Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade
1990 studio album by Soul II Soul
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Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade is the second album by British musical collective Soul II Soul. Released in 1990, it contains three UK hits: "Get a Life", which reached No. 3 in the UK singles chart (No. 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100), "A Dreams a Dream", which made No. 6 (No. 85 on the Hot 100), and "Missing You", which reached No. 22. The album reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in May 1990.
| Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 May 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989–90 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:23 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Soul II Soul chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade | ||||
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Vol. II was recorded following the departure of Caron Wheeler (the Soul II Soul collective's best known singer). Guest performers on this album include singers Kym Mazelle, Lamya, Marcia Lewis, and Victoria Wilson-James, saxophonist Courtney Pine and New York hip-hop scenester Fab 5 Freddy.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| NME | 9/10[5] |
| Record Mirror | 3/5[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Sounds | [9] |
| The Village Voice | A−[10] |
Reviewing Vol. II for Spin, Nathaniel Wice found Soul II Soul's music successful at communicating positivity "in a sly, critical way." "Soul II Soul's harmony," he wrote, "works because it is part of a movement defined in adversity to racism, materialism and Britain's attempts to regulate parties."[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get a Life" |
| 3:42 |
| 2. | "Love Come Through" | 4:30 | |
| 3. | "People" |
| 4:55 |
| 4. | "Missing You" |
| 5:24 |
| 5. | "Courtney Blows" |
| 4:33 |
| 6. | "1990 A New Decade" |
| 4:01 |
| 7. | "A Dreams a Dream" |
| 5:37 |
| 8. | "Time (Untitled)" |
| 6:05 |
| 9. | "In the Heat of the Night" |
| 3:39 |
| 10. | "Our Time Has Now Come" |
| 3:57 |
Personnel
- Jazzie B – musical director, co-producer, mixing, vocals on "Get a Life" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
- Nellee Hooper – co-producer, mixing
- Tony "Dobie" Campbell – assistant producer
- Howard Bernstein – engineer
- Marcia Lewis – vocals on "Get a Life", "People"
- Philip "Daddae" Harvey – vocals on "Get a Life"; guitars/percussion/keyboards (uncredited)
- Lamya Hafidh Sultan Al-Mugheiry – vocals on "Love Come Through" & "In the Heat of the Night"
- Kym Mazelle – vocals on "Missing You"
- Courtney Pine – saxophone on "Courtney Blows"
- Pinise Saul – vocals on "1990 A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
- Sonti Mndebele – vocals on "1990 A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
- Nomsa Caluza – vocals on "1990 A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
- Bambi Fazakerley – vocals on "1990 A New Decade" & "Our Time Has Now Come"
- Victoria Wilson-James – vocals on "A Dreams a Dream"
- Fred "Fab 5 Freddy" Brathwaite – vocals on "Our Time Has Now Come"
- Simon Law – keyboards (uncredited)
- Michael McEvoy – piano on "People", "A Dreams a Dream" & "Time"; keyboards on "Love Come Through" & "Missing You"
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[26] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[27] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||