''Barbara Weathers'' is the debut album by R&B singer

Barbara Weathers Barbara Weathers (born December 7, 1963) is an American R&B/soul singer, and former lead singer of R&B vocal group, Atlantic Starr. Overview Weathers joined up at the age of 13 with an R&B band known as Covacus. This band was from her native ar ...

released upon

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

in 1990. The LP got to No. 18 on the UK Blues & Soul Hiplist chart.

Overview

The album was produced by Wayne Lewis,

Maurice White Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the ...

and David Conley.

Singles

A song from the album called "The Master Key", rose to No. 13 on the US

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot R&B Singles chart. Another single entitled "Our Love Will Last Forever" reached No. 39 on the Cashbox Top R&B Singles chart.

Critical reception

The album was issued to critical acclaim.

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

said "Transatlantic formula funk. A big, squeaky clean production, some decent songs and a good voice add up to the arrival of yet another crooner. The music has none of the bite of

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

but what it does have is a singer of charm and variety in Weathers". Phyl Garland of Stereo Review exclaimed "On the whole, a promising debut." Leonard Pitts Jr. of

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

wrote "it's a solid piece of pop craftsmanship bright and spunky and then, when you least expect it moving and poignant (just don't look for deep reflection). Barbara Weathers is pop with few illusions and fewer pretensions; it serves up sunny, unobtrusive production alongside lyrics that manage the neattrick of sounding familiar without wallowing in cliche." Carl Allen of Buffalo News wrote "On her first, solo recording she demonstrates that she can produce the catchy and rhythmical pop, as in 'Barbi Doll' or romance laced ballads, as in 'Our Love Will Last Forever'". Lynn Dean Ford of the

Indianapolis Star Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

found that "Midtempo summer-flavored black pop dominates the nine-track disc". People noted that "Weathers, the former singer for Atlantic Starr, strikes out on her own with an attractive and smooth collection of adult soul music that brings to mind the apex of the

S.O.S. Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", "Just Be Good to M ...

." They also added "Never flashy, Weathers’s voice is graciously dignified. The whole album is like that: lively without being overwhelming, pretty without being precious. If you’re having an afternoon party in the backyard, this would be an ideal tape to slip in the boom-box."

Track listing

Covers

Weathers covered The Supremes' 1964 hit single Where Did Our Love Go on the album.

Appearances in other media

Where Did Our Love Go appeared on the soundtrack of the 2002

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominated feature film

A Time for Dancing ''A Time for Dancing'' is a 2002 American drama film directed by Peter Gilbert and starring Larisa Oleynik, Shiri Appleby and Peter Coyote. It is an adaptation based on the novel of the same name by Davida Wills Hurwin. The film had its United S ...

Charts

References

1990 debut albums Albums produced by Maurice White Reprise Records albums {{1990s-R&B-album-stub