Lionel Richie: Lionel Richie (Original CD Edition) CD Track Listing
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie (Original CD Edition) (1982)
Originally Released 1982\nCD Edition Released March 9, 1992\nRemastered CD Edition Released May 6, 2003\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Lionel Richie's solo career began while he was still in the Commodores, as he wrote and sang (as a duet with Diana Ross) the theme to the Brooke Shields romance Endless Love, which became a bigger hit than any of the group's singles, thereby setting the stage for his departure and his 1982 self-titled solo debut. He wasn't working in unfamiliar territory, or with new musicians. The Commodores decided to work as their own band, so their producer, James Anthony Carmichael, was able to devote his energy to working on Richie's album. Using the pop-crossover ballad style of "Endless Love," "Three Times a Lady," and "Easy" as their template, the duo turned Lionel Richie into a sleek, state-of-the-art record that, at its best, provides some irresistible pop pleasures. The key to its success -- and the reason it was scorned by some Commodores fans -- is that Richie doesn't even make a pretense of funk here, leaving behind the loose, elastic grooves of his previous bands (a move that makes sense, since his voice never suited that style particularly well), choosing to concentrate on ballads and sparkly mid-tempo pop, peppered with a few stylish dance grooves. The ballads, of course, provided two big hits with "My Love" and "Truly," two numbers that illustrate that he was moving ever-closer to mainstream pop, since these are unapologetic AOR slow-dance tunes. The other big hit, "You Are," is an effervescent, wonderful pop tune that showcases Richie at his sunniest; it's one of his greatest singles. Throughout the first part of the record, the dance numbers are served up and they're very good -- "Serves You Right" has a shiny, propulsive groove, while "Tell Me" jams nicely. After "You Are," the record bogs down with a couple of ballads that are on the wrong side of adult contemporary -- too formless, too hookless to really catch hold -- but they don't hurt the first seven songs, which form a dynamic mainstream pop-soul record, one of the best the early '80s had to offer. It's the sound of Lionel Richie finding his solo voice, and, the next time out, he knew how to use it even better than he does here. [The 2003 reissue of Lionel Richie includes two bonus tracks: a solo demo of "Endless Love" which not only fits perfectly with this record, but is less cloying, and an instrumental of "You Are" whose primary worth is to hear the detail and expertise in the production Richie and Carmichael assembled.] -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nLionel Richie's First Superstar Steps in 1982 Solo Debut, April 5, 2001 \nReviewer: trivialtony from FL \nIt must have been a heady, confusing time for Lionel Richie in 1981. He had been the ballad voice of the Commodores, scoring hits with personal love songs like "Still," "Three Times A Lady," and "Easy." He then wrote and helped produce two of the 1980s' biggest hits, Kenny Rogers' "Lady" and his duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love." Richie's melodic but dated 1982 debut bridged those single-song solo successes to his career-defining, top selling 1984 LP, "Can't Slow Down."\n\nThe choice to go solo was slow, painful, and reluctant; Richie's voice would compete on the radio with college friends he called "my brothers...my second family" in the liner notes. On "Wandering Stranger," a touching but overlong ballad with an odd Joe Walsh solo, Richie sings what might have been a plea to his longtime friends: "Oh I know I'm hurting you/but please try to understand/my peace is all I'm after..." \n\nRichie took but what he needed from the group's signature sound: two lush, dramatic ballads, "Truly" and "You Mean More To Me," slick, drum-programmed R&B like "Tell Me" (background vocals by tennis star Jimmy Connors) and the pretty "You Are," a touch of country-soul with "My Love," Rogers on background vocals. He received support on these from Commodores arranger James Anthony Carmichael and Gene Page, leaving his remaining bandmates their funk slammers and air-tight soul harmonies while trying to replicate then-hot R&B stars Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, even Maurice White on "Round and Round." (Ironically, the Commodores' hard southern R&B of "Brick House" and "Too Hot To Trot" have aged better than much of Richie's 80s-style production here.)\n\nDespite the songs here only beginning his mammoth 1980s singer/songwriter success, Richie proved nothing here he hadn't shown with the Commodores' tighter musicianship. He was a superb melody writer and arranger, an expressive vocalist if schmaltzy lyricist, whose specialty was the sweet, sentimental love ballad. The best songs on "Lionel Richie" are heard in better company on his "Truly" love song collection (including Commodores' tracks) or his "Back To Front" semi-best of, leaving this first solo step an extra step for casual fans. \n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nPersonnel includes: Lionel Richie (vocals, piano); Jimmy Connors, Deborah Thomas, David Cochrane (electric guitar, acoustic piano, bass synthesizer, background vocals); Darrell Jones (electric guitar); Richie Zito (guitar); Michael Baddicker (synthesizer, vocoder); Ndugu East, John Robinson (drums); Deborah Thomas (background vocals).Producers: Lionel Richie, James Anthony Carmichael.
This rock cd contains 9 tracks and runs 38min 39sec.
Freedb: 6f090d09
Buy: from Amazon.com
Category
: Music
Tags
: music songs tracks rock Rock
- Lionel Richie - Serves You Right (05:14)
- Lionel Richie - Wandering Stranger (05:38)
- Lionel Richie - Tell Me (05:32)
- Lionel Richie - My Love (04:08)
- Lionel Richie - Round And Round (04:57)
- Lionel Richie - Truly (03:26)
- Lionel Richie - You Are (05:05)
- Lionel Richie - You Mean More To Me (03:08)
- Lionel Richie - Just Put Some Love In Your Heart (01:26)
