| The Poet | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Bobby Womack |
| Cover: | Bobby Womack - The Poet.jpg |
| Released: | November 1981 |
| Recorded: | 1981 |
| Studio: | Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California; Hit City West, Los Angeles, California |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 39:37 |
| Label: | Beverly Glen Music |
| Producer: | Bobby Womack |
| Prev Title: | Roads of Life |
| Prev Year: | 1979 |
| Next Title: | The Poet II |
| Next Year: | 1984 |
The Poet is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Bobby Womack. The album was released in November 1981, by Beverly Glen Music. The album reached the top of the Billboard Top Black Albums chart due to the success of the single "If You Think You're Lonely Now", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart.
In a 2024 overview of Womack's output, Sebastian Zabel of Rolling Stone Germany wrote of The Poet that "Womack's classic songwriting and his warm, passionate voice work perfectly here with the contemporary, but also subtly personalised production...The album is one of the few outstanding soul albums of the eighties."
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Pop Albums[2] | 29 |
| Billboard Top Black Albums | 1 |
| Year | Single | Chart positions[3] |
|---|---|---|
| US R&B | ||
| 1981 | "Secrets" | 55 |
| 1982 | "If You Think You're Lonely Now" | 3 |
| "Where Do We Go From Here" | 26 | |