Adjustments (stylized as +'Justments) is the third studio album by American soul singer-songwriter and producer Bill Withers. The album was released in April 6, 1974 through Sussex Records. It contains the hit single, "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" (US #50, Canada #39), which charted during the spring of 1974.
Reception
The album cover shows Withers writing the following explanation of the title:
Life like most precious gifts gives us the responsibility of upkeep. We are given the responsibility of arranging our own psyces to best benefit our survival. We have the choice of believing or not believing in things like God, friendship, marriage, love, lust or any number of simple but complicated things. We will make some mistakes both in judgement and in fact. We will help some situations and hurt some situations. We will help some people and hurt some people and be left to live with it either way. We must then make some adjustments, or as the old people back home would call them, "'JUSTMENTS".
The album features José Feliciano playing guitar on "Can We Pretend" and congas on "Railroad Man". Withers was a guest musician and composer on the 1973 Feliciano album Compartments.
Legal tussles between Withers and Sussex prevented further recording sessions until Columbia signed the singer a year later. Columbia bought Withers' back catalog, re-releasing his earlier hit records, but +'Justments was not reissued on CD until 2010.
Track listing
Personnel Bill Withers – lead and backing vocals, guitar (2, 9), acoustic piano (4), electric piano (5, 6, 9) Benorce Blackmon – guitar (1) José Feliciano – guitar (7), congas (10) Ray Jackson – electric piano (1, 2) John Barnes – acoustic piano (1, 3), electric piano (4) John Myles – electric piano (7, 8, 10), clavinet (10), string arrangements Melvin Dunlap – bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10) James Gadson – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10) Chip Steen – congas (5, 10) Dorothy Ashby – harp (2, 3, 4, 7)
Production Bill Withers – producer Melvin Dunlap – producer James Gadson – producer Phil Schier – engineer Bobby Thomas – engineer Carl Overr – art direction John Van Hamersveld – design Norman Seeff – photography
Studios Recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles, CA) and Dijobe Sound (Orange, CA). Mastered at Artisan Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA).
Charts Chart (1974) Peakposition Billboard Pop Albums67 Billboard Top Soul Albums7
Singles Year Single Chart positions Billboard Hot 100 Cash Box Top 100 USR&B RPM Magazine1974 "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" 50 43 10 39 "You" — — 15 —1975 "Heartbreak Road" 89 — 13 —
External links Bill Withers - + 'Justments at Discogs
References