''Burnin'' is a studio album by American singer-songwriter

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

. It was released by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

on October 1, 1991, in the United States. The album features several collaborations, including duets with

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

and

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

, and a reunion track with

Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady ...

and

Sarah Dash Sarah Dash (August 18, 1945 – September 20, 2021) was an American singer and actress. She first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash was later a member of Labelle, and worked as a singer, sess ...

from Labelle. It yielded three Billboard R&B chart hits: "Feels Like Another One", "Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)" and "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)". Critical reviews were mixed: ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave it a B+, while the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' ranked it 2.5 stars out of 5, noting a reduction of LaBelle's usual intensity. The album, released on CD, LP, and cassette, was certified Gold in April 1992 by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for sales in excess of 500,000 copies. It reached number 71 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 13 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The title track ''Burnin'' won the

Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

at the 1992 ceremony, jointly with a single by Lisa Fischer. In 1992, LaBelle released her first solo live album, simply titled ''Live!,'' featuring several songs from ''Burnin'' as it was recorded during this album's promotional tour. Under the pseudonym "Paisley Park",

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

co-wrote the song "I Hear Your Voice" along with his vocalist collaborator

Rosie Gaines Rosie Gaines (born Rosemary Gaines; June 26, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Pittsburg, California. Gaines is a former band member of Prince's group, The New Power Generation. She duetted with singer Prince on th ...

and her husband Francis Jules. Prince helped produce the track. The album track "Temptation", B-side of the fourth single released from the album, "When You Love Somebody (I'm Saving My Love for You)", was written by

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n-American singer

Martika Marta Marrero (born May 18, 1969), better known by her stage name Martika ( ), is an American pop singer and actress. She released two internationally successful albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which sold over four million copies wor ...

, who originally released it on her album ''

Martika's Kitchen ''Martika's Kitchen'' is the second (and final) studio album by pop singer and former child actor Martika, released in 1991 on Columbia Records. The album was reissued in deluxe 2CD edition in 2018 as ''Martika's Kitchen (Reheated Edition)'' wi ...

''.

Track listing

Notes * denotes co-producer * denotes associate producer *The single mix of "Feels Like Another One" features rap by

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

. *"Temptation" is a bonus track for CD and cassette. "Crazy Love" is a bonus track for CD and LP. As of 2012, both tracks are available for digital download.

Personnel

* Patti LaBelle – lead vocals, additional vocal arrangements (1), backing vocals (3, 4), choir arrangements (6) * Clinton Stokes III – keyboards (1, 5) * Michael Stokes – keyboards (1, 5), keyboard programming (1), drum programming (1), arrangements (1, 5), rhythm arrangements (5), horn arrangements (5), BGV arrangements (5) *

David Ervin David Michael Ervin (born March 16, 1961 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA) is an American jazz funk keyboard player. He grew up in Altadena, California, where he began to take after his musical father DiFosco Ervin, a.k.a. Big Dee Irwin. DiFosco E ...

– synthesizers (1), keyboards (5), keyboard programming (5), drum programming (5) * Darren Floyd – synthesizers (1), keyboard programming (1, 5), drum programming (1, 5), keyboards (5) * Eugene Curry – keyboards (2, 7) * Nathaniel Wilkie – keyboards (3, 6, 10), synthesizer programming (3, 6, 10) * James Budd Ellison – arrangements (3, 6, 10), keyboards (6, 10), choir arrangements (6) * Vernon Fails – keyboards (4, 12) *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

– acoustic piano (4, 12) * David Ward – keyboard programming (4, 12), drum programming (4) *

Walter Afanasieff Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...

– keyboards (9), synthesizers (9), synth bass (9), drums (9), percussion (9) *

Louis Biancaniello Louis John Biancaniello is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Biancaniello's skills were developed while working alongside producer Narada Michael Walden with whom he produced hits for Shanice '' I Love Your Smile'', Whitney ...

– programming (9) *

Ren Klyce Ren Klyce is a Japanese-American sound designer and sound mixer. He has been nominated for nine Academy Awards; six for Best Sound and three for Best Sound Editing. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with director David Fincher, ...

– programming (9) * John Anthony – samples (10) * David Hampton – technical support and cartage (11) * Robert Palmer – additional programming (11) *

Wah Wah Watson Melvin M. Ragin (December 8, 1950 – October 24, 2018), known professionally as "Wah Wah Watson", was an American guitarist who was a member of The Funk Brothers, the studio band for Motown Records. Career A native of Richmond, Virginia, Melvi ...

– guitars (1, 5) * Joe Marioni – guitars (2, 7) * Randy Bowland – guitar (3, 10), acoustic guitar (3) * Michael J. Powell – guitars (4, 12), drums (4), percussion (4, 12) * Chris Camozzi – guitars (9) * Milton "Pocket" Honroe – guitar overdubs (11) * Al Turner – bass (4) * Freddie Washington – bass overdubs (11) *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...

– bass (12) *

John Paris John Paris is an American drummer, arranger, singer and songwriter. Paris is a member and drummer of the R&B, funk and jazz band Earth, Wind & Fire. Biography Paris appeared on Stephanie Mills' 1987 LP If I Was Your Woman. He later played the ...

– drums (10) * John Robinson – drums (12) * Quinton Joseph – percussion (2, 7), drum programming (7) * Terral Santiel – percussion overdubs (11) * Ernie Fields Jr. – saxophones (1, 5) * Pamela Williams – saxophone (10) *

George Bohanon George Roland Bohanon, Jr. (born August 7, 1937) is a jazz trombonist and session musician from Detroit, Michigan. In the early 1960s, he participated in Detroit's Workshop Jazz ensemble, with Johnny Griffith (musician), Johnny Griffith, Paula Gr ...

– trombone (1, 5) *

Raymond Lee Brown Raymond Lee Brown is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. Brown was a longtime member of the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns. Influences Brown was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. While in high school, Brown was friends with Gar ...

– trumpet (1, 5) * Nolan Smith – trumpet (1, 5) * Jack Faith – horn and string orchestrations (3) *

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

– string arrangements (12) *

– rap (1) *

Dee Harvey Demetrius La Vell "Dee" Harvey (August 24, 1965 – December 1, 2012) was an American R&B singer. He was at one time signed to Motown Label and recorded his first album, ''Just as I Am'' with Motown in 1991. Harvey was born in Memphis, Tennes ...

– backing vocals (1, 5) * Rick Nelson – backing vocals (1, 5) * Linda Stokes – backing vocals (1, 5) * Lisa Taylor – backing vocals (1, 5) * Annette Hardeman – backing vocals (2, 7) * Charlene Holloway – backing vocals (2, 7) * Paula Holloway – backing vocals (2, 7) *

Bunny Sigler Walter "Bunny" Sigler (March 27, 1941 – October 6, 2017) was an American R&B singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who did extensive work with the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and was instrumental in creating th ...

– backing vocals (2, 7), vocal arrangements (2, 7), choir arrangements (6) *

Tawatha Agee Tawatha Agee (born November 14, 1954) is an American backing vocalist and songwriter. Her voice has been described in ''The New York Times'' as an "acrobatic, gospel-charged soprano." She was the lead singer of funk and soul band Mtume; her soulf ...

– backing vocals (3) * Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (3) * Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (3) *

Fonzi Thornton Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is a U.S. songwriter/producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Are ...

– backing vocals (3), vocal contractor (3) *

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

– backing vocals (3), BGV arrangements (3) * Brenda White King – backing vocals (3) *

– lead and backing vocals (4) * Valerie Pinkston-Mayo – backing vocals (4) * Fred White – backing vocals (4) * The Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir – choir (6) * Rev. Ernest Davis Jr. – choir director (6) *

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

– lead vocals (9) * LaBelle – backing vocals (10) * The Harmonettes – backing vocals (11) * Sami McKinney – vocal arrangements (11)

Production

* Patti LaBelle – executive producer * James Budd Ellison – associate producer (1), recording supervisor * Eugene Curry – co-producer (2) * Edward Leak – assistant producer (3) * Nathaniel Wilkie – associate producer (3, 6, 10), co-producer (7) * Michael Stokes – co-producer (8, 11) * Frank Byron Clark – recording (1, 5), mixing (1, 5, 8) * Jim Gallagher – recording (2, 7) * Scott MacMinn – recording (2, 7) * Ray Bardani – recording (3, 6) * Milton Chan – recording (4), assistant engineer (4, 12) * David Ward – recording (4, 12) * Michael Koppleman – recording (8) * Dana Chappelle – recording (9) * Khaliq Glover – recording (12) * Warren Wood – recording (12) * Mike Tarsia – mixing (2, 3, 6, 7, 10), recording (3, 6, 10) * Barney Perkins – mixing (4, 12), recording (12) * Michael J. Powell – mixing (4, 12) * Mick Guzauski – mixing (9) * Jeff Lorenzen – mixing (12) * Foley Fali – assistant engineer (1, 5, 8) * Clinton Stokes III – assistant engineer (1, 5) * Frank McNulty – assistant engineer (2, 3, 6, 7, 10) * Tom Greto – assistant engineer (3, 6, 10) * Robert H. – assistant engineer (3, 6, 10) * Paul Rinis – assistant engineer (3, 6, 10) * Brian Wittmer – assistant engineer (3, 6, 10) * Paul D. Allen – assistant engineer (4, 12) * Manny LaCarrubba – assistant engineer (9) * Devon Riteveld – assistant engineer (9) *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

– mastering * Vartan Kurjian – art direction * John Coulter – design * Marc Raboy – photography * Armstaed Edwards – direction Studios * Recorded at Blue Palm Studios (Burbank, CA); Creative Source Studios (Hollywood, CA);

Larrabee Sound Studios Larrabee Sound Studios is a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, California, originally established in 1969. Facilities Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, three tracking spaces, and a produ ...

(North Hollywood, CA);

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

(Sausalito, CA);

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

(New York, NY);

Sigma Sound Studios Sigma Sound Studios was a recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia. Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States to ...

(Philadelphia, PA);

Paisley Park Studios Paisley may refer to: *Paisley (design), an ornamental Persian pattern or motif commonly identified with the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west Scotland People * Paisley (name), including a list of people with the name * Lord Paisley, in the ...

(Minneapolis, MN); Vanguard Studios (Detroit, MI). * Mixed at Creative Source Studios; Record Plant; Sigma Sound Studios; Elumba Studios (Los Angeles, CA); Encore Studios (Burbank, CA). * Mastered at

Bernie Grundman Mastering Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

(Hollywood, CA).

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* 1991 albums Patti LaBelle albums albums produced by Walter Afanasieff MCA Records albums New jack swing albums {{1990s-R&B-album-stub