''Here I Am'' is the fifth studio album by singer

Barbara McNair Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage. McNair's professional career began in music dur ...

released on the

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

label.

History

This album was McNair's first album on the Motown label, released in 1966. McNair recorded several singles before this album was released. The album featured songwriters

Clarence Paul Clarence Otto Pauling (March 19, 1928 – May 6, 1995) better known and published as Clarence Paul, was an American songwriter and record producer who was best known for his career with Detroit's Motown Records. Early life and career Born i ...

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

Eddie Holland Edward James Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is brother to Brian Holland. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorde ...

, and Ron Miller. However, the album failed to chart. The only single, "Here I Am Baby", peaked at No. 125 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

. The album appeared on the ''New Album Releases'' on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine, the only album on the Motown category. "Here I Am Baby" was later covered by

the Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan, Inkster, Michigan in 1960, consisting of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was ...

for their '' Sophisticated Soul'' album.

Reception

Rob Theakston from AllMusic stated "''Here I Am'' is a far cry from the sexy Motown sessions and takes a turn into vocal standards and sultry jazz numbers, but McNair is equally up to the task to deliver a fine session of performances. It was also a precursor for many of the outstanding vocal spotlights she would perform on her critically acclaimed variety show five years later." ''Billboard'' wrote that "Miss McNair tackles recent pop hits, adds her own stylings with emphasis on the blues feel, and the result is a programming delight with much sales potential."

Track listing

Charts

Singles

References

External links

*{{Discogs master, 404579, Here I Am 1966 albums Barbara McNair albums Motown albums