Shake You Down (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Atlantic Studios, Unique Recording Studios and Grabbitt Studios (New York City, New York)
- Sonic Sound (Freepoint, New York)
| Shake You Down | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–86 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:35 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Gregory Abbott | |||
| Gregory Abbott chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Shake You Down | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[5] |
Shake You Down is the debut album by American R&B singer-songwriter Gregory Abbott. It was self-written and produced by Abbott, being released by Columbia Records in 1986.
In the US, two singles were released from the record (Europe saw a third single-release with "You're My Angel"); the title track was a massive hit single, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. The other, "I Got The Feelin' (It's Over)" was an R&B hit as well, reaching number 5 on that chart. On the strength of the singles, the album went platinum; it reached that certification on February 2, 1987.
The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said that Abbott tries to be "a great love man without a great voice", but "by reinventing a black pop of modest means, he takes a first step toward returning that great crossover in the sky to the people."[5]
AllMusic's Craig Lytle retrospectively gave the recording 4 of 5 stars, saying it "has an even flow. All the tracks have that mid-tempo rhythm. The quality vocals, light production touches, and effervescent melodies are attractive attributes."[4]
Track listing
All songs written and produced by Gregory Abbott. (copyright CBS Songs/Control)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Got the Feelin' (It's Over)" | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Say You Will" | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Shake You Down" | 4:03 |
| 4. | "You're My Angel" | 3:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Magic" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Wait Until Tomorrow" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Rhyme and Reason" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "I'll Find a Way" | 4:07 |
Personnel
- Gregory Abbott – lead vocals, backing vocals, keyboards, drums (1, 4, 6–8), percussion, arrangements
- Alan Palanker – keyboards, co-arrangements (2–5, 7, 8)
- Marlon Graves – guitars
- T.M. Stevens – bass
- David Beal – drums (2, 3, 5)
- John Licitra – flute, saxophones
- Aida Foreman – backing vocals
- Robert Deadmon – backing vocals (3)
Production
- Charles Koppelman – executive producer
- Gregory Abbott – producer
- Gerry Comito – engineer, recording
- Mark Larson – design
- Raul Vega – photography
