Firestein Time

Personnel

• Vocals: Douglas Firestein
• Drums: Raymond “Pockets” Turner
• Bass: Leon Briggs
• Guitar: Calvin Redd
• Keyboards: Marvin Cole
• Horns: Eddie Malone & Willie Hart
• Strings: The Eastside Chamber Ensemble
• Background Vocals: The Delmar Sisters

Overview

With album sales slipping and patience at the label running thin, Douglas Firestein was finally pushed into making something “marketable.” To his credit, he made an honest attempt at playing along. But even under commercial pressure, that unmistakable Firestein snark bubbled to the surface.

Contemporary critics noted the contradiction. Firestein denounced the assignment, yet he performed it with almost suspicious enthusiasm. The result was an album that sounded polished on the surface but carried a constant undercurrent of self‑sabotage.

There were genuine flashes of inspiration scattered throughout the record. “How I Write” offered a surprisingly funny, almost confessional look at his songwriting process.  The details were specific enough to make you question whether it might actually be his process. “Soul 2 Leave” confronted fans about abandoning him, only for Firestein to insult them in the next breath. Even when trying to reinvent himself as a commercial act, he couldn’t resist biting the hand that fed him.

The label released four singles — “Smooth,” “Man Underneath,” “Trying,” and “Firestein Time.” Against all expectations, the gamble paid off. Three of the singles hit number one, and the album became the biggest success of his late career.

The surprise resurgence provided Firestein with a newfound relevancy and confidence he hadn’t felt in years, even if he’d never admit the label was right.