Bill Withers’ debut from 1971 is thought by many soul fans as his finest and it’s not hard to see why. Withers’ sonorous, enticingly weary baritone, and intimate singer-songwriter style were a low-key, distinctively alternative vision of soul and R’n’B at the time, with few concessions to the emerging funk sound or the expansive cinematic experimentation taking place on albums from Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes or Stevie Wonder. Instead, it’s a Southern soul album — it’s produced by Booker T Jones and features appearances from MGs drummer and bassist — with an acoustic guitar singer-songwriter at its heart, and acknowledged classics like “Grandma’s Hands” or “Aint No Sunshine” defined a particular stark, up-close, confessional soul sound. Full of beauty, warmth and intimacy, Just As I Am is a soul classic.