''The Spirit's in It'' is the fifth studio album by American singer

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

. It was released by

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. The ...

on August 28, 1981, in the United States, her first with the label.

Background

Patti LaBelle embarked on a solo career in 1977, shortly after the split of the girl group

Labelle Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around ...

. Her first solo album, a

self-titled An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

affair, was critically acclaimed and also found commercial success. However, her three follow-ups for Epic failed to match that album's momentum, despite some charted singles. When her fourth album, ''

Released Released may refer to: * Released (Jade Warrior album), ''Released'' (Jade Warrior album), 1971 * Released (Patti LaBelle album), ''Released'' (Patti LaBelle album), 1980 * ''Released: 1985–1995'', an album by Kronos Quartet, 1995 * ''Released'' ...

'', failed to generate a significant R&B or pop hit, she agreed to sign with

, which had been known to provide hits for veteran artists such as

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American Rhythm and blues, R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in summer 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appea ...

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...

and

Billy Paul Paul Williams (December 1, 1934 – April 24, 2016), known professionally as Billy Paul, was an American soul music, soul singer, known for his 1972 Record chart, No. 1 single "Me and Mrs. Jones". His 1973 album and single ''War of the Gods (alb ...

. With the help of

Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

and

Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

, her frequent collaborator James Ellison and PIR staff producers such as

Dexter Wansel Dexter Gilman Wansel (born August 22, 1950) is an American R&B/jazz fusion artist, singer, arranger, musician, composer, conductor, synthesist and A&R director. Early life Dexter Wansel began as an errand boy backstage at the Uptown Theater i ...

and

Cecil Womack Cecil Dale Womack (September 25, 1947 – February 1, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as a songwriter and recording artist, notably with his second wif ...

, LaBelle produced ''The Spirit's in It'', which included her forays into other genres such as

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

. Among the notable singles from the album included her cover of the

boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, but already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually ex ...

hit, "Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu", the club hit title track, "Family", "Shoot Him on Sight" (her first collaboration with songwriters Cynthia Biggs and Dexter Wansel) and "

Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...

", the latter track becoming her solo cover of a tune she had previously recorded as member of Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles in the sixties. LaBelle had been performing the song in concert after embarking on her solo career. The new recording was listed as the b-side of the single "Family" and became a standout in LaBelle's career, quickly becoming a

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

for LaBelle. This album would precede her commercial breakthrough a couple years later with the album, '' I'm in Love Again''.

Track listing

Personnel

* Patti LaBelle – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 4-9) * Joel Bryant – keyboards (1) * Lenny Pakula –

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

(1, 3, 4) *

– arrangements (1, 8), synthesizers (8) * James Budd Ellison – keyboards (2, 5, 7, 9), arrangements (2, 5, 7, 9), backing vocals (5, 7) * Philip Woo – keyboards (2, 9) * Leon A. Huff – acoustic piano (3, 4, 6),

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 ...

(3, 4), arrangements (3, 4, 6), backing vocals (6), BGV arrangements (6) * Nathaniel Wilkie – keyboards (5, 7), acoustic piano (5, 7), organ (5, 7), synthesizers (5, 7) *

Cynthia Biggs Cynthia Biggs, lawfully known as Cynthia Biggs El, is an American songwriter, producer, publisher and vocalist who wrote music and lyrics for the Philadelphia International Records label. Her main collaborations were with composers Dexter Wansel ...

– acoustic piano (8) * Dennis Harris – guitar (1) *

– guitar (1, 3, 4, 6), backing vocals (6) * Edward Levon Batts – guitar (2, 9), backing vocals (2, 7) * Herb Smith – guitar (2, 5, 7-9), backing vocals (5, 7, 9) * Bobby Bennett – acoustic guitar (6) * Marc Rubin – guitar (8) * Roy Smith – guitar (8) * Jimmy Williams – bass (1-5, 9) * Derrick Graves – bass (6) * Idress "Skeets" Young – bass (8) * Quinton Joseph – drums (1, 3, 4, 6) * John Ingram – drums (5, 7, 9), backing vocals (5, 7, 9) * Clifford "Pete" Rudd – drums (8) * Vincent Montana Jr. – orchestral bells (3),

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

(3) * Miguel Fuentes – percussion (5, 7, 8) * Michael Mee – alto saxophone (1) * Ralph Olson – alto saxophone (1) *

Bob Malach Bob Malach (born August 23, 1954) is an American jazz saxophonist. Malach learned several reed instruments in his youth, and played with Philadelphia soul bands such as The Stylistics and The O'Jays while still a teenager. He played in the big ...

– tenor saxophone (1) * Michael Pedicin Jr. – tenor saxophone (1) * Willie Williams – soprano saxophone (5), tenor saxophone (5) * Sam Peake – saxophone (9) * Larry Gittins – trumpet (1) *

Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist, and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades, ending in 2023. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter ...

–

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

(6) *

MFSB MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom ...

– horns (2, 8, 9), strings (2, 3, 8, 9) * Jack Faith – arrangements (3) * Carl Helm – backing vocals (2, 7, 9) *

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey, in addition to Alice Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Tri ...

– backing vocals (2, 9) *

Kenneth Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

– backing vocals (5, 7) Handclaps on "Family" * Miguel Fuentes * Stacey Todd Holt * Norman Maxon * Fred Murphy * Vivian Reed * Idress "Skeets" Young

Production

* Kenneth Gamble – executive producer * Leon A. Huff – executive producer * Dirk Devlin – engineer * Arthur Stoppe – engineer *

Joseph Tarsia Joseph Dominick Tarsia (September 23, 1934 – November 1, 2022) was an American recording studio owner and engineer from Philadelphia who was credited on many classic pop music tracks. He received over 150 gold and platinum record awards. He was ...

– engineer * Michael Tarsia – assistant engineer * Vince Warsavage – assistant engineer * Jean Scott – A&R coordinator *

Paula Scher Paula Scher (born October 6, 1948) is an American graphic designer, painter and design educator. She also served as the first female principal at Pentagram, which she joined in 1991. She started her career as an art director in the 1970s and ear ...

– art direction, design * Rebecca Blake – photography * Mastered at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spirits in It Album chart usages for Billboard200 Album chart usages for BillboardRandBHipHop 1981 albums Patti LaBelle albums Philadelphia International Records albums Albums produced by Kenneth Gamble Albums produced by Leon Huff Albums recorded at Sigma Sound Studios