''Let's Go Bang'' is the second studio album by American actress and singer

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series '' Kids ...

. It was released by Atlantic Records on September 12, 1995. It is also the first Hewitt album distributed by Atlantic. The producer,

Angelo Montrone Angelo Montrone is an American record producer, songwriter, and talent scout ( A&R). Montrone has played a key role as producer and A&R man for Grammy-winning acts including Matisyahu and Los Lonely Boys, as well as producing acts such as jam band ...

, had "noticed her talents" and brought her to the attention of then CEO of Atlantic Records,

Doug Morris Doug Morris (born November 23, 1938) is an American record executive. He is the current chairman of 12Tone Music Group. He previously served as chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011 and Sony Music Entertainment from 20 ...

who then signed her. The album was received with enthusiasm by several program directors at pop radio, however, with the departure of Doug Morris from Atlantic in 1995 the plans for promotion were canceled which led to the album's commercial failure, failing to chart on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The album features contributions from

Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A prolific session bassist, he has played bass for acts such as The Who, the John Mayer Trio, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan, Jeff Beck ...

Steve Ferrone Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Average Wh ...

John Robinson John Robinson may refer to: Academics *John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist *John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood'' *John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist *John ...

, and

Harvey Mason Harvey William Mason (born February 22, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, record producer, and member of the band Fourplay. Mason, who attended Berklee in the 1960s, received an Honorary Doctorate at Berklee's 2015 Commencement Ceremony ...

. One of the album's tracks, "Free to Be a Woman", written by Hewitt and Angelo Montrone, would go on to become the theme song for the series ''The Modern Girl'', that aired on the

Style Network Esquire Network was an American pay television network that was a 50/50 joint venture between NBCUniversal and the Hearst Corporation. The network carried programs aimed at a metrosexual audience centering on travel, cooking, sports and fashion ...

. The album has been praised since its release mostly because of the LP's rich infusion of new jack swing, house, quiet storm, disco, spoken word, jazz, acoustic and new age into Hewitt's musical input.

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals, backing vocals * Angelo Montrone – synthesizer, piano ;Additional musicians *

Hugh McCracken Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally a ...

– electric guitar *

Paul Pesco Paul Pesco (born May 13, 1959) is an American session guitarist, singer-songwriter, film score composer and record producer. Biography Pesco was born in Canandaigua, New York, to a Sicilian father (an opera singer and voice instructor) and Kor ...

– electric guitar * Michael Thompson – electric guitar * Paul Jackson Jr. – acoustic guitar *

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Ch ...

– acoustic guitar * Peter Bliss – guitar *

– drums,

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist ...

– drums,

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used i ...

s *

– drums *

Ricky Lawson William Riser III (November 8, 1954 – December 23, 2013), better known as Ricky Lawson, was an American drummer and composer. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he worked extensively as a session musician, collaborating with Stevie Wonder, Mich ...

– drums *

– bass * Freddie Washington – bass * Danny Wilensky – saxophone * Carol Steele – percussion, handclapping,

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are ...

* Sheila E. – percussion * Ben Wittman – percussion * Diva Gray – backing vocals * Rosa Russ – backing vocals *

Vaneese Thomas Vaneese Yseult Thomas (born August 24, 1952) is an American R&B, jazz and soul blues singer, best known for her 1987 US ''Billboard'' R&B chart hit single, "Let's Talk It Over". In addition, in more recent times, she has supplied backing voca ...

– backing vocals * Bill Meyers – conductor *

Steve Richards Steve Richards (born 6 June 1960) is a British TV presenter and political columnist, who has written columns for the ''Guardian'', ''Independent'', ''New Statesman'' and '' Spectator''. He regularly presents Radio 4's ''Week in Westminster'' and h ...

– cello * Larry Corbett – cello * Paula Hochhalter – cello * Suzie Katayama – cello * Armen Ksadjikian – cello * Daniel Smith – cello * Karen Jones – violin * Peter Kent – violin *

Endre Granat Endre Granat (born August 3, 1937) is an American violinist. He is regarded as the most recorded violinist and concertmaster working in the studios today. Early life and education Granat studied at the Franz Liszt Academy, Jacobs School of ...

– violin * Denyse Buffum – viola * Bruce Dukov – violin * Berj Garabedian – violin * Harris Goldman – violin * Sheldon Sanov – violin * Mark Sazer – violin * Haim Shtrum – violin * Robert Peterson – violin * Rachel Robinson – violin * Valerie Vigoda - violin

Legacy

For many years, audiences misinterpreted the meaning of going to “ bang” and mistook it as a

sexual innuendo An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...

. In a 2005 interview with ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

'', Hewitt was asked to elaborate on the meaning of the song: “It was supposed to be this dance called the “Bang”, and the song never hit so we never came up with the dance. Everybody just thought I was a really dirty 16-year-old.”

Production

* Producer: Angelo Montrone * Executive producer:

* Engineers: Michael O'Reilly,

Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...

, Steve Sykes, Steve Boyer, Matt Curry, Joe Ferla, Dan Gellert, Michael Wallace * Vocals engineered by: Scott Sebring * Assistant engineers: Scott Austin, John Hendrickson, Alvaro Alencar, Jerome Chaulin,

Peter Doell Peter Doell is an American recording and mastering engineer known for his work with Miles Davis, Toto, Céline Dion and The Beach Boys. Doell has been a staff engineer at Capitol Studios, Sunset Sound Recorders and Universal Mastering Studios Wes ...

, Tony Gonzales, Jay Militscher, Rory Romano, Michael Wallace * Mixing: Ray Bardani, Michael O'Reilly, Al Schmitt * Mixing assistant: Matt Curry * Mastering:

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' '' Come Away with Me''. Biograp ...

* Keyboard programming: Angelo Montrone * Rhythm programming: Angelo Montrone * String arrangements: Bill Meyers * Bass arrangement: Angelo Montrone, Michael O'Reilly * Production coordination: Jill Dell'Abate * Art direction: Liz Barrett * Photography: Albert Sanchez

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums Jennifer Love Hewitt albums