Jobie Reviews Music 168: Back Stabbers (album) by The O'Jays. Requested by ActuallyApollo.

Back Stabbers is a 1972 Philadelphia soul album by The O’Jays. It is 10 tracks long, spanning 39 minutes and 54 seconds of music. The album is full of well composed R&B/soul tracks that contain lots of depth; the album utilizes a wide array of instruments in its instrumentation, which makes each track stand out on its own.

Well delivered vocals also encompass the album’s runtime, with the trio’s combined vocal delivery allowing for each track to be an enjoyable listen. The album’s tone is generally upbeat and “feel good” in nature, with tracks like “Love Train” demonstrating this property of the album the best. However, the very first track on the album, “When the World’s at Peace”, deals with some rather serious subject matter, with lyrics like “I can see the day when it's safe to walk the streets/When we learn to care for those lost in poverty”. Still, the track fits well in the scope of the album, the trio’s sound remaining consistent throughout the track.

The album’s tracks are fairly consistent in terms of overall quality, with the first track all the way to the last being enjoyable to listen to. There’s really nothing to complain about here, since each track clearly had lots of care put into its overall sound and quality.

My favorite tracks from this album are “When the World’s at Peace”, “Back Stabbers”, “Time to Get Down”, and “Love Train”.

Overall, Back Stabbers is an excellent album from the Philadelphia soul trio. Sporting tracks like the titular “Back Stabbers” and “When the World’s at Peace”, the album manages to consistently deliver track after track melodies which never fail to be highly enjoyable to listen to. No complaints here.

Overall rating:

9.5/10

LINK TO ALBUM:

https://open.spotify.com/album/09jTPeDoSuJLLAwFGNUKCX