Just as I Am (Bill Withers album)

Just As I Am
Studio album by
Bill Withers
ReleasedMay 1, 1971
Recorded1971
Studio
Genre
Length35:37
LabelSussex
ProducerBooker T. Jones
Bill Withers chronology
Just As I Am
(1971) 		Still Bill
(1972)
Singles from Just As I Am
  1. "Ain't No Sunshine"
    Released: June 1971
  2. "Grandma's Hands"
    Released: 1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz(favorable)[1]
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
PopMatters[5]
Sputnikmusic(4/5)[6]
Uncut[7]
Uptown(A)[8]

Just As I Am is the debut studio album by American soul musician Bill Withers, released on May 1 1971, by Sussex Records. The album features the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine", which was ranked at number 280 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[9] The album is also known for featuring the single "Grandma's Hands," which reached number 18 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart and 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] Booker T. Jones produced, arranged, and played keyboards and guitar on Just As I Am. The album was later reissued as a dual disc with the DVD side featuring all the tracks in 5.1 Surround Sound.

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 304 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[11]

  1. ^ Santella, Jim (16 December 2005). "Bill Withers: Just As I Am". AllAboutJazz.com. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Bill Withers: Just As I Am > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 22, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Endelman, Michael (5 December 2005). "Just as I Am (2005): Bill Withers". Entertainment Weekly (#853). Time. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  5. ^ Layman, Will (14 November 2005). "Bill Withers: Just As I Am". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Bill Withers Just As I Am". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  7. ^ "Bill Withers - Just As I Am". Uncut. London: IPC Media. ISSN 1368-0722. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  8. ^ "CD Reviews". Uptown. Winnipeg: Fanfare Communications Group. 1 December 2005. Bill Withers Just As I Am. ISSN 1180-9906. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006.
  9. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone (Special Issue). Straight Arrow. December 2004. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
  10. ^ "Bill Withers | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  11. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.