by Ed Hogan
Produced by Chicago soul stalwarts Carl Davis and arranger Sonny Sanders with musical direction by Willie Henderson, Beautiful Day is Jackie Wilson's last commercially viable album and finds the phenomenal singer in fine form. Songwriter/producer Jeffree Perry (known for the steppers classic &Love's Gonna Last&) co-wrote all of the songs. The standouts are the inspiring title track, the peppy &Pretty Little Angel Eyes,& and the sensitive renderings Wilson gives on &Go Away,& &I Get Lonely Sometimes,& and the splendid &This Love Is Mine.& What makes this track even more endearing is that you can hear the last part of a count-off (as in &1-2-3, go!&) just before the music begins. Despite the LP's rich consistency, the only single to chart was the effervescent &Because of You,& which just missed the R&B Top 40 in spring 1973. Beautiful Day was included with another Jackie Wilson LP Nobody but You on the single CD Beautiful Day/Nobody But You issued by Edsel Records on September 29, 1999.