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Oh What a Feeling
Oh What a Feeling
Studio album by Mavis Staples
Released	July 16, 1979
Studio	Muscle Shoals Sound Studio; (Sheffield, Alabama); The Hit Factory; (New York City, New York)
Genre	Pop; R&B; soul;
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Jerry Wexler; Barry Beckett;
Mavis Staples chronology
Singles from Oh What a Feeling
	"Tonight I Feel Like Dancing"; Released: May 1979; "Oh What a Feeling"; Released: August 1979;

Oh What a Feeling is a studio album by American R&B, soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples.^[1]^[2] It was released on July 16, 1979, by Warner Bros. Records.

Critical reception

A review published by Billboard in the July 28, 1979, issue said, "Well known vocalist from the Staple Singers steps out on her second solo effort with a mixture of uptempo, disco flavored songs and midtempo, soulful ballads. Staples voice is fluid, strong and gutsy, giving this LP much the same appeal which highlighted Cheryl Lynn's exhilarating debut last year. Also contributing to this album's success is the instrumentation which is provided by the Muscle Shoals Horns, guitarists Mark Knopfler, Pele Can and others. Best cuts "Let Love Come Between Us", "Oh What a Feeling", "Loving You", "Tonight I Feel Like Dancing", and "I've Been to the Well Before"."^[3] The New York Times stated that Staples "remains a fine, fervent, huskily sensitive singer, and most of this disk does her justice."^[4]

Cashbox published a review of the album in the issue dated July 28, 1979, which said, "Mavis gave the Staple Singers that distinct, gritty vocal sound, and on Oh What a Feeling she proves just how versatile she is. She soars through a mixed bag of styles on the LP - disco, gospel, straight ahead R&B and gospel - and performs them all in flawless fashion. A torchy ballad, "I Miss You", the disco hit, "Tonight I Feel Like Dancing", and the R&B flavored title cut are the LP's highpoints."^[5] The Bay State Banner opined that "it's a big comedown to realize veteran producers and idolized individuals like Jerry Wexler have so little idea of what makes successful singers tick, and have so little regard for them that they put them in embarrassing situations as this one."^[6]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tonight I Feel Like Dancing"	Barry Beckett George Jackson Marc Giacomelli Peter Alves	6:08
2.	"Let Love Come Between Us"	Joe Sobotka John Wyker	3:26
3.	"Loving You"	Al Green Fred Jordan Reuben Fairfax, Jr.	4:08
4.	"I Don't Want to Lose My Real Good Thing"	Larry John McNally	3:16
5.	"I've Been to the Well Before"	Paul Kelly	3:57

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Oh What a Feeling"	Jerry Weaver Tom Jones III	3:03
2.	"If I Can't Have You"	Paul Kelly	4:50
3.	"You're Made That Way"	Jeff Baxter Keith Knudsen Michael McDonald	3:57
4.	"I Miss You (Since You're Gone)"	Paul Kelly	5:05
5.	"We Got Love"	Paul Kelly	2:48

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

Harrison Calloway - horn arrangements
Cynthia Douglas - background vocals
Donna Davis - background vocals
Pamela Vincent - background vocals
David Hood - bass guitar
Jesse Boyce - bass guitar
Roger Hawkins - drums
Gregg Hamm - engineer
Joe Barbaria - engineer
Bill Fair - assistant engineer
Bruce Bachhalter - assistant engineer
David Yates - assistant engineer
Bobby Hata - mastering
Stuart J. Romaine - mastering
Steve Melton - remix engineer ("Tonight I Feel Like Dancing")
Jimmy Johnson - guitar
Larry Byrom - guitar
Mark Knopfler - guitar
Mose Dillard - guitar
Pete Carr - guitar
Muscle Shoals Horns - horns
Barry Beckett - producer, keyboards, synthesizers
Chris Koelle - make-up
Tom Roady - percussion
Sherman Weisburd - photography
Jerry Wexler - producer
Paul Wexler - supervisor
Jerry Simpson - remix supervisor ("Tonight I Feel Like Dancing")

References

^ "Mavis Staples Biography by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
^ The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1983. p. 485.
^ "Billboard Magazine - July 28, 1979" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
^ Rockwell, John (27 July 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C16.
^ "Cashbox Magazine - July 28, 1979" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
^ Lane, George (30 Aug 1979). "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 47. p. 21.