As lead singer of the group Tower of Power, Lenny Williams enjoyed a sprinkling of hits during his tenure with the funk outfit. But it wasn't until he returned to his solo career in the mid-'70s that his star really shined, and one of his stellar moments on wax was the soaring ballad "Cause I Love You." Clocking in at over seven minutes long, this song is as dramatic as an episode of The Young & the Restless. Between Lenny's soulful wails and his heartfelt monologue where he let it be known that he wasn't afraid to cry for the love that he lost, "Cause I Love You" is nothing short of a classic. Kanye West revisited the track when he sampled it for Twista's "Overnight Celebrity" in 2004, almost 30 years after the song's release. The sample was good, but it barely scratched the surface of the original's brilliance. Thank goodness at any given moment between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM you are liable to hear this tune on your favorite urban radio station, and you'll more than likely find yourself singing "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" just because it still sounds so sweet.
Lenny Williams: "Cause I Love You"
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