''Philip Bailey'' is the seventh studio album by American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wi ...

, issued in 1994 by Zoo Entertainment.

Overview

Artists such as

Brian McKnight Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma. McKnight is known for h ...

Chuckii Booker Eugene Allen Booker, Jr. (born December 19, 1962), known professionally as Chuckii Booker, is an American producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Biography Booker emerged in the late 1980s as a prominent urban contem ...

PM Dawn P.M. Dawn was an American hip hop and R&B act that formed in 1988 by the brothers Attrell Cordes (known by his stage name Prince Be, sometimes credited as Prince Be the Nocturnal) and Jarrett Cordes (known as DJ Minutemix) in Jersey City, New J ...

and Nadirah Ali guest on the album. The single, " Here with Me", peaked at No. 33 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 ...

Adult R&B Airplay The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

chart.

Critical reception

David Montero of the

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...

said "Bailey has crafted an album that will appeal to his old fans from his days with

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 company, and he may attract some new ones with songs that stand above much of what is played on urban contemporary radio. The cover is misleading because he looks like a young, up-and-coming hip-hop homeboy a la the members of

Another Bad Creation Another Bad Creation (sometimes called ABC for short) Overview )))"> allmusic ((( Another Bad Creation > Overview ))) Retrieved November 7, 2007. Demetrius and Marliss ("Red" and "Mark", respectively) Pugh, as well as Adrian "G.A." (General Austi ...

. But Bailey has some solid tracks that are catchy and well-produced." Montero added "In a sense this is a theme album, as every track deals with romance _ hardly a new topic in pop. But Bailey manages to avoid the cliches and has made an album that is as enjoyable to listen to as some of his early stuff from his

Earth, Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million ...

days." 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 ...

gave a three out of four stars rating noting "He's back again with a self-titled album that may not spawn as big a hit as his 1984

Easy Lover "Easy Lover" is a song performed by Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins of Genesis, and jointly written and composed by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song appeared on Bailey's solo album, ''Chinese Wall''. Collins has per ...

duet with

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

, but it's good nonetheless. You'll find some very engaging pop-soul here, much of it produced by singer-songwriters

and

. Bailey's falsetto doesn't soar as it once did on EW&F standards like

Reasons In the most general terms, a reason is a consideration which justifies or explains an action, a belief, an attitude, or a fact. ''Normative reasons'' are what people appeal to when making arguments about what people should do or believe. For exam ...

and ' Write a Song For You, but his vocals seem more expressive when he isn't pushing to reach those stratospheric notes. And he can still weave some soul into a song, particularly on Love Me Tonight and Just Like Summer.

Michael Eric Dyson Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, ordained minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Described by Michael A. Fletch ...

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

stated "In the hands of a lesser talent, some of these songs might barely seep through the cracks, less than memorable fare conjured up to please a legend. But Bailey's grace and magic, apparent throughout, redeem the recordings." Dyson added "What's remarkable above all on this album is that Bailey's brilliant falsetto retains its sweet purity, even as he employs more of a pleasing baritone than he has revealed before. While that alone doesn't compensate for some of the just-OK stuff he has to work with, it delights nonetheless." With a 3 out of 4 stars rating Derek Ali of the

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...

scribed "There's "something" for just about every musical taste among the 12-tracks, while a unity in sound is maintained throughout the album." Ali added "If you listen closely, there are hints of every step of Bailey's musicial life on the album. The music is pure." Carol Cooper of

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

wrote ''Philip Bailey'' takes another step forward for neo-traditionalism in black music, with the sensitive gentleman-crooner triumphantly ascendant."

Track listing

#"Stay Right Here" (Philip Bailey,

) - 5:07 #"Just Like Summer" (P. Bailey,

Robert Brookins Robert Brookins (October 7, 1962 – April 15, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and musician. Brookins was a member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. He also worked with artists such as George Duke, Stephanie Mills, Stanley Clark ...

) - 5:10 #"Here with Me" (

) - 4:22 #"A Diamond Just Like You" (P. Bailey,

Attrell Cordes Attrell Stephen Cordes, Jr. (May 15, 1970 – June 17, 2016), also known by the stage name Prince Be, was an American rapper, musician, singer and record producer. Cordes was the lead vocalist of the hip hop group P.M. Dawn, which he formed in ...

) - 4:53 #"I'm Ready" (B. McKnight) - 4:43 #"Love Me Tonight" (P. Bailey, R. Brookins,

Wayman Tisdale Wayman Lawrence Tisdale (June 9, 1964 – May 15, 2009) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma,

)- 4:58 #"I Won't Open My Arm" (P. Bailey, A. Cordes) - 3:48 #"Crazy Things You Do for Love" (B. McKnight) - 4:23 #"Live It Up" (P. Bailey) - 4:47 #"Yours" (P. Bailey,

Roxanne Seeman Roxanne Joy Seeman is an American songwriter and lyricist. She is best known for her songs by Billie Hughes, Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, The Sisters of Mercy, The Jacksons, Jacky Cheung, and in ...

Chuck Wild Chuck Wild (born September 22, 1946, in Kansas City) is a keyboardist, composer, producer, recording artist and Emmy Award-nominated songwriter best known for his series of relaxation music albums using the artist name and imprint Liquid Mind® ...

) - 4:02 #"Call Me" (B. McKnight) - 4:30 #"Something's Missing" (P. Bailey) - 4:16 Japan release The release of ''Philip Bailey'' in Japan included the bonus track " People And Places", a duet between

and

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

that was a single from the 1994 French film

La Vengeance d'une Blonde ''La Vengeance d'une blonde'' is a 1994 French comedy film directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Plot Gérard Breha is journalist on a Breton regional channel. He host, happy, his last Show, as he has been named host to the 23 hours newsreader on the large ...

album soundtrack.

Personnel

* Philip Bailey – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 8-12), vocal arrangements (1, 9, 12) *

– all instruments (1, 9, 12), vocal arrangements (1, 9, 12), backing vocals (9) *

– keyboards (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11), drums (3, 5, 6, 8, 11), arrangements (6) *

– all instruments (3, 5, 8, 11), programming (3, 8, 11), backing vocals (3, 8, 11), vocal arrangements (3, 8, 11) * Michael McKnight – programming (3, 8, 11) * Oji Pierce – keyboards (4, 7) * Rex Rideout – keyboards (4, 7) * Michael Fossenkemper – programming (4, 7) *

– keyboards (10) * Frank Gambale – guitar solo (2) * Cameron Grieder – guitar (4) * Jerry Barnes – bass (4) *

– bass (6), arrangements (6) * Etienne Lytel – bass (7) *

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 (2) * Demetric Collins – drum programming (10) * Jeff Haynes – percussion (4) * Diane Lesser – English horn (4) * Scott Mayo – saxophone solo (5) * David Boruff – alto saxophone (10) * Bill Meyers – string arrangements (2) * Max Ellen – horn and string arrangements (4), concertmaster (4) * Joseph Gianono – orchestration (4) *

Eddie del Barrio Eduardo Gutiérrez del Barrio, known professionally as Eddie del Barrio, is an Argentinian composer, arranger, songwriter, and pianist. He is a founding member of the jazz fusion band Caldera. He has collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire, Stan Get ...

– string arrangements (10) * Valerie Davis – backing vocals (1, 12) * Sheldon Reynolds – backing vocals (1, 12) * Alex Brown – backing vocals (2) * Karen Bernod – backing vocals (4, 7) * Robbie Jenkins – backing vocals (4, 7), BGV co-arrangements (7) *

Prince Be Attrell Stephen Cordes, Jr. (May 15, 1970 – June 17, 2016), also known by the stage name Prince Be, was an American rapper, musician, singer and record producer. Cordes was the lead vocalist of the hip hop group P.M. Dawn, which he formed in ...

– BGV arrangements (7) * Nadirah Ali – lead and backing vocals (10) Strings (Tracks 2, 4 & 10) * Eugene Moye and Fred Zlotkin – cello * Alfred Brown and Mitsue Takayama – viola * Abe Appleman, Charles Libove,

Gene Orloff Gene Orloff (June 14, 1921 – March 23, 2009) was an American violinist, concertmaster, arranger, contractor and session musician. Background The son of a Russian immigrant violin maker, Orloff would try and get his father's violin down from th ...

, John Pintavalle, Matthew Raimondi, Elliot Rosoff, Richard Sortomme, Marti Sweet and Marilyn Wright – violin

Production

* Chuckii Booker – producer (1, 9, 12) * Robert Brookins – producer (2, 6), additional producer (3, 5, 8, 11), remixing engineer (3, 5, 8, 11), engineer (6) * John Paris – co-producer (2) * Brian McKnight – producer (3, 5, 8, 11) * P.M. Dawn – producers (4, 7) * Wayman Tisdale – producer (6) * Philip Bailey – producer (10) * Roxanne Seeman – producer (10) * James Mack – executive producer * Bill Preskill – executive producer * James Hunter – A&R * Guy DeFazio – engineer (1, 9, 12), assistant engineer (1, 9, 12) * Anthony Jeffries – engineer (1, 9, 12), assistant engineer (1, 9, 12) * Greg Burbidge – mixing (1, 9) * Donnell Sullivan – engineer (2, 3, 6), mixing (2, 6, 10), remixing engineer (3, 5, 8, 11) * Paul Clingberg – engineer (3, 5, 8, 11) * Chris Wood – engineer (3, 5, 8, 11) * Michael Fossenkemper – engineer (4, 7), mixing (4, 7) * Troy Halderson – horn and string engineer (4) * Chuck Wild – recording (10) * Susan Becker – assistant engineer (1, 9, 12), mix assistant (1, 9, 11) * Ray Silva – assistant engineer (1, 9, 12) * Dominic Barbera – assistant engineer (4, 7) * Scott Canto – assistant engineer (4, 7) * Robert Friedrich – assistant horn and string engineer (4) * Valicia Franklin – project coordinator * Lee Hammond – art direction * Nancy Ogami – design * Michael Halsband – photography

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1994 albums Philip Bailey albums Zoo Entertainment (record label) albums