A veteran singer/songwriter, Bruce Roberts has co-written great stuff for a slew of big names including Barbra Streisand, the late Donna Summer (1948 to 2012) and Dusty Springfield (1939-1999), Cher, Bette Midler and Dolly Parton. Mr. Roberts’ self-titled debut album was released in 1977 on Elektra/Asylum Records.

Produced by the late, revered Tom Dowd (1925 to 2002), Bruce Roberts was a delicious pop collection that’s split between wonderful ballads and quirky ditties. Mr. Roberts’ voice doesn’t compare to his superstar friend’s, but his enjoyable vocals suits the material. His fresh voice was surrounded by a quality pop scenario that was delivered by a cast of session aces including a young David Foster on keyboards. Mr. Roberts co-wrote the bulk of the album with his dear friend Carole Bayer Sager. Most of the tracks included on Bruce Roberts were eventually covered by other singers. Among the creations were the anthemic ballad “I Don’t Break Easily” that was later sung by Barbra Streisand, “Starmaker,” which was ultimately recorded by Paul Anka and Judy Collins, and “I’m Comin’ Home Again,” also subsequently covered by Gladys Knight, Josè Feliciano and Ms. Springfield. More highlights on Bruce Roberts were a couple of soulful and irresistible mid-tempos titled “Me And My Love” and “Our Night” plus “I Don’t Wanna Go,” one of those killer Roberts/Bayer Sager co-writes and our pick from the album .

A gorgeous ballad, “I Don’t Wanna Go” had a refined melody with a memorable chorus. The soothing instrumental arrangement was a total knock-out with a classic soft rock atmosphere enhanced by a Latin-tinged vibe for the soulful refrain. Rightly, “I Don’t Wanna Go” had its share of good covers by soul groups including The Moments, pop/dance act Joey Travolta and Samantha Sang. This song and the whole Bruce Roberts album were very good examples of the glory days when pop music was made of great songwriting, superior performances and masterful studio production.

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Lead Vocals: Bruce Roberts
Keyboards: David Foster, John Jarvis & Bruce Roberts
Bass: Mike Porcaro & Bob Glaub
Drums: Jeff Porcaro
Guitars: Fred Tackett & Ray Parker, Jr.
Percussion: Bobbye Hall & Tom Vig
Backing Vocals: Bruce Roberts & Brooks Hunnicutt

Horns Arranged by David Campbell
Produced by Tom Dowd

Lyrics

Lately I Been Known

For making up excuses

And all too many times

Wondering what the use is now

Nothing like it used to be

When you and me

Were all I ever dreamed of

Dreams just don’t come true

Just the way you planned them

And looking back in time

I still don’t understand just how

The feeling comes and goes

And before I start to lie

I want you to know

I Don’t wanna go

But I can’t stay here no more

I don’t wanna go

Cause it just ain’t like before

I don’t want you to love me

And ohh how I wish I

Loved you like I did

Honey you know I did

Did we turn away

Just when we saw it coming

And could we have been saved

Or would we still

Be running scared

The space became so wide

That no matter how I tried

There was just no place to hide

Ohh Baby

I Don’t wanna go

But I can’t stay here no more

I don’t wanna go

Cause it just ain’t like before

I don’t want you to love me

And ohh how I wish I

Loved you like I did

Honey you know I did

Repeat 2x

I Don’t wanna go

But I can’t stay here no more

I don’t wanna go

But it just ain’t like before

I don’t want you to love me

And ohh how I wish I

Loved you like I did

Honey you know I did

I Don’t wanna go

But I can’t stay here no more

I don’t wanna go

But it just ain’t like before

I Just

(But I can’t stay here no more

I don’t wanna go

But it just ain’t like before

I don’t want you to love me)

I Just

(I don’t wanna go

But it just ain’t like before)

I don’t wanna go

But it just ain’t like

Just like before

written by Bruce Roberts & Sam Roman

“Whenever There Is Love” is a refined adult contemporary ballad co-written by renowned singer/songwriter Bruce Roberts who also sang the song as a duet with his friend and international superstar, the late Donna Summer.

“Whenever There Is Love” was included in the soundtrack of the 1996 movie, “Daylight,” starring Silvester Stallone. The production of the song was handled by super-producer David Foster, another old friend of both Roberts and Summer. The track was released as a single with the bonus of some dance remixes by Junior Vasquez but it didn’t chart on Billboard’s Hot 100 while an accompanying music video got some airplay on MTV.
The evocative arrangement by Foster is pretty typical of his work of the nineties with a prominent use of keyboards, synthesizers, guitars and programmed drums to support the singers’ heartfelt performances. The song sports a very nice melody that Foster enhances especially towards the end with a powerful crescendo and the use of a gospel flavoured choir.
Another very good reason to listen to “Whenever There Is Love” is to appreciate once again Summer’s legendary voice well complemented here by Roberts’ intense vocal performance.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/whenever_there_is_love.mp3|titles=Whenever There Is Love|artists=Donna Summer – Bruce Roberts]

Lead Vocals: Donna Summer & Bruce Roberts
Keyboards: David Foster

Produced by David Foster & Bruce Roberts

Lyrics

Like the welcome of spring
like the light that you bring
to skies that were empty and gray
just your breath in the night
can make it alright
when you sigh as you’re drifting away
oh baby
All that is simple and good
lives in the places you stood
the things that are pure and true
paint a picture of you
and you are all I can think of
whenever there is love
whenever there is love
whenever there is love

Like a brief desert rain
like the air that remains
making everything suddenly new
oh baby and like the light in your eye
s
as if you and I made a world that was only for two
oh tell me baby
If you are lost I will find you
no matter where you go
if you fall I’ll be behind you

written by Bruce Roberts

Trisha Yearwood is one of the most important female singers in country music. Throughout the nineties up to the new millennium, the country/pop superstar, has released a string of gold and platinum-certified albums and a long series of hit singles. Among her most famous songs are the Academy Award-nominated, “How Do I Live,” and #1 country hits like “Believe Me Baby (I Lied),” “Perfect Love” and “She’s In Love With The Boy.”

In 2000, Yearwood was asked to contribute a song for the soundtrack of the TV hit series, “Sex And The City.” The song was a new Bruce Roberts’ composition entitled “For Only You.” Roberts is a talented singer/songwriter who, in the course of his career, co-wrote beautiful songs for big names like the late Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Cher, Dionne Warwick and Celine Dion. “For Only You” is a tender ballad with romantic lyrics and a jazzy arrangement beautifully sung by Yearwood accompanied by David Foster’s delicate piano playing. Foster appeared on the track cause he’s an old friend of Roberts’ and the two co-wrote songs and collaborated on various projects through the years. “For Only You” presents a different side of Trish Yearwood with absolutely no country overtones but instead a lush, sophisticated atmosphere that the singer handles with class and noteworthy results.
The rest of the soundtrack includes a varied ensemble of artists from Bette Midler and Tom Jones to Missy Elliot and Joan Osborne but nothing that really stands out.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/for_only_you.mp3|titles=For Only You|artists=Trisha Yearwood]

Lead Vocals: Trisha Yearwood
Piano: David Foster

Produced by Bruce Roberts & Trisha Yearwood

Lyrics

I’ll give my love
To only you
To no one else
It’s for only you

You are the world to me
And you will always be
The one who’s oh so beautiful
My love will always stay with you

I will be yours, for all of time.
And thank the Lord, that you are mine
For with each breath I take,
I know my love is safe
In the arms of one so wonderful
As long as I can dream, I’ll dream for two
For my love is for only you

With each breath I take, I know my love is safe
In the arms of one so wonderful
As long as I can dream, I’ll dream for two
For my love is for only you…

Written by Bruce Roberts & Andy Goldmark

Bruce Roberts is one of the most successful pop songwriters of the westcoast music scene. His songs were recorded by a who’s who of music stars like Barbra Streisand, Cher, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Celine Dion and Donna Summer.
His songbook includes hits like “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough),” “Stronger Than Before,” “You’re Moving Out Today,” “Making Love” and “The Lucky One.” Roberts also kept going a parallel career as recording artist releasing a few well conceived solo abums. Those records obviously presented the author’s take on several of his important songs plus gems that he kept for himself. In 1980, two years after his self titled debut, Roberts prepared his sophomore record entitled “Cool Fool.” Vocally, the performances aren’t up to the standards of his famous clients, but Roberts’ delivery is intense and sincere while the music background is always top notch. The singer/songwriter usually enlisted the best players and arrangers on the scene like David Foster who appeared on all Roberts’ solo albums. The two went on to co-write songs together and Foster will produce music for Roberts’ “Intimacy” album. On “Cool Fool” Foster played keyboards on the refined disco number entitled “S’ Good Enuf.” That’s a fantastic party song with incredible vocal harmonies courtesy of Luther Vandross, David Lasley and Arnold McCuller plus mean strings and horns arranged by Gene Page and Jerry Hey. This song was released as a single but missed the charts though it’d have be a giant hit if covered by a more household name. “S’ Good Enuf” is clear evidence of how a well written song could do wonders with a disco sound in the hands of top music makers and it still sounds fresh today. “Cool Fool” also presented several of Roberts’ trademark ballads like “No Other Love,” “All Through The Night” and “With All My Love, With All My Heart.” Among the up-tempo songs on the record we’d like to mention the elegant title track, again with smooth vocals and tight horns.

Lead Vocals: Bruce Roberts
Guitars: Larry Byron
Keyboards: David Foster, Randy McCormick & Bruce Roberts
Drums: Ed Greene
Bass: Neil Stubenhaus
Horns: Jerry Hey, Gary Herbig, Larry Williams & Bill Reichenbach
Backing Vocals: Luther Vandross, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller, Stephanie Spruill & Bruce Roberts

Strings Arranged by Gene Page
Horns Arranged by Jerry Hey
Produced by David Malloy

No Lyrics

Bruce Roberts is one of the most talented pop songwriters on the American music scene. Through the years he has co-written chart hits like “(No More Tears) Enough Is Enough” for Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, “You’re The Only One” for Dolly Parton, “Lucky One” for Laura Branigan, “Dynamite” for Jermaine Jackson and “You’re Movin’ Out Today” for Bette Midler. “Intimacy,” released in 1995 on Atlantic Records, was his third solo album after his debut in 1978 with “Bruce Roberts” and the follow-up entitled “Cool Fool.” “Intimacy” is a collection of Roberts’ most recent compositions co-written with people like Allee Willis, Donna Summer and Junior Miles. The style is pure adult pop with some tasteful soul overtones. Roberts doesn’t have a very distinctive voice but his tenor delivers nicely, often developing into a tender falsetto. Famous friends like Luther Vandross, David Lasley, K.D. Lang, Elton John, James Ingram and Ashford & Simpson add strength and weight to the performances. The songs are mostly slow ballads with a nostalgic feel like the acoustic title track, the breathtaking “My One Joy,” or “The Man Who Loves You,” a Philly-soul influenced number with a memorable refrain. David Foster is another old friend of Roberts’ and appears on “Intimacy” to produce “When Loves Goes.” This is a powerful ballad enriched by the usual values of Foster’s production; great work on keyboards and guitar, lush strings and All 4 One providing background vocals. The famous vocal quartet perfectly supports Roberts’ lead with some smart gospel-tinged harmonies that bring the bittersweet song to a higher level of intensity.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/when_love_goes.mp3|titles=When love goes|artists=Bruce Roberts]

Lead Vocals: Bruce Roberts
Guitars: Michael Thompson
Keyboards & Synthesizers: David Foster
Drums Programming: Simon Franglen
Backing Vocals: All 4 One
Produced by David Foster & Bruce Roberts

Lyrics

When love goes
I feel a ribbon of fire
Raging from my head to my toes
It’s like burning alive when love goes
When love goes
I feel a deep stabbing pain
Of an open heart that’s suddenly closed
It’s dying inside when love goes

And how can I breath when the air goes with you
How can I see when the light goes too
What can I do to make you stay
And where does love go when love goes away

When love goes
I feel like I’ve been cut apart
Leaving all my inside exposed
It’s like losing my life when love goes

And how can I breath when the air goes with you
How can I see when the light goes too
What can I do to make you stay
And where does love go when love goes away