''Flowers'' is a studio album by the American girl group The Emotions, released in 1976 by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The album reached No. 5 on the
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 ...
Top R&B albums chart. ''Flowers'' has been certified Gold in the US by the
RIAA
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 ...
.
Overview
The group's first LP on
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
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 ...
of Earth, Wind and Fire. The album was reissued with an 8-page booklet, liner notes and a bonus track in 2012.
Critical reception
With a B grade
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
of the Village Voice wrote "Earth, Wind & Fire's girl group--literally. Whether it's Jeanette, Sheila, or Wanda who sounds like
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
at a higher level of consciousness, the effect is exquisite." Amy Hanson of Allmusic, in a 3 out of 5 star review, opined "Revamping their classic girl group soul sounds to incorporate the more eclectic nuances of (Maurice) White's production, the resultant brassed-up disco proved to be on target." She added " With fellow Earth, Wind & Fire members Verdine and Fred White adding their unmistakable chops to the sound, the Emotions ultimately emerged with an absolutely stunning brew that kept their powerful vocal harmonies well spotlighted, while adding more than a little funk to the sound." Jim Arundel of
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
also called Flowers "an incredibly short but definitely sweet album."
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 ...
I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love
"I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" is a song written by Joey Carbone and recorded by the American country music artist Crystal Gayle. It was released in February 1984 as the second single from the album ''Cage the Songbird''. The song reached number ...
", reached No. 4 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 ...
Dance/Club Play Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...
chart and 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 ...
Verdine White
Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time.
Early lif ...
Al McKay
AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media
* Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera
* Al (''Fullmetal ...
, Joe Hutchinson, Jr. – guitars
* Fred White – drums, percussion
*
Don Myrick
Donald Myrick (April 6, 1940 – July 30, 1993) was an American saxophonist. A member of The Phenix Horns, he is best known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins.
He played alto, tenor, and soprano sax as a member of Earth, Wind ...
– alto saxophone
* Richard Brown – tenor saxophone
* Louis Satterfield – trombone
* Tom Tom 84 (Thomas Washington) - arranger
;Technical
*Recorded by Tom Serrano
*Ron Coro, Tom Steele - design
* Norman Seeff - photography