Simple Pleasures (Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson album)

Last updated
Simple Pleasures
Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson- Simple Pleasures.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 22, 2003
Genre Jazz
Length54:38
Label Narada
Ramsey Lewis chronology
Urban Knights V
(2003)
Simple Pleasures
(2003)
Time Flies
(2004)
Nancy Wilson chronology
A Nancy Wilson Christmas
(2001)
Simple Pleasures
(2003)
R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)
(2004)

Simple Pleasures is a studio album by American jazz artists Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson released in 2003 on Narada Records. The album reached No. 9 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. [1] [2]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes claimed, "It took 18 years for Nancy Wilson and Ramsey Lewis to reteam after 1984's sublime The Two of Us. Fortunately, it has taken only 18 months for the lifelong pals to follow up on last year's equally delightful Meant to Be. Their third collaboration, the rather ironically titled Simple Pleasures (Narada), is a somewhat more complex affair than either of their previous outings. This time around, Lewis and Wilson, neither a stranger to lush settings, enrich the proceedings with a polished horn section that suits both well." [4]

Jonathan Widran of AllMusic noted "Simple Pleasures features both vocals and instrumentals with a wide range of dynamics, from his romantic but too subtle piano melody on 'In My Life,' to Wilson's fiery belting over a sea of snazzy horns on 'Give Me Something Real.' It's great to hear her let loose, but the slower, sensual side of her vocal prowess (on tunes like 'Lost Up in Loving You') is even more inviting." [3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the Name of Love" Ralph MacDonald, William Salter4:29
2."Slipping into Darkness"Thomas Sylvester Allen, Harold Brown, Morris "B.B." Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Charles Miller, Lee Oskar, Howard Scott, Ramsey Lewis, Nancy Wilson 6:04
3."All This Love" El DeBarge 5:06
4."In My Life" John Lennon, Paul McCartney 6:40
5."Give Me Something Real"Clark Anderson Edwin, Warren Mervyn4:00
6."Lost up in Loving You" Kenny Rankin, Yvonne Rankin3:18
7."Ooh Child" Stan Vincent 4:51
8."One True Thing"Ramsey Lewis5:58
9."God Bless the Child" Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr. 6:12
10."Gentle Persuasion"Ramsey Lewis8:00

Credits

References

  1. Pieces of a Dream (2003). Simple Pleasures (album). Narada Records.
  2. "Ramsey Lewis – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Widran, Jonathan. "Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson: Simple Pleasures". AllMusic . Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  4. Loudon, Christopher (2019-04-25). "Ramsey Lewis/Nancy Wilson: Simple Pleasures". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2025-04-06.