooth jazz format has lent itself to an unfortunate trend towards sugary and fluffy generic album titles that hardly characterize the grit and energy of the music they represent. Boney James went the route with Sweet Thing and now Bob Baldwin's blandly titled but explosively executed Cool Breeze makes a strong case for not judging a disc by its cover. As with his independent City Sketches earlier this year, the keyboardist never quite approaches the free-for-all soul-fusion jam sessions which marked his early Atlantic albums, yet he throws enough aggressive, improvisational punches into these uptempo romps to remind his old fans of the way he once pounded. Rather than crazed earthquakes, he gives us thoughtful, slickly produced tremors that lean towards gospel every so often. He also twists familiar pop hits like "Summer Breeze" and "Walk On By" into funky blue knots. His artful, no frills jazz trio spins on "Cool Wind Blowing" and "I Give Unto You" make many of the other tracks seem overproduced and machine generated by comparison. While Baldwin knows how to balance electric and acoustic currents to great effect, he should consider stripping down like this more often in the future. Why hide behind smoke and mirrors when you have this much emotion to offer?
A rookie of the year in 1990, superfunk keyboardist Bob Baldwin had plenty to be happy about with his sizzling Atlantic debut.. A sure candidate for the R&B crossover chart, Baldwin assembled immediately likable and upbeat synth grooves with some fancy acoustic interludes to form an eclectic hybrid of styles which he calls "PBJ Music" -- as in pop, blues, and jazz. Having grown up with both jazz and R&B influences, he writes and co-produces bouncy material which proves to be the best of both worlds. While his original material is a marvel, Rejoice is that rare album where the cover tunes bear the most repeated listening. His get down jam on Joe Zawinal's "Mercy Mercy Mercy" is the best example, but his light hearted medley dedicated to Motown legend Marvin Gaye is as sweet as tributes come.
Bob Baldwin wasn't the first artist to name a project after his website -- Fattburger and Jethro Tull both beat him to the punch -- but the funk-jazz keyboard whiz's Bobbaldwin.com devotes its liner notes to reminding us to enjoy technology but not let it take over for our heart and soul. Baldwin puts his music where his words are, using his synth rack to create numerous busy, often retro-soul textures, but, at heart, his graceful yet punchy melodies shine through at all times. He has a good time with titles, moving from the cool hip-hop of "eSmooth" (which features his trademark high-register swirling solos between revisits to the sax-driven hook) through "Westchester Online" (with a playful cat and mouse game between Dean James's soprano and Joey Summerville's bouncy trumpet) and then on to the album's most unusual piece, "Overtime (In the Chatroom)." As if to make a point about what too much cybertalk can do to one's sensibilities, Baldwin offers no defining pop melody, instead darting in and out with percussive avant-garde synth lines, clicking wah-wah guitars, and an occasionally smooth soprano line from Marion Meadows, over floating, hypnotic atmospheres. Most of the other material is smartly played and very in-the-pocket, from the opening cover of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (with crackling guitar passages and harmonies by Chuck Loeb) and the brassy party tune "Funkin' for Jamaica," featuring trumpeter Tom Browne and the harmonic blend of the saxes of Gerald Albright, Marion Meadows, and Fred Vigdor.
Somebody Else
Bob Baldwin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are the one who
You are the one who makes me feel so real, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, what am I supposed to do
Oh, what am I supposed to do, baby
When I'm so hooked up on you
Then I realized, oh, I realized
That you are somebody else's guy
Why you want to do this to me, boy
(Somebody else's guy)
Can you remember the times we've spent together
Sharin' the days in the sun
But then I found out that you were somebody else's love
After all our plans we've made, now they're shattered
But still I can't get off my high horse, I can't let go
You are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And then I realized that you're somebody else's guy
That day in September, I'm sure you can remember
That's when all the stuff hit you fast
You told me a lie and you didn't have an alibi
But baby, yet I still cared
You know I loved you so, baby, that I can't let you go, no, no
You are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And I realize that you're somebody else's guy
You know I loved you so, baby, that I can't let you go, no
You are the one who make me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And then I realized that you're somebody else's guy
Oh, I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
You are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And realized that you're somebody else's guy
Oh (I-I-I-I), I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go (I can't let you go, no)
See, you are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And then I realized, I realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh...
Oh, I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
You are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And realized that you're somebody else's guy
Ooh, what
And realized that you're somebody else's guy
Oh
Ooh, what
And realized that you're somebody else's guy
Oh
Oh
Oh, baby, baby, baby
You are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
And then I realized that you're somebody else's guy
Oh (I can't believe it, baby), I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
(Don't you know that I love you, honey, sweet, darlin')
You are the one who makes me feel so real (Don't you know this girl needs you)
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
(And then, and then, and then, and then, and then, and then)
And then I realized, I realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh
Oh (Baby, baby, baby), I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
The lyrics to Bob Baldwin's song 'Somebody else' depicts the difficult emotional turmoil of a woman who is unable to let go of her intense feelings for someone who she knows is in a relationship with someone else. Despite being aware that the person she desires is not hers to have, she is unable to move on and cannot let go of the deep connection she feels for him. The lines "I can't get off my high horse and I can't let you go, you are the one who makes me feel so real" indicate that while she understands that her feelings are misplaced, it is difficult for her to walk away from the person who brings her so much joy, companionship, and fulfilment.
The song is a lamentation of a love that cannot be, and in the following lines, she reminisces about the good times they had together, sharing moments of happiness in the sun. However, this is soon followed by a realization that she is living in denial, holding on to someone who is already committed to someone else: "And then I realized, oh, I realized, that you are somebody else's guy." Despite the lies and lack of commitment on the other person's part, the woman is still unable to let go of the love she feels for him, and this is the cause of her suffering.
In essence, the song 'Somebody else' by Bob Baldwin is a poignant cry of love, heartbreak, and moving on. It speaks to the human struggles of remaining attached to people who are unavailable and the internal battles that come along with such unrequited love. It is truly a touching piece that has resonated with many people who have experienced love that they could not have.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't get off my high horse and I can't let you go
I am egotistical and I cannot seem to forget about you
You are the one who
You are the person who
You are the one who makes me feel so real, yeah, yeah, yeah
You are the one who makes me feel alive
Oh, what am I supposed to do
What should I do
Oh, what am I supposed to do, baby
What should I do, dear
When I'm so hooked up on you
When I am so in love with you
Then I realized, oh, I realized
Then I understood, oh, I understood
That you are somebody else's guy
That you belong to someone else
Why you want to do this to me, boy
Why would you do this to me, boy
Can you remember the times we've spent together
Do you recall the time we spent together
Sharin' the days in the sun
Sharing the days out in the sun
But then I found out that you were somebody else's love
But I later discovered that you belonged to someone else
After all our plans we've made, now they're shattered
All our plans have been ruined
That day in September, I'm sure you can remember
You could surely remember that day in September
That's when all the stuff hit you fast
That's when everything happened so fast
You told me a lie and you didn't have an alibi
You told me a lie and you didn't have any evidence
But baby, yet I still cared
But still, I had feelings for you
You know I loved you so, baby, that I can't let you go, no, no
You know I loved you so much that I can't forget you
Oh (I-I-I-I), I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go (I can't let you go, no)
I am being arrogant and I can't seem to forget about you
See, you are the one who makes me feel so real
You are the one who brings the best out of me
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
What should I do when I am so obsessed with you
And then I realized, I realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh...
And then I understood that you are with someone else
You know I loved you so, baby, that I can't let you go, no
You know that I loved you so much that letting you go is hard
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm so hooked on you
What should I do when I am so obsessed with you
Oh (I can't believe it, baby), I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go (Don't you know that I love you, honey, sweet, darlin')
I am being arrogant and I can't seem to forget about you (You know I love you, dear)
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOCELYN BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Derek 8128
Bob Baldwin & Jocelyn Brown are excellent on this track 🎹