My Melody (Deniece Williams album)
1981 studio album by Deniece Williams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
My Melody is the fifth studio album by American singer Deniece Williams, released in March 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard Top Soul LPs chart.[1] My Melody was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[2]
| My Melody | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 13, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1980–1981 | |||
| Studios | Sigma, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 39:13 | |||
| Label | ARC//Columbia | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Deniece Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from My Melody | ||||
| ||||
Overview
"Silly" and "What Two Can Do" were released as singles with each peaking at No. 11 and No. 17, respectively, on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer |  [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic declared: "Deniece's heavenly soprano is as impressive as ever under the guidance of producer Thom Bell. The sweet Philly sound architect keeps Williams' expressive, high-range vocals under wraps, transforming her into a bel canto singer on eight delightful selections."[3] The Philadelphia Inquirer opined that "although her roots are R&B, Miss Williams transcends easy categorisation with this collection of material and her versatile presentation."[4] Stephen Holden of The New York Times found that "My Melody, Miss Williams's fourth solo album, is an inspired collaboration with Thom Bell, the Philadelphia songwriter and producer whose hits with the Stylistics and the Spinners in the early 70's epitomized pop-soul elegance."[6] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote that "several of the songs have a comfortable, nestling down quality that makes the album, if not one of her best, at least easy to enjoy."[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Melody" | Thom Bell, Deniece Williams | 4:12 |
| 2. | "It's Your Conscience" | Thom Bell, Deniece Williams | 4:53 |
| 3. | "Silly" | Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams | 5:56 |
| 4. | "Strangers" | Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams | 6:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "What Two Can Do" | Thom Bell, Deniece Williams | 3:50 |
| 6. | "You're All That Matters" | Thom Bell, Preston Glass, Alan Glass, Deniece Williams | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Suspicious" | Thom Bell, Deniece Williams | 4:14 |
| 8. | "Sweet Surrender" | Thom Bell, Deniece Williams | 4:21 |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "It's Your Conscience" | Soul Singles | 45 | US |
| 1981 | "Silly" | Billboard Hot 100 | 53 | US |
| 1981 | "Silly" | Soul Singles | 11 | US |
| 1981 | "What Two Can Do" | Soul Singles | 17 | US |
Personnel
Musicians
- Deniece Williams – lead vocals
- Thom Bell – keyboards, backing vocals, arrangements and conductor
- George Merrill – keyboards, backing vocals
- Bobby Eli – guitar
- Bill Neale – guitar
- Bob Babbitt – bass guitar
- Charles Collins – drums
- Ed Shea – percussion
- Larry Washington – percussion
- Don Renaldo – strings, horns
- Carl Helm – backing vocals
Production
- Producers – Thom Bell and Deniece Williams
- Production Coordination – JoDee Omar and Bo Ryan
- Rhythm Tracks and Vocals engineered by Jim Gallagher and Don Murray.
- Strings and Horns engineered by Jim Gallagher and Arthur Stoppe.
- Mixed by Don Murray at Monterey Sound Studios (Glendale, CA).
- Mastered by Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
- Art Direction – Desmond Strobel
- Photography – Charles William Bush
- Fashions – Ann Taylor