''Gems'' is the twelfth studio album by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
singer
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 on June 7, 1994, in the United States. The album features a
hip-hop-esque remake of
DeBarge's 1983 hit, "
All This Love", produced by
Teddy Riley. ''Gems'' peaked at number forty-eight on the US
''Billboard'' 200 and went gold with sales shipping past the 500,000 mark. The album is notable for the single "The Right Kinda Lover", which brought LaBelle a new legion of fans thanks to its production by
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and its video which had LaBelle performing a seductress who chooses "the right mate" through a machine and if one man rubbed her the wrong way, she'd use a button to get rid of them.
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis found that ''Gems'' "doesn't necessarily rank as one of the singer's crowning achievements, but as the title (and cliché) implies, this set certainly offers more than a few gems to unearth. Gems also features a couple of prolific productions courtesy of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (on the set's up-tempo first single, "The Right Kinda Lover") and new jack swing maestro Teddy Riley (on LaBelle's mellow yet hypnotic cover of DeBarge's "All This Love"). The true standout, however, is "Stay in My Corner." That song, with its gospel undertones, features Labelle wailing as only she can, holding out her famous long notes and delivering a truly mesmerizing performance."
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1994 albums
Patti LaBelle albums
Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
albums produced by Teddy Riley
MCA Records albums