by Thom JurekLeon Ware is hardly a household name but he was one of Motown's most successful songwriters. His list of accomplishments is too long to list in its entirety here (see the bio) but they include writing Michael Jackson's smash "I Wanna Be Where You Are," working on Quincy Jones' classic Body Heat and Mellow Madness albums, and writing and producing Marvin Gaye's monster I Want You LP. He's also cut brilliant albums for Gordy and Elektra in the 1970s and '80s, and influenced singers and songwriters from Rahsaan Patterson andLewis Taylor to D'Angelo, and Bilal. 　　Moon Ride is Ware's debut album for the revived Stax imprint. His late 20th and early 21st century self-released albums are a little thin in production -- due to a lack of a proper budget -- but they are musically astute and sophisticated. Ware's absolute lyrical and musical obsession with the topics of love, the sensual, and the divine are a constant on every record he's made, written or produced, and are on full display here. ... Read More...