''Return'' is an album by the American musical group the Winans, released in 1990. It was their third album for Qwest Records. The first single was "It's Time", which was re-edited to change the rap elements when gospel audiences objected. The Winans supported the album with North American tour. Some critics dubbed the album's sound "new jack gospel". The album peaked at No. 90 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It sold more than 500,000 copies. ''Return'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album". It won the

Soul Train Music Award for Best Gospel Album This page lists the winners and nominees for the Soul Train Music Award for Best Gospel Album. The award was first given during the 1989 ceremony, after the categories honoring solo albums and group albums were combined. The category was retired a ...

Production

The album was produced primarily by

Michael J. Powell Michael J. Powell is an American R&B musician, record producer and arranger who is best known for his work as producer for eight time Grammy Award-winning soul / R&B vocalist Anita Baker. Powell was born in Chicago and lived there until his fam ...

. Teddy Riley produced some of the album's

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

-influenced tracks. Kenny G, Aaron Hall, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

were among the album's guest musicians.

Critical reception

'' The Washington Post'' wrote that "the merger of their soaring sermonizing and iley'sdecidedly secular new jack swing is heaven-sent." The ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

'' opined that "It's Time" "is a tremendous leap... With its tough-talking rap and Teddy Riley-produced groove, it sounds more like a Bobby Brown single than a gospel tune." ''

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'' deemed the album "one of the hippest, tightest—all the words ending in ''est''—gospel albums ever... ''Return'' cooks." AllMusic wrote: "A soul act on Motown sounds like one on Epic sounds like one on Qwest—all twinkling synthesizers, obnoxious drum machines doing the same programmed beats, all low smooth bass, all the same neatly arranged vocal harmonies. It's all very professional, all very formal, and one wonders, even with gospel acts like the Winans, whether there's any soul left after the gloss has leeched out the interesting wrinkles."

Track listing

References

{{authority control The Winans albums 1990 albums Qwest Records albums