Rhapsody and Blues

Rhapsody and Blues
Studio album by The Crusaders
Released	1980
Genre	Jazz
Label	Columbia
Producer	Joe Sample, Stix Hooper and Wilton Felder
The Crusaders chronology
Street Life (1979) Rhapsody and Blues (1980) Standing Tall (1981)

Rhapsody and Blues is an album by jazz fusion group The Crusaders, produced by Stix Hooper, Joe Sample and Wilton Felder, and released in 1980 via MCA Records. ^[1] That album peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Jazz LPs chart. ^[2]

Guest performances

Guest artists on the album included Bill Withers, Sheila E. and Roland Bautista of Earth, Wind and Fire. ^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

Scott Yanow of AllMusic, in a 2/5-star review, remarked, "the group's concept was starting to sound a bit tired..(with) the group's R&Bish music sounding closer to a formula." ^[3]

Tracklisting

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Soul Shadows"	Will Jennings, Joe Sample	8:16
2.	"Honky Tonk Struttin'"	Wilton Felder	4:26
3.	"Elegant Evening"	Stix Hooper	6:03
4.	"Rhapsody and Blues"	Joe Sample	8:48
5.	"Last Call"	Joe Sample	6:40
6.	"Sweet Gentle Love"	Joe Sample	4:56

References

1. The Crusaders (1980). Rhapsody and Blues (album). MCA Records.
2. "Billboard Best Selling Jazz LPs" (PDF). Billboard . July 26, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved May 9, 2025– via americanradiohistory.com.
3. Yanow, Scott. "The Crusaders - Rhapsody and Blues". AllMusic . Retrieved May 9, 2025.