''A Love Supreme'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American singer

Chanté Moore Chanté Torrane Moore (born February 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, television personality, and author. The first signee with record executive Louis Silas, Jr.'s Silas Records, she rose to prominence with her debu ...

. It was released by

Silas Records Silas Records was an American record label owned by Universal Music Group; founded in 1991 by Louil Silas Jr. and operated as an imprint of MCA Records, where Silas had been a senior VP. The label achieved minor success throughout the 1990s. It ...

and

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

on November 15, 1994, in the United States. The album peaked at number 20 on the UK R&B Albums chart and number 11 on the US ''Billboard''

Top 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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart.

Background and release

''A Love Supreme'' features production from

Simon Law Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

, Moore, Ross Anderson,

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

, Kenneth Crouch, Kipper Jones,

Tricky Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. Stewart, a five-time Grammy Award recipient, began producing music in 1992 and has contributed to unit s ...

, among others.

Promotion

The album was preceded by the release of lead single " Old School Lovin'." Released on October 22, 1994 in the United States, it became Moore's third top 20 hit on the US

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 ...

chart, following " Love's Taken Over" (1992) and " It's Alright" (1993). Follow-up single " This Time" was issued on May 26, 1995. While it was less successful on the R&B charts, it became Moore's first top hit on ''Billboard''s US

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. "Free"/"Sail On," a

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

/ mash-up of the

Deniece Williams June Deniece Williams (née Chandler; born June 3, 1950) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great Soul music, soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free (Deniece Williams song), Free", "Silly (song ...

song " Free" and the

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

song " Sail On," served as the album's third single. The song peaked at number 11 on the Dance Club Songs chart. Fourth and final single "I'm What You Need," released on July 21, 1995, reached number 14 on the US

Adult R&B Songs 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. Album cut "Mood" had previously appeared on

the soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

to the 1994 feature film ''

Beverly Hills Cop III ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. The third film in the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' franchise, it was written by Steven E. de Souza and directed by John Landis. Murphy again plays Detroit detect ...

'', released on May 10, 1994.

Critical reception

''A Love Supreme'' earned largely favorable reviews from music critics. Michael Eric Dyson, writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', called ''A Love Supreme'' a "fine album" and wrote: "Like Ms. Moore's 1992 debut album, ''Precious'', ''A Love Supreme'' measures the distance between explicit sexuality and the sophisticated romanticism that shapes her restless pursuit of perfect love." ''

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 advertis ...

'' found that Moore's "sophomore set is paced by thoughtful, romantic song and succulent arrangements. Though tempered somewhat to garner younger demos, the 15-track set remains true to the artist's core audience. Album has excellent crossover potential — not due to creative compromise. Rather, elegant production styling and simple but expressive vocal renderings yield broad-ranging appeal." ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' called ''A Love Supreme'' "a classic soul affair," comparing 'Moore's supple, relaxed singing style" to a "a young

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

with more lung power." Further praising Moore's vocal performance, the magazine noted that "she builds up a romantic sweat while keeping her vocal cool .. Sherrie Winston of the ''

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its Nameplate (publishing), masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ...

'' found that throughout ''A Love Supreme'' "Moore combines sultry vocals with lyrics of chivalry, romance and spirituality. The singer's range is phenomenal; her style undeniable." Winston further described the album as "a mellow listen that layers gritty island sounds with singing violins and harps. If the rap infusion has got you down, Moore offers a mellow, sexy and talented reprieve", delivering "its message with subtlety. The way it used to be." ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' critic Richard Harrington called the album "a beautifully crafted song-cycle tracing the evolution of a romantic relationship ..Given the number of producers involved – some 15 in all – it's remarkable that the album has thematic and sonic unity ..While Moore is clearly capable of

Minnie Ripperton Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1974 single "Lovin' You", her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register. Born in 1947, Riperton grew up ...

-style heights into the stratosphere she communicates greater emotional presence by riding slow, deep grooves that allow her to sing with smoldering commitment." Similarly, Sonia Murray of ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' wrote, "Putting this album on is like pressing play on the romance machine. Moore, the closest thing R&B has to a modern-day

, weaves her vocal gift around valentine after valentine on ''A Love Supreme''."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said, "On ''A Love Supreme'', Chante Moore's supple, sensuous vocals snake around jazzy, R&B mid-tempo grooves, in search of the perfect love. From the sultry, spoken opening where she unmistakably states her modern-day intentions to the old phono recording scratches of 'Old School Lov', Chante searches, preys, teases, romances, and snares."

Chart performance

''A Love Supreme'' debuted and peaked at number 64 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 in the week of March 12, 1994. It also opened at number 11 on the

chart. This marked Moore's second top 20 entry on the chart. ''A Love Supreme'' also became the singer's first album to debut in the United Kingdom. While it peaked at number 144 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, it fared better on the

UK R&B Albums Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

, reaching number 20. ''Billboard'' ranked the album 55th on its 1995 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end chart.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a vocal producer * signifies a co-producer

Personnel

*Mark Abetz – engineer *Judi Acosta-Stewart – production coordination *Scott Alspach – producer *Michael Alvord - assistant engineer *Ross Anderson – bass, drum programming, guitar, mixing, producer *

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American 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, Wind & Fire. Noted for his fo ...

– guest artist, vocals (background) *Tom Baker – assistant engineer *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts at Wembley Arena, th ...

– flute *Harvey Brough – string arrangements *Alexandra Brown – vocals (background) *Bridgette Bryant – vocals (Background) *James "Chip" Bunton – production coordination *David Campbell – string arrangements *Bryan Carrigan – second engineer *Teddy Castellucci – guitar *Richard Cottrell – engineer *Kenneth Crouch – multi instruments, producer *

Paulinho da Costa Paulinho da Costa (, born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948) is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Me ...

– percussion *Kevin "KD" Davis – engineer, mixing *Sean Davis – assistant engineer *C.J. DeVillar – assistant engineer *George Duke – guest artist *Derrick Edmondson – saxophone *Danny Flynn – stylist *Gwyn Foxx – vocals (background) *Jud J. Friedman – keyboards, producer, string arrangements *

Siedah Garrett Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett (born June 24, 1960) is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Brand ...

– guest artist, vocals (background) *Sean "Sep" Hall – producer, programming, rhythm arrangements, sequencing, vocal arrangement *Lee Hamblin – drum programming, engineer, mixing, producer *Cynthia Harrell – vocals (background) *

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, K ...

– engineer, producer, vocal arrangement *Steve Hodge – mixing *Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing *John Howcott – drum programming, keyboard programming, producer *Richard Huredia – mixing assistant *Phillip Ingram – vocals (background) *

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artis ...

– mixing *Kipper Jones – guest artist, producer, vocals (background) *Pat Karamian – assistant engineer, second engineer *Brian Kilgore – percussion * Simon A. Law – bass, drum programming, keyboards, mixing, producer, string arrangements *Eugene Le – second engineer *

Maxayn Lewis Maxayn Lewis is an American soul singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. She began her career in the 1960s, under her birth name Paulette Parker, as member of the Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In the 1970s, Lewis sang lead in the ba ...

– vocals (background) *Jeff Madjef Taylor – asst engineer/drum programming *Eugene Lo – second engineer *Chris London – assistant engineer *

– executive producer, primary artist, producer, vocal arrangement, vocals, vocals (background) *Taavi Mote – engineer *Fred Moultrie – executive producer *Steve Musters- assistant engineer *Rick Nelson – vocals (background) *Michael Norfleet – multi instruments, producer *Emanuel Officer – producer, vocal arrangement *Steve Orchard – engineer *Sue Owens – production coordination *Donald Parks – drum programming, keyboard programming, producer *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and arranger. A session musician, Phillinganes has contributed to numerous albums over a broad array of artists and genres. He has toured with artists includin ...

– keyboards *Neil Pogue – engineer *Herb Powers – mastering *Adrian Reid –

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

*Kevin Robinson – flugelhorn *Matthew Rolston – photography *Jeff Scantlebury – percussion *Louis Silas, Jr. – executive producer *

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. Stewart, a five-time Grammy Award recipient, began producing music in 1992 and has contributed to unit s ...

– producer, programming, rhythm arrangements, sequencing, vocal arrangement *

Laney Stewart Laney Stewart (born January 10, 1966) is an American songwriter, music producer, musician, music publisher, music executive, manager and youth mentor. He has written, produced and published hits for some of the biggest names in R&B, hip hop and ...

– engineer, producer, programming, sequencing, vocal arrangement *Reggie Stewart – drum programming, keyboard programming *Lisa Taylor – vocals (background) *Francesca Tolot – make-up *Simon Wall – assistant engineer *Ilene Weingard – art direction, design *Warren Woods – engineer *

Gavyn Wright Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He is best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions (including Elton John, Simply Red, Bush, Mecano, ...

– conductor *Jim "Z" Zumpano – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love Supreme 1994 albums Chanté Moore albums Silas Records albums Albums produced by Simon Law Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Albums produced by Tricky Stewart Albums produced by Laney Stewart Albums produced by Kuk Harrell Jazz albums by American artists