Bill Withers – Just As I Am

Tracklist:

01.Harlem
02.Ain’t No Sunshine
03.Grandma’s Hands
04.Sweet Wanomi
05.Everybody’s Talkin’
06.Do It Good
07.Hope She’ll Be Happier
08.Let It Be
09.I’m Her Daddy
10.In My Heart
11.Moanin’ and Groanin’
12.Better Off Dead

Bill Withers was a modest, gentle, and yet towering musical figure responsible for some of the most important, universally known soul hits ever written. It’s no wonder that “Just the Two of Us” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” won him two Grammy awards and undoubtedly played a huge role in getting him inducted into both the Songwriters and Rock and Roll hall of fame.

Just As I Am is Withers’ debut album and is by all measures a brilliant first outing. The record features twelve tunes of which most are Bill’s own compositions, each song a reflection of his unique introspective, folky take on soul music. By far the most famous song on the album is the smash hit “Ain’t No Sunshine”, originally released as a B-side to the tune “Harlem” in 1971. It turned Withers into a worldwide soul icon, so much so that the song won him a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1972. Considering the other single on the album is “Grandma’s Hands”, it’s not hard to understand why it’s ranked #304 on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. This edition includes a booklet featuring a reflective essay on Bill Withers written by writer, poet and civil rights activist Kevin Powell.

Just As I Am is available as a limited edition of 7500 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl.

Title: Just as I Am
Artist: Bill Withers
Label: Speakers Corner
Product Type: VINYL LP
UPC: 4260019713070
Genre: Soul/R & B
Release Date: 2026-09-04
Number of Discs: 1
Additional Details: 180 GRAM VINYL, REISSUE

In his debut album Withers demonstrates his universal, mature competence as a singer, composer and performer, which was hardly surpassed in his later recordings. “Harlem”, an unadorned milieu-funk number about the New York slums, “Grandma’s Hands”, with it’s obligatory retrospect of his childhood, and the sentimental ballad “Ain’t No Sunshine” with it’s prayer-wheel-like -I know, I know…, repeated over and over again on the offbeat, are the musical credo of a experienced artist in his mid-thirties who at last is given a hearing. There’s simply no alternative to this recording by the great songwriter with the small repertoire.

Tracks:
1.1 Harlem
1.2 Ain’t No Sunshine
1.3 Grandma’s Hands
1.4 Sweet Wanomi
1.5 Everybody’s Talkin’
1.6 Do It Good
1.7 Hope She’ll Be Happier
1.8 Let It Be
1.9 I’m Her Daddy
1.10 In My Heart
1.11 Moanin’ and Groanin’
1.12 Better Off Dead