The Two Of Us, released in 1977 by husband and wife of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., was their second studio album.
The duo was at the height of their popularity. Their first album, I Hope We Get To Love In Time, received a Gold Record Award for sales and a Grammy Award. A single from the album, “You Don’t Have To Be A Star,” topped the Billboard Hot 100. This led to a 1977 CBS summer variety series called appropriately The Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. Show. Their follow-up album, The Two Of Us, has now been reissued by Real Gone Music in an expanded version.
The couple will always be associated with the Fifth Dimension, for whom they were the lead singers on many of their hits. Songs such as “Up Up And Away,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “One Less Bell To Answer,” and “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” were some of the best and most successful songs of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Two Of Us may not reach the highs of their debut but is consistently good, presenting their brand of smooth pop and R&B well. Their voices are a good example of opposites attracting, as McCoo’s is just about pure pop while Davis’ has a soulful feel to it. Together, they play off one another to create a sound that is somewhat different sound from that of the Fifth Dimension.
They are a little better when in an upbeat mode. “Look What You’ve Done To My Heart” and “My Very Special Feeling” has some pep and allows their voices to intertwine and shine. Ballads such as “Wonderful,” “My Reason To Be Is You,” and the title track put the focus more on their individual vocals.
The four bonus tracks were all part of single releases and never included on any album until now. The songs “I’m So Glad I Found You” and “There’s Got To Be A Happy Ending” were alternate B-sides to the single “I Hope We Get To Love In Time” and are interesting for their autobiographical nature. The final two tracks, “Three Steps From True Love” and “Light A Candle,” formed a rare Davis solo single and are different from the rest of the album in that his voice has a gritty nature, which is more apparent when not surrounded by other voices.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. continue to perform and tour together and The Two Of Us remains emblematic of their style and sound. They did not change pop music, but their brand of smooth pop and soul made it a bit more enjoyable.
