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's Guy
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
That you are somebody else's guy, oh, yeah
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 hooked so 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 hooked so 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 hooked so 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 hooked so on you
And I realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh
I can't let you go, no
You are the one who makes me feel so real
Ooh, what am I supposed to do when I'm hooked so on you
And then 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 hooked so on you
And realized that you're somebody else's guy
Ooh ah
And realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh
Ooh ah
Ooh and realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh
Oh, oh babe babe babe
You are the one who makes me feel so real
What am I supposed to do when I'm hooked so on you
And 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 hooked so on you
And realized that you're somebody else's guy
Oh, I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
In Bob Baldwin's song "Somebody Else's Guy," the singer is struggling with being deeply in love with someone who is already in a committed relationship with someone else. The lyrics convey the pain and confusion of the situation, with the singer acknowledging that they are "hooked" on this person and cannot let go, despite knowing that they are not available. The frustration and heartache are palpable as the singer questions what they are supposed to do in this difficult situation.
The repeated refrain of "you are the one who makes me feel so real" emphasizes the intensity of the singer's emotions, and their inability to just walk away. The line "But baby, yet I still cared" suggests that the singer is torn between their own feelings and the knowledge that they are causing pain to another person. Ultimately, the song emphasizes the complexity and heartbreak of human relationships, and the difficulty of navigating the emotions that come with them.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't get off my high horse and I can't let you go
I am too proud to let you go
You are the one who
You are the one who I am in love with
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
I am lost and unsure of what to do
Oh, what am I supposed to do, baby
I do not know what to do, my beloved
When I'm so hooked up on you
When I am so infatuated with you
Then I realized, oh, I realized
Then I came to a realization
That you are somebody else's guy, oh, yeah
That you belong to someone else
Why you want to do this to me, boy
Why are you putting me through this, my love
(Somebody else's guy)
(Belonging to someone else)
Can you remember the times we've spent together
Do you recall the moments we shared
Sharin' the days in the sun
Spending time under the sun
But then I found out that you were somebody else's love
But then I discovered that you belonged to someone else
After all our plans we've made, now they're shattered
After all the plans we had, they are now ruined
That day in September, I'm sure you can remember
I know you can remember that day in September
That's when all the stuff hit you fast
That's when everything happened quickly for you
You told me a lie and you didn't have an alibi
You lied to me and had no explanation
But baby, yet I still cared
But my love for you still remained
You know, I loved you so, baby, that I can't let you go, no, no
I loved you so much that I cannot let you go
And I realize that you're somebody else's guy
And I am aware that you belong to someone else
You know, I loved you so, baby, that I can't let you go, no
I cannot let you go because I loved you so much
Oh, I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
I am too proud to let you go
Ooh ah
And realized that you're somebody else's guy, oh
And I came to the realization that you are not mine
Ooh ah
Oh, oh babe babe babe
What am I supposed to do when I'm hooked so on you
What should I do when I am so in love with you
Oh, I can't get off my high horse and I can't let go
I cannot let go of my pride and let you go
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Annette Brown, Jocelyn Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind