Bill Withers was often associated with soulful and uplifting songs, and among them was Soul Shadows by Joe Sample and Will Jennings, recorded in 1980 with The Crusaders. Withers more than holds his own, easy in the company of a line-up including Wilton Felder. The lyrics celebrate the music of Fats Waller, John Coltrane and others who “left the sound of their souls in the air / I can hear them out there and I know”. Now he joins that company.