Powerlight
Powerlight | ||||
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Studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
Released | February 3, 1983 | |||
Recorded | July–November 1982 | |||
Studio |
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Genre |
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Length | 41:23 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Maurice White | |||
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
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Singles from Powerlight | ||||
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Powerlight is the twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1983 by Columbia Records.[1] The album rose to No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2][3] Powerlight was also certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[4]
Overview
Powerlight was produced by EWF leader Maurice White. According to White the LP's title has to do with "the chakras -- the centers of the body that connect us with cosmic power." Artists such as Robert Greenidge, Maxayn Lewis and Zakir Hussain also appeared on the album.[1][5]
Singles
The album cut "Fall in Love with Me" rose to No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. "Fall in Love with Me" was also Grammy nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[6]
As well another single entitled "Side by Side" got to No. 15 upon the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.[7] "Straight from the Heart" was released as a single in the Netherlands.[8]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Village Voice | (A-)[10] |
Vanity Fair | (favourable)[11] |
Stereo Review | (favourable)[12] |
The New York Times | (favourable)[13] |
Philadelphia Daily News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Daily Mirror | (favourable)[16] |
Los Angeles Times | (favourable)[17][18] |
Smash Hits | (8/10)[19] |
Philadelphia Inquirer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New York Daily News | (favourable)[21] |
Robert Palmer of The New York Times noted "Mr. (Milton) Nascimento, and Brazilian pop in general, combine African-derived rhythms that tend to be more flowing and buoyant than their North American funk counterparts with a melodious pop lyricism based on relatively complex, jazzy harmonies, and Maurice White has done something very similar on Earth, Wind and Fire's Powerlight album."[13] Vanity Fair found that "Earth, Wind & Fire's oddysey of uplift, Powerlight is, impossible as it may seem, even more relentlessly cheerful than its predecessor Raise!, a concoction designed to do precisely that to listeners' spirit".[11] Tony Prince of the Daily Mirror called Powerlight the album of the week exclaiming "The worst you can say about Earth, Wind & Fire are their high standards of arrangements are predictable. They just can't get any better!"[16] Robert Christgau of the Village Voice proclaimed with an A− grade that "Their sonic affluence and showtime groove encompass whispering strings no less perfect than their JB guitar beats, Funkafunnies harmonies no less schmaltzy than their Lionel Richie homages, and when the synthesis is this catchy it's the best argument for universalism they'll ever make."[10] Craig Lytle of AllMusic in a four out of 5 star review found "Many groups lose the steam that propelled them to the top; Earth, Wind & Fire, contemporary sound and all, were still blazing when this album was released." Lytle continued saying "Throughout the entire album, White's unifying message is fueled by the aggressive rhythms and relaxing melodies."[9] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote Powerlight "does show why EWF is one of the masters of studio pop." Johnson added "EWF mostly keeps the rhetoric in check focusing instead on assertive rockers that give everyone in this nine-member unit a chance to flex his muscles There is less cosmic emphasis but the EWF formula—heavy on the richly textured vocals horns and rhythm—is still intact. And surprisingly still fresh."[17]
With a 3 out of 5 stars rating, Ken Tucker of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote "Earth, Wind and Fire's new collection of Utopian funk, "Powerlight" (Columbia), has a glossy sheen that manages to coat even the banal songs with a pretty surface that's pleasing."[20] Chip Stern of Musician claimed "Powerlight stands both as a testament to White's absolute mastery of production and EW&F's renewed vigour as a band."[22] Dave Marsh of the Philadelphia Daily News gave Powerlight 4 out of 5 stars and claimed it's mostly "notable for the power of the playing."[14] David Hepworth of Smash Hits gave the album an 8/10 rating and declared EWF are "firing on all cylinders." Hepworth added "They weld their massive sound together with such precision that their whole ensemble can provide a rhythm as spare and compulsive as a snapping finger, they write production numbers instead of songs and never allow the momentum to flag for a second, they're soppy as hell and, when they produce records like 'Powerlight', there's absolutely nothing wrong with that".[19] Hugh Wyatt of the New York Daily News found "Earth, Wind & Fire gives new meaning to the word classy, and I like it".[21]
Issac Hayes called Powerlight one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings.[23] Powerlight was also placed by music critic Robert Christgau of the Village Voice at No. 36 on his dean's list of 1983.[24]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fall in Love with Me" | Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn | 5:54 |
2. | "Spread Your Love" | Maurice White, Beloyd Taylor, Azar Lawrence | 3:51 |
3. | "Side by Side" | Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn | 5:57 |
4. | "Straight from the Heart" | Philip Bailey, Eduardo del Barrio, Roxanne Seeman, Freddie Washington | 4:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
5. | "The Speed of Love" | Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn, Tony Haynes | 3:36 |
6. | "Freedom of Choice" | Maurice White, Beloyd Taylor, Azar Lawrence | 4:10 |
7. | "Something Special" | Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn | 4:23 |
8. | "Hearts to Heart" | Maurice White, Beloyd Taylor, Azar Lawrence | 3:45 |
9. | "Miracles" | Maurice White, Eddie Del Barrio, Jon Lind, Mary D'Astgues | 4:58 |
[1]
Personnel
Earth, Wind & Fire
- Philip Bailey – lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion
- Maurice White – lead vocals, backing vocals, drums, kalimba
- Larry Dunn – acoustic piano, synthesizers, synthesizer programming
- Roland Bautista – guitars, guitar solo (6, 8)
- Verdine White – bass guitar
- Fred White – drums, percussion
- Ralph Johnson – percussion
- Andrew Woolfolk – tenor saxophone
Additional musicians
- Eddie del Barrio – keyboards
- George Del Barrio – keyboards
- Rick Kelly – keyboards
- Skip Scarborough – keyboards
- Wayne Vaughn – keyboards
- Azar Lawrence – Prophet-5
- Maxanne Lewis – acoustic piano
- Beloyd Taylor – guitars, backing vocals
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Robert Greenidge – steel drums (3)
- Zakir Hussain – tabla
- Don Myrick – soprano sax solo (5)
- Wanda "Ms. Pluto" Vaughn – backing vocals
Horns
- Bill Meyers – arrangements (1, 2)
- Thomas "Tom Tom 84" Washington – arrangements (3)
- George Del Barrio – arrangements (4, 9)
- Jerry Hey – arrangements (6-9)
- Don Myrick – saxophones
- George Bohanon, Charles Loper, Lew McCreary, Bill Reichenbach Jr. and Louis Satterfield – trombone
- Oscar Brashear, Rahmlee Michael Davis, Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Michael Harris and Jerry Hey – trumpet
Strings
- Bill Meyers – arrangements (1, 2)
- Tom Tom 84 – arrangements (3)
- George Del Barrio – arrangements (4, 9)
- Assa Drori and David Frisina – concertmasters
- Ronald Cooper, Larry Corbett, Douglas Davis, Suzie Katayama, Earl Madison and Frederick Seykora – cello
- Arni Egilsson – double bass
- Dorothy Remsen – harp
- Rollice Dale, Alan Deveritch, Pamela Goldsmith, Allan Harshman, Roland Kato, Milton Kestenbaum, Carole Mukogawa, David Schwartz, Joel Soultanian and Linn Subotnick – viola
- Brenton Banks, Myer Bello, Arnold Belnick, Harry Bluestone, Nicole Bush, Ron Clark, Bill Hybel, Anatol Kaminsky, George Kast, Janet Lakatos, Robert Lipsett, Karen Jones, Stanley Plummer, Nathan Ross, Bob Sanov, Sheldon Sanov, Haim Shtrum, Marshall Sosson, Robert Sushel, Pam Tompkins, Miwako Watanabe and Shari Zippert – violin
[25]
Production
- Maurice White – producer
- Mick Guzauski – recording, mixing
- Steve Crimmel – assistant engineer
- Robert Spano – assistant engineer
- Tom Perry – additional mixing
- Bernie Grundman – mastering at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
- Roger Carpenter – art direction
- Monte White – art direction, production staff
- Shusei Nagaoka – illustration
- Leonard Smith – production staff
- Geri White – production staff
[25] [26]
Charts and certifications
Charts
Albums
Year | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|
1983 | US Top LPs & Tape[3] | 12 |
US Top Soul LPs[2] | 4 | |
Sweden Albums (Veckolista Album)[27] | 2 | |
Dutch Albums Dutch Album Top 100[28] | 6 | |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] | 6 | |
Norwegian Albums (VG-Lista)[30] | 7 | |
German Albums | 13 | |
UK Pop Albums[32] | 22 | |
CA RPM Canadian Pop Albums[33] | 24 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | "Fall in Love with Me" | US Hot R&B Singles | 4[34] |
US Dance Club Play | 31[35] | ||
US Hot 100 | 17[36] | ||
CA RPM Canadian Pop Singles | 14[37] | ||
UK Pop Songs | 47 | ||
Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles | 20[38] | ||
"Side by Side" | US Hot R&B Singles | 15[39] | |
US Hot 100 | 76 | ||
"Spread Your Love" | US Hot R&B Singles | 57 | |
Dutch Singles | 48[40] |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan | — | 141,730[41] |
United States (RIAA)[4] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade[24] | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Village Voice | U.S | Dean's List | 1983 | 36 |
References
- ^ a b c "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". 45worlds.com.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard.com.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". riaa.com. RIAA.
- ^ Hanauer, Joan (January 21, 1983). "COSMIC SHORT". upi.com. United Press International.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Side by Side (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ Earth, Wind And Fire - Straight From The Heart, retrieved October 6, 2020
- ^ a b Lytle, Craig. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". AllMusic.com. AllMusic.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". robertchristgau.com. Village Voice.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". Vol. 46. Vanity Fair. April 1983. p. 31 & 32.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ Garland, Phyl (June 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight" (PDF). Vol. 48, no. 6. Stereo Review. p. 84.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ a b Palmer, Robert (February 27, 1983). "BRAZIL'S BEAT ALTERS BLACK POP". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Marsh, Dave (April 30, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". newspapers.com. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 16.
- ^ Connelly, Christopher (March 17, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
- ^ a b Prince, Tony (February 12, 1983). "Tony's Top Picks". Daily Mirror. p. 17.
- ^ a b Johnson, Connie (February 27, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. p. 303.
- ^ Johnson, Connie (February 27, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. p. 304.
- ^ a b Hepworth, David (February 16, 1983). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". archive.org. Vol. 5, no. 3. Smash Hits. p. 28.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (February 27, 1983). "Despite glossy sheen, the songs are banal". newspapers.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 195.
- ^ a b Wyatt, Hugh (February 25, 1983). "Music in a class all its own". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 151.
- ^ Stern, Chip (April 1, 1983). "RECORD REVIEWS: Earth, Wind & Fire". Musician. No. 54. p. 93. ProQuest 964123490.
- ^ Hayes, Issac (July 7, 1995). Essentials: Issac Hayes on Earth, Wind & Fire. The Guardian. p. 39.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (February 28, 1984). "Pazz & Jop 1983: Dean's List". robertchristgau.com. The Village Voice.
- ^ a b Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight. Columbia Records. February 1983.
- ^ Powerlight - Earth, Wind & Fire | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved September 12, 2020
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". sverigetopplistan.se.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". norwegiancharts.com. VG-Lista.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". offiziellecharts.de.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight". officialcharts.com. Official Charts Company.
- ^ "RPM 100 Albums". bac-lac.gc.ca. Vol. 38, no. 6. RPM. April 9, 1983.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Fall In Love With Me (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Fall in Love With Me (Dance Club Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Fall In Love With Me (Hot 100)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "RPM Top Canadian Singles". Baclac.gc.ca. Vol. 38, no. 3. RPM. March 19, 1983.
- ^ "Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles". No. 374. Blues & Soul. February 8, 1983. p. 5.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Side by Side (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Spread Your Love". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
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