''The Song Lives On'' is the collaboration album by former Jazz Crusaders member

Joe Sample Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, the band which shortened its name to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained ...

and R&B singer

Lalah Hathaway Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer. In 1990 Hathaway released her first album titled ''Lalah Hathaway''. After releasing another album, titled '' A Moment'' (1994), it debuted at number 34 on the To ...

. The album was released on April 20, 1999.

Background

In 1998,

and

began working on their collaborative album. Hathaway sang most of the lead vocals on such songs as " When Your Life Was Low" and the cover song "

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", while Sample supplied the instruments like

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

Music

The jazz influenced album contained mostly slow piano ballads with an extra addition of drums and

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. The songs of album are a little similar to Hathaway previous album '' A Moment''. The track "So They Say" from her previous album, had an influence on the album, which were showcased in the song " When Your Life Was Low". Lalah Hathaway and Joe Sample also covered the song "Fever", which was slightly altered by adding more piano. ''The Song Lives On'' also contains a cover of The Crusaders' hit " Street Life".

Promotion and release

The album was bolstered by the single "When Your Life Was Low". After the release of the lead single, the album was released on April 20, 1999. The album debut at No. 196 on the ''Billboard'' 200, No. 53 on the

Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Ja ...

chart, and No. 2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Album chart. The second single was the covered song "

Critical response

The album received a favorable review from Allmusic stating, "The daughter of the popular late R&B singer Donny, husky voiced Lalah Hathaway is the perfect foil for Joe Sample's compelling notion that The Song Lives On. Finding a happy medium between the graceful straight-ahead jazz trio vibe of his Invitation album and the plucky pop energy of Spellbound, Sample provides Hathaway on seven of the 11 tunes with a showcase for her sultry approach." The Song Lives On "Overview" Allmusic. Retrieved: June 28, 2009. Jonathan Widran further went on to say, "On a cover of his Crusaders hit "Street Life," Hathaway turns the title into a mantra and Sample echoes her sentiments with sharp, percussive reiterations of the song's main melody. Then Hathaway stops and Michael Thompson steps in with some edgy electric guitar lines. Other song choices range from reverent takes on standards like "Fever" and "For All We Know" to vocal versions of older, well-known Sample instrumental hits; for example, with Norman Gimbel's cheery lyrics, Hathaway turns the once moody "All God's Children" into a life-affirming love song."

Commercial success

''The Song Lives On'' went on to become one of

and

's most successful album to chart. In response to the album's success, Hathaway and Sample were honored with Billboard/BET On Jazz Award for "Mainstream Jazz Album".Billboard/BET On Jazz Honor Kenny G, Krall
Billboard. Retrieved: June 28, 2009.

Track listing

Personnel

* Jay Anderson - bass * Lenny Castro - percussion * David Delhomme - synthesizer * Koji Egawa - assistant engineer *

- vocals, vocal arrangement * Patrick Rains - management * Walfredo Reyes - drums * Joe Sample - piano, arranger, producer, Fender Rhodes, instrument arrangement * Alan Sanderson - assistant engineer *

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charl ...

- mastering *

Bill Schnee William S. Schnee (born July 4, 1947) is an American musician, music producer, and audio engineer. Schnee has been nominated 11 times for the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Grammy Award and worked on a multitude of other Grammy nominated an ...

- producer, engineer, mixing * Steven Silverstein - photography * Michael Thompson - electric guitar *

Kirk Whalum Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

- saxophone

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song Lives On, The 1999 albums Lalah Hathaway albums Joe Sample albums