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''Winner in You'' is the eighth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American R&B singer-songwriter
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...
. It was released by
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
on April 28, 1986, in the United States. Recording sessions took place during 1985–1986. Production was handled by several record producers, including
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
,
Carole Bayer Sager Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1947) is an American lyricist, singer, and songwriter. Early life and career Bayer Sager was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She grad ...
, and
Nickolas Ashford Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...
, among others. The album peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, as well as producing the US number-one hit single " On My Own". It was LaBelle's only album to chart outside of the United States, charting in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. To date, the album is estimated to have sold over eight million copies worldwide, becoming her best-selling album ever. Upon its release, ''Winner in You'' received moderate reviews from music critics. The album has been certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). LaBelle embarked on the Winner in You Tour from 1986 to 1987, touring
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
to promote her album.


Release and promotion


Singles

The first single to be released off of ''Winner in You'' was " On My Own", featuring Michael McDonald. It peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as the top spot of the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Songs, and ''almost'' topped the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary Songs (instead reaching No. 2 on the latter chart). It also charted internationally, peaking at number two in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, number one on the
Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart was a chart compiled by the American-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan, which began publication in November 1996. It was published every Wednesday and also published on Thursday by '' Jam!''/Canoe. I ...
, number one in the
Dutch Singles Chart The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...
, number four in the
New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
, number fifteen in the
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...
, and number twenty on the
Austrian Singles Chart Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
. The second single to be released was "
Oh, People "Oh, People" is a song by American singer Patti LaBelle. It was written by Andy Goldmark and Bruce Roberts for her eighth studio album ''Winner in You'' (1986), while production was helmed by Richard Perry. Issued as the album's second single, i ...
". It peaked at number twenty-nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number seven on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
. It was the second single to chart internationally, peaking at thirty-one on the
Dutch Singles Chart The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...
, and number thirty-six on the
New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
. The third single to be released was "
Kiss Away the Pain "Kiss Away the Pain" is a song by American singer Patti LaBelle featuring saxophonist George Howard. It was written by Alex Brown and Ron Kersey and recorded by LaBelle for her eighth studio album, ''Winner in You'' (1986), with production helmed ...
". It was not as successful as the two prior singles, only reaching number thirteen on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
. The final single to be released was "Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight)," reaching number fifty on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles. It is played twice in ''
Sweet Liberty ''Sweet Liberty'' is a 1986 American comedy film written and directed by Alan Alda, and starring Alda in the lead role, alongside Michael Caine and Michelle Pfeiffer, with support from Bob Hoskins, Lois Chiles, Lise Hilboldt, Lillian Gish, and La ...
'' and over the opening credits of '' Outrageous Fortune''.


Critical response

''Winner in You'' received average reviews from critics. Ron Wynn on
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave the album three out of five stars. Wynn claims this is the album that made LaBelle's solo career. He enjoys the songs "Oh, People" and "Kiss Away the Pain", which he believed needed to chart higher 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 ...
'' Top 40. Robert Christgau gave the album a B, praising the duet with Michael McDonald as well as LaBelle's singing abilities. Christgau also compliments her and her family's songwriting abilities. He believes this is how LaBelle became a multi-platinum solo artist. Christgau did not like the earlier part of the album, claiming she "doesn't start out with such surefire goods". Overall, he says the "beats and tunes kick in till you could care less icwhat organ she's singing through." Kim Farber of ''Billboard'' gave the album a mixed review, claiming it to be inconsistent. He believes album was not a "hands-down winner so many anticipated," saying how none of the fast tracks have a "jump." Ferber, although, praises her singing ability and says that is the only thing that saved the album. He said the
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s were well written, and enjoyed "On My Own", saying the song is "something real" and likes the song "Oh, People" even more.


Commercial performance

The album peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and on ''
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 ...
''
R&B/Hip-Hop 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 Jan ...
. It spent 29 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spent 33 weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. On June 27, 1986, ''Winner in You'' was certified
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), for shipments of one million copies in the US. ''Winner in You'' attained respectable international charting. In the Netherlands, it entered at number twenty-eight on the
Mega Album Top 100 The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expand ...
. In New Zealand, it entered at number ten on the Top 40 Albums. In Sweden, it entered at number seventeen on the Albums Top 60. In the United Kingdom, it entered at number thirty-four and peaked at number 30 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
.


Track listing


Personnel and production

* Executive producer – Patti LaBelle * Tracks 1, 5 & 8 produced by
Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...
; Co-production on track 1 by Andy Goldmark and Bruce Roberts; Associate producer on track 5:
Bill LaBounty Bill LaBounty is an American musician. He was initially a singer-songwriter in the soft rock genre. As a solo artist, LaBounty recorded six studio albums, including four on Curb/Warner Bros. Records. His first charting single, " This Night Won't ...
; Co-production on track 8 by
Richard Page Richard Lewis Page (born 22 February 1941) is a former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and from December 1979 to 2005. Early life Born the son of Victor Charles Page, he went to the independent Hu ...
and Steve George. Recorded by Michael Brooks, with assistance by Glen Holgiun, Julie Last, John Boghosian,
Thom Panunzio Thom Panunzio is a music producer and engineer. His career began in 1974 at the Record Plant Studios NYC, working with John Lennon. Later, he became a staff engineer at the Record Plant, and later at The Hit Factory. Panunzio worked often with ...
and Kraig Miller. Tracks 1 and 5 mixed by
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 ...
; Track 8 mixed by Don Smith. ** Paul Fox,
Robbie Buchanan Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given name Robbie *Robbie Amell (born 1 ...
, Bill LaBounty – synthesizers and drum programming; Howie Rice – synthesizers, drum fills; Steve George – synthesizers; Steve Mitchell – synthesizers; Andy Goldmark – acoustic piano;
Paul Jackson, Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musi ...
,
Charles Fearing Raydio is an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977 by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. Career 1970s and Raydio After securing a record deal, the group scored their first big hit in early 197 ...
,
Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitch ...
– guitars;
Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...
– bass; Terral Santiel – percussion; The Sweeties, Patti LaBelle – backing vocals. * Tracks 2 & 9 produced by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer-Sager. Recorded and mixed by Joel Moss and
Mick Guzauski Nathan "Mick" Guzauski is an American multi-platinum mixing engineer and sound engineer. His work spans a wide range of styles, including jazz, R&B, Latin, rock, pop, easy listening, funk and hip hop. He won a 2002 Latin Grammy for Thalía's ...
. **
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
,
Peter Wolf Peter Wolf (born March 7, 1946) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and as a solo artist. Early life and education Peter Wolf was born Peter Walter Blankfield on March 7, 1946 in The ...
,
Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...
,
Randy Kerber Randy Kerber (born September 25, 1958) is an American composer, orchestrator and keyboard player, who has had a prolific career in the world of cinema.SeRandy Kerberat the IMDb Kerber was born in Encino, California. He began his first national t ...
– synthesizers; Burt Bacharach – acoustic piano;
Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
– guitars;
Neil Stubenhaus Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist. Career He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975. After graduation, he was rec ...
, Freddie Washington – bass;
Carlos Vega Carlos Vega (December 7, 1956 – April 7, 1998) was a Cuban-born Los Angeles-based session drummer best known for his performances with James Taylor. As a part of the L.A. studio scene from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Vega contributed to ...
, John Robinson – drums, percussion. * Track 6 produced by Richard Perry and Howie Rice. Recorded by John Arrias; Assisted by John Boghosian, Norman Whitfield Jr., Glen Holgiun and Kraig Miller. Mixed by Norman Whitfield Jr. ** Howie Rice – keyboards, synthesizers, guitars, drum programming; Paulinho da Costa – percussion * Track 3 produced by Howie Rice and Budd Ellison. Recorded by Brin Swimmer; Assisted by Glen Kurtz. Mixed by Louil Silas, Jr. ** Howie Rice – keyboards, guitars; Le Quient Jobe – bass; Teral Santiel,
James Gadson James Gadson ( James Edward Gadson; born June 17, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. He is also a singer and ...
– percussion. * Track 4 produced by Budd Ellison and Ron Kersey. Recorded by Brin Swimmer; Assisted by Dennis Stefani and Glen Kurtz. Mixed by Taavi Mote. **
Ron Kersey Tyrone Garfield Kersey (April 7, 1949 – January 25, 2005), known as Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey, was an American keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger most known for writing the music to "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps. Kersey was born in P ...
– synthesizers, grand piano; Will Bryant – synthesizers; David T. Walker,
Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band The Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as " Cissy Strut" and "Hey P ...
– guitars; Freddie Washington – bass; James Gadson – drums; George Howard – saxophone. * Track 7 produced by Nick Johnson and Budd Ellison. Recorded by Brin Swimmer and Robert Biles. Mixed by Robert Biles. ** Nick Johnson – synthesizers, acoustic piano; William Bryant – synthesizers; Leo Nocentelli, David T. Walker – guitars; Freddie Washington – bass; James Gadson – drums; Nate Neblett –
Simmons drums Simmons is an electronic drum brand, which originally was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums. Founded in 1978 by Dave Simmons, it supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1994. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be foun ...
; David I. – saxophone * Track 10 produced by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson for Hopsack & Silk Productions, Inc. Recorded by Tim Cox; Mixed by Michael Hutchinson. ** Joseph Joubert – keyboards; Chris Parker – drums, percussion.


Recording studios

* Tracks 1, 5, 6 & 8 recorded and mixed at Studio 55 (Los Angeles, CA). * Track 2 recorded at
Conway Studio Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townsh ...
(Hollywood, CA), Lion Share Recording (Los Angeles, CA) and
Bill Schnee Studios 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 ...
(Hollywood, CA). * Track 3 recorded at Baby O' Recorders (Hollywood, CA). Remixed at
Larrabee Sound Studios Larrabee Sound Studios is a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, California, originally established in 1969. Facilities Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, three tracking spaces, and a prod ...
(Hollywood, CA). * Track 4 recorded at Baby O' Recorders and
Westlake Audio Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio in West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name Westlake Audio. Hidley was experien ...
(Los Angeles, CA). Mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios. * Track 7 recorded at Baby O' Recorders and Soundcastle Studios (Hollywood, CA). Mixed at Soundcastle Studios. * Track 9 recorded at One on One Studios, Lion Share Recording and Conway Studios. * Track 10 recorded at 39th Street Studios (New York, NY). Mixed at
The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...
(New York, NY).


Additional credits

* James Budd Ellison – production supervisor * Cheryl Dickerson – A&R manager * Jeff Adamoff – design * September – art direction, design * Ann Field – illustration * Marc Raboy – photography * Gallin Morey Associates – management


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{Authority control Patti LaBelle albums 1986 albums Albums produced by Ashford & Simpson Albums produced by Burt Bacharach Albums produced by Richard Perry MCA Records albums