Gettin' Down to It
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Gettin' Down to It
| type = Studio album
| artist = James Brown
| cover = James Brown Gettin' Down to It.jpg
| alt =
| released = May 1969
| recorded = December 1968–March 1969
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Soul jazz
| length = 48:35
| label = King
| producer = James Brown
| prev_title = Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud
| prev_year = 1969
| next_title = The Popcorn
| next_year = 1969
}}
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
| rev2 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide
| rev2score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=James Brown|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/109 109]}}
}}
Gettin' Down to It is the 24th studio album by American musician James Brown. The album was released in May 1969, by King Records.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/gettin-down-to-it/80181087 |title=iTunes - Music - Gettin' Down to It by James Brown |publisher=iTunes |access-date=2015-07-16}}{{cite web|author=Al Campbell |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/gettin-down-to-it-mw0000717463 |title=Gettin' Down to It - James Brown |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2015-07-16}} A pet project of Brown's, the album consists of standards sung in the jazz ballad style of Frank Sinatra, whom Brown greatly admired. In addition, two of Brown's own compositions, "Cold Sweat" and an instrumental version of "There Was a Time", are included, reinterpreted in the same style.
Robert Christgau has called it "a ballad album that could scare the shades off Ray Charles".{{cite web|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=1643 |title=Album: James Brown: Star Time |publisher=Robert Christgau |access-date=2018-11-11}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Sunny
| note1 = Marva Whitney, vocals
| writer1 = Bobby Hebb
| length1 = 3:17
| title2 = That's Life
| writer2 = Kelly Gordon, Dean Kay
| length2 = 4:29
| title3 = Strangers in the Night
| writer3 = Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder
| length3 = 3:26
| title4 = Willow Weep for Me
| writer4 = Ann Ronell
| length4 = 4:39
| title5 = Cold Sweat
| writer5 = James Brown, Alfred Ellis
| length5 = 5:02
| title6 = There Was a Time
| writer6 = James Brown, Bud Hobgood
| note6 = Kenny Poole and Lee Garrett, guitar
| length6 = 2:58
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title1 = Chicago
| writer1 = Fred Fisher
| length1 = 2:51
| title2 = (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
| writer2 = William Best, Deek Watson
| length2 = 7:40
| title3 = Time After Time
| writer3 = Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne
| length3 = 4:48
| title4 = All the Way
| writer4 = Sammy Cahn
| length4 = 3:40
| title5 = It Had to Be You
| writer5 = Isham Jones, Gus Kahn
| length5 = 2:42
| title6 = Uncle
| writer6 = Frank Vincent
| note6 = Kenny Poole, guitar
| length6 = 2:35
}}
Personnel
- James Brown – vocals and producer
- Dee Felice Trio:
- Frank Vincent – piano
- Lee Tucker – bass
- Dee Felice – drums
References
{{Reflist}}
{{James Brown}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Albums produced by James Brown
Category:King Records (United States) albums
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