Dexter Wansel - 1977 - What The World Is Coming To

Dexter Wansel

1977

What The World Is Coming To

01. First Light Of The Morning 6:09

02. Dance With Me Tonight 5:38

03. Holdin' On 4:55

04. Ode Infinitum 4:00

05. Disco Lights 4:09

06. What The World Is Coming To 6:21

07. Going Back To Kingston Town 3:59

08. Dreams Of Tomorrow 4:48

09. Prelude #1 1:21

Bass – Derek Graves

Drums – Billy Johnson

Guitar – Herb Smith

Keyboards – Steve Gold

Strings, Horns – MFSB

Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Lead Vocals – Dexter Wansel

Tenor Saxophone – Bob Malach

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Al Harrison 

Dexter Wansel had already taken listeners to Mars on his 1976 debut; a year later he brought the conversation back down to Earth, though the view from ground level still looked pretty cosmic. Born in Philadelphia in 1950, Wansel had grown up in the orbit of the Uptown Theater before becoming one of the key architects of the Philadelphia International sound as an arranger, producer, and synthesizer specialist. After the space-themed Life On Mars established him as a solo artist with a unique voice, What The World Is Coming To, released in March 1977 on Philadelphia International Records, found him addressing more terrestrial concerns—poverty, struggle, the state of the planet—while still letting his ARP synthesizers and lush arrangements soar. The album is less a radical departure than a natural expansion: the same futuristic keyboard palette, the same Sigma Sound polish, but with themes that felt closer to the evening news than to science fiction.

Wansel’s influences remained a rich stew of Philly soul, jazz fusion, early disco, and his own restless curiosity. Where the first album answered David Bowie’s question about life on Mars, this one seemed to ask what kind of life was being lived on Earth. He wrote most of the material himself, co-writing a few tracks with Cynthia Biggs, Bunny Sigler, and bassist Derrick Graves. Sessions again took place at Sigma Sound Studios with engineering by Jay Mark and Jim Gallagher. The core band featured Derrick Graves on bass, Herb Smith on guitar, and a rotating cast of drummers that included Billy Johnson, Darryl Brown, Charles Collins, and even the great Idris Muhammad on the title track. Steve Gold added keyboards, Bobby Malach contributed saxophone, Al Harrison handled trumpet and flugelhorn, and the MFSB strings and horns provided the familiar Philadelphia sweep. Background vocals came from the reliable trio of Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, and Evette Benton, with Jean Carn stepping forward for more prominent features on several cuts. Wansel himself handled ARP synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, RMI electric piano, Baldwin grand, percussion, arrangements, production, and lead vocals.

The album opens with the expansive instrumental “First Light of the Morning,” a six-minute piece that builds from delicate keyboard textures into a full orchestral statement; its graceful unfolding would later catch the ear of J Dilla. “Dance With Me Tonight” shifts into sleek disco-funk territory with a propulsive rhythm and thick synthesizer layers, while “Holdin’ On,” co-written with Bunny Sigler, offers a smoother, more intimate vocal performance. “Ode Infinitum” keeps the instrumental focus with brass and open keyboard space. Side two begins with the sparkling “Disco Lights,” then moves into the title track, a thoughtful mid-tempo piece that opens with the voices of children and features Idris Muhammad’s distinctive drumming. “Going Back to Kingston Town” takes an unexpected reggae detour, complete with a light Bob Marley influence and Jean Carn’s voice, before “Dreams of Tomorrow” settles into quiet-storm elegance. The brief “Prelude #1” closes the set like a quiet afterthought. Throughout, the production is polished and spacious, with Wansel’s synthesizers weaving through the classic Philly arrangements rather than fighting them.

The artwork continues the elegant visual language of the previous album. Design by Ed Lee and photography by Frank Laffitte present Wansel in a stylish, slightly enigmatic portrait that feels more grounded than the neon-tunnel futurism of Life On Mars, yet still carries a sense of quiet sophistication. The package looks like a record that expects to be taken seriously without shouting about it.

Commercially What The World Is Coming To performed solidly within the R&B market, reaching number 45 on the Billboard R&B albums chart and producing the dance-floor single “Disco Lights.” Critical attention at the time was respectful but not ecstatic; many listeners preferred the more overtly cosmic personality of the debut. Over the decades the album has found its own dedicated following. Tracks such as “First Light of the Morning” and the title cut have been sampled by hip-hop producers, and the record as a whole is now appreciated as a sophisticated bridge between Wansel’s space-funk experiments and the more earthbound soul he would continue to explore. It may not have the singular concept of Life On Mars, but it reveals an artist expanding his range without losing the keyboard wizardry and arranging skill that made him unique. In the end, What The World Is Coming To sounds like a man looking at the planet with clear eyes and still finding reasons to make beautiful, forward-looking music.