- Dobie Gray (aka Leonard Victor Ainsworth) -- vocals

- Leonard Ainsworth (solo efforts)

- Larry Curtis (solo efforts)

- Larry Dennis (solo efforts)

- Polluton 

Genre: soul

Rating: 3 stars ***

Tiitle:  Loving Arms

Company: MCA

Catalog: MCA-371

Year: 1973

Country/State: Brookshire, Texas

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: cut top right corner

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 4966

Price: $10.00

With MCA Records swallowing up the Decca imprint, 1973's "Loving Arms" continued Dobie Gray's partnership with producer Mentor Williams.  Powered by his distinctive gravelly voice and backed by an all star cast of Nashville studio pros, musically the album wasn't a major departure from his 1972 breakthrough "Drift Away" album.  Like the former, tracks such as 'Good Old Song', 'You and Me' and 'Lovin' the Easy Way' offered up a catchy blend of soul and country genres. To be honest, in the hands of many other singers the results probably wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining.  Moreover, even Gray ran into difficulty with the album's overabundance of ballads resulting in a 'sounds-the-same' feel throughout much of the collection.  That made isolated up tempo numbers like 'Reachin' for the Feeling' (the only Gray-penned original), 'Mississippi Rolling Stone' and 'Love Is On the Line' the standout performances.  Not his crowning glory, but a solid effort that's worth owning.

Elsewhere MCA tapped the album for three singles:

- 'Loving Arms' b/w ''Now That I'm without You' (MCA catalog number MCA 40100)

- 'Good Old Song' b/w 'Reachin for the Feeling' (MCA catalog number MCA-40153)

- 'Lovin' the Easy Way' b/w 'Rose' (MCA catalog number MCA-40188)

"Loving Arms" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Good Old Song   (Mentor Williams - Ron Davies) - 3:21

2.) You and Me   (Troy Seals - Will Jennings) - 2:57

3.) I Never Had It So Good   (Paul Williams - Roger Nichols) - 3:31

4.) Lovin' the Easy Way   (Mentor Williams - Troy Seals - Will Jennings) - 2:53

5.) Loving Arms   (Tom Jans) - 2:53

(side 2)
1.) Reachin' for the Feeling   (Dobie Gray - Chuck Higgins Jr.) - 3:12

2.) There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In)   (Troy Seals - Denny Rice) - 3:10

3.) Mississippi Rolling Stone   (Troy Seals - Don Goodman) - 3:10

4.) Love Is On the Line   (Troy Seals - Will Jennings - Don Goodman) - 2:41

5.) Rose   (Mentor Williams - Paul Williams) - 3:40

Genre: soul

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Dobie Gray

Company: Tiger Lily

Catalog: TL 14022

Year: 1976

Country/State: Brookshire, Texas

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened)

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5936

Price: $50.00

Released by the infamous Tiger Lily tax scam label, 1976's cleverly-titled "Dobie Gray" is easily the rarest set in his catalog (Gray may not even be aware it exists given it doesn't show on any artist discography I've seen - including Gray's own site).  A standard Tiger Lily release, the album seems to have cherry picked previously released singles from across Gray's extensive catalog.  Here's what I managed to track down.

'- Do You really Have a Heart' White Whale 330 - Do You Really Have A Heart? / Do You Really Have A Heart? - 1969 (Promo

"Dobie Gray" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Do You really Have a Heart

1.) Lo and Behold

3.) Stop Picketing

4.) Allan P. Adder

(side 2)
1.) This Feeling Won't Last

2.) The End

3.) Just the Way

Dobie Gray's "Do You Really Have a Heart," released in 1970 during his long stretch between hits; he's the only artist here, actually, who had hits,

http://www.dobiegray.com/discography.html