''Sheila E.'' is the third solo album by

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

, released on

Paisley Park Records Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. T ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

in July 1987. Two singles were released from the album in the US, " Hold Me" and "Koo Koo", although both failed to make a major impact on the Hot 100. "Love on a Blue Train" was the first single released in Japan. The album is notable for its Latin influence and prominent presence in this hybrid of jazz, rock, funk and salsa. The video for "Koo Koo" shows Sheila dancing with

Cat Glover Catherine Vernice Glover (born July 23, 1964) is an American professional choreographer, dancer, and singer. She originally hit the mainstream in television alongside her dance partner Patrick Allen in the duo known simply as "Pat & Cat" on th ...

. The album has the earliest recorded appearance of members from the group

Tony! Toni! Toné! Tony! Toni! Toné! was an American soul/ R&B band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq ...

, who Sheila E. attempted to bring to Paisley Park, but

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

did not sign the group. Almost a decade later, in 1996, Sheila E. appeared on their final album, ''

House of Music ''House of Music'' is the fourth and final album by American R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné!, released on November 19, 1996, by Mercury Records. It follows the success of the band's 1993 album '' Sons of Soul'' and a hiatus during which each member p ...

''.

Critical reception

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' called the album "flat and mechanical, boasting some rhythmic flash but not enough melody to make it worthwhile."

Track listing

Personnel

Sourced from the album liner notes and Duane Tudahl * Sheila E. – vocals, percussion *

Levi Seacer, Jr. Levi Seacer Jr. (born April 30, 1961) is an American musician. He was an early associate of Sheila E. when he was tapped by Prince to form a new touring band after the demise of The Revolution in 1986. Seacer became the band's bassist, as wel ...

– guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals * Juan Escovedo – percussion * Boni Boyer – keyboards, backing vocals * Timothy Riley – drums * Norbert Stachel – soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute, clarinet * Carl Wheeler – keyboards, backing vocals * Rafael Wiggins, Jr. – bass guitar, backing vocals * Peter Michael Escovedo – percussion * Eric Leeds – saxophone * Matt Blistan (aka Atlanta Bliss) – trumpet * Eddie Minnifield – backing vocals * Carlos Rios – guitar * Howard Kenney – backing vocals * Steph Birnbaum – guitar *

– backing vocals (1, 5–7, 10), electric guitar (1, 5–7, 10),

Ensoniq Mirage The Ensoniq Mirage is one of the earliest affordable sampler-synths, introduced in 1984 as Ensoniq's first product. Introduced at a list price of $1,695 with features previously only found on more expensive samplers like the Fairlight CMI, the M ...

(1, 5, 10), Fairlight CMI (1, 5),

Yamaha DX7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 1980 ...

(6, 7), Oberheim OB-8 (1), piano (5, 7), bass guitar (6, 7, 10),

Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...

(5, 6), LinnDrum (7), drums (5),

Simmons SDS-V The Simmons SDS 5, SDSV, or Simmons Drum Synthesizer (notated as ''SDS-V'' on the following) was the first viable electronic replacement for acoustic drums. It was developed by Richard James Burgess and Dave Simmons, manufactured initially by M ...

(1, 10), handclaps (10) Technical * Coke Johnson, David Leonard, Peggy McCreary Leonard – recording engineers * Jeff DeMorris, Mike Kloster, Steve Himmelfarb, Leslie Ann Jones, Chuck Webb, Thom Kidd, Tom Wright – second engineers * Mary Ann Dibs – art direction and design * Jeff Katz – photography * Chris Bellman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1987 albums Sheila E. albums Paisley Park Records albums Warner Records albums