Natural High
View on Discogs
View on Wikipedia
Album Summary
Natural High was laid down and delivered to the world in 1978 on the hallowed Motown label, arriving at the absolute peak of the Commodores' commercial reign. The band took the production reins themselves alongside key Motown collaborators, and that creative ownership shows in every groove — this was a group that knew exactly who they were and exactly where they were headed. Sitting right at the crossroads of their funk-fired roots and a more mature, orchestrated soul sound, Natural High captured the Commodores in full bloom, stretching their studio muscles across uptempo burners and slow-burn romantic statements that only a band this seasoned could pull off with such effortless grace.
Reception
- The album climbed into the top 20 of the Billboard 200 and earned gold certification in the United States, proving the Commodores could move units with the best of them.
- Three Times A Lady emerged as the album's towering centerpiece single, becoming one of the most beloved ballads of the entire decade and a defining moment in the group's storied catalog.
- Natural High resonated deeply with soul and R&B audiences of the era, further cementing the Commodores as one of the most important and bankable acts of the 1970s.
Significance
- Natural High stands as a prime document of the mid-to-late Motown sound, weaving together funk, soul, and lush balladeering at a pivotal moment in the evolution of African American popular music.
- The album showcased the Commodores' rare versatility — the ability to rock a dancefloor with raw, uptempo energy and then turn right around and deliver a string-drenched ballad that stopped hearts cold.
- Released right in the thick of the disco era, Natural High carved out its own lane of soul sophistication, offering audiences something deeper and more lasting than the glittering flash of the disco moment.
Samples
- Three Times A Lady — one of the most recognized Commodores recordings, this ballad has been interpolated and referenced across R&B and hip-hop productions over the decades.
Tracklist
-
A1 Fire Girl 121
4:12
-
A2 X-Rated Movie 89
4:45
-
A3 Flying High 128
5:11
-
A4 Three Times A Lady 74
6:37
-
B1 Such A Woman 92
4:40
-
B2 Say Yeah 148
5:44
-
B3 I Like What You Do 111
4:49
-
B4 Visions 79
5:43
Artist Details
The Commodores are a smooth, soulful powerhouse that came together in Tuskegee, Alabama in the late 1960s, hitting their stride in the early to mid-1970s as one of Motown's crown jewels, blending funk, R&B, and silky ballads into a sound that could shake the dance floor one moment and break your heart the next. Led by the incomparable Lionel Richie alongside Tomas McClary, Milan Williams, and the rest of that tight-knit brotherhood, they gave the world undeniable grooves like "Brick House" and "Slippery When Wet" while also gifting the slow-jam faithful with tender masterpieces like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady." Their cultural significance runs deep — they stood as a shining example of Black excellence and musical versatility during an era when soul music was the heartbeat of a generation, and their influence can be felt in virtually every R&B and funk artist that followed in their footsteps.
