...If I Ever Fall in Love

Last updated
...If I Ever Fall in Love
Shai - ...If I Ever Fall in Love.jpg
Studio album by
Shai
ReleasedDecember 22, 1992
Recorded1991–1992
Genre R&B
Length49:00
Label MCA
Producer
  • Carl "Groove" Martin
  • Marc Gay
  • Darnell VanRensalier
Shai chronology
...If I Ever Fall in Love
(1992)		 Right Back at Cha
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Robert Christgau B− [2]
Entertainment Weekly B− [3]
Music Week Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]

...If I Ever Fall in Love is the debut album of American R&B group Shai, released December 22, 1992, on MCA Records. It was produced by group members Carl "Groove" Martin and Darnell Van Rensalier.

Contents

The album produced three hit singles, "If I Ever Fall in Love", "Comforter", and "Baby I'm Yours". On January 13, 1994, ...If I Ever Fall in Love was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of two million copies in the United States. [7] Although it performed well commercially, the album received generally mixed reviews from music critics.

Reception

Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "crisp, precise harmonies that imply explosive vocal power but display few pyrotechnics", adding that "Shai joins the spiritual yearnings of Take Six with the secular pull of Boyz II Men". [6] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly found its hip hop and new jack swing-oriented songs "fussy [and] unconvincing", but praised the group's crooning and stated, "They wrap their voices like a thick shag carpet around the choruses of the album's languorous, starry-eyed ballads". [3]

However, in his consumer guide for The Village Voice , critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B− rating and named it "dud of the month", [2] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought". [8] Christgau found the group's singing "indifferent" and panned them as having "no class and no sense of humor; they're too smarmy and too slow", adding that "They epitomize the difference between seduction and betrayal--between shared lie and imposed illusion, rascal and bounder, rogue and complete asshole. There's not a winning wink on the entire album". [2] In a retrospective review, Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars and stated, "Apart from the gorgeous title track, most of the material on ...If I Ever Fall in Love is underdeveloped; although Shai sound terrific, their material doesn't match their vocal talents". [1]

Track listing

...If I Ever Fall in Love track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Sexual Interlude"
  • Carl "Groove" Martin
  • Marc Gay
Carl "Groove" Martin2:15
2."Comforter"
  • Martin
  • Gay
  • Darnell Van Rensalier
Martin4:10
3."If I Ever Fall in Love" (Remix)MartinMartin4:49
4."Sexual"
  • Martin
  • Gay
Martin5:31
5."Together Forever"GayGay5:14
6."If I Ever Fall in Love" (Original a cappella version)MartinMartin3:09
7."Flava"
  • Martin
  • Gay
  • Garfield Bright
  • Van Rensalier
Shai3:52
8."Baby I'm Yours"
  • Martin
  • Gay
Martin4:34
9."Waiting for the Day"
Martin4:45
10."Changes"
  • Gay
  • Van Rensalier
  • Gay
  • Van Rensalier
4:30
11."Don't Wanna Play"
  • Bright
  • Gay
  • Van Rensalier
  • Bright
  • Van Rensalier
  • Gay
5:06
12."Lord I've Come"
  • Van Rensalier
  • Gay
  • Bright
Shai0:57

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for ...If I Ever Fall in Love
Chart (1993)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [9] 24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [10] 21
US Billboard 200 [11] 6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [12] 3

Certifications

Certifications for ...If I Ever Fall in Love
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [7] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comforter (song)</span> 1993 single by Shai

"Comforter" is a song by Shai, issued as the second single from their debut studio album ...If I Ever Fall in Love. The song was written by group members Carl Martin, Darnell Van Rensalier and Marc Gay, with Martin also handling production. The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold on July 28, 1993 for sales of 500,000 copies.

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (August 1, 2003). ...If I Ever Fall in Love - Shai: Review. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
  2. 1 2 3 Christgau, Robert (April 6, 1993). Consumer Guide Apr. 6, 1993. The Village Voice . Village Voice Media. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
  3. 1 2 Browne, David (January 29, 1993). ...If I Ever Fall in Love Review | Music Reviews and News. Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
  4. ↑ Jones, Alan (January 30, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums — Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week . p. 11. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  5. ↑ Wood, Sam (February 9, 1993). "808 State Defies the Odds Again with a Consistently Fine Album". Philadelphia Inquirer .
  6. 1 2 Shai - ...If I Ever Fall In Love CD Album. Muze. CD Universe. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
  7. 1 2 "American album certifications – Shai – If I Ever Fall in Love". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  8. ↑ Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). CG 90s: Key to Icons. Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
  9. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Shai %5BUS%5D – If I Ever Fall in Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Shai %5BUS%5D – If I Ever Fall in Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Shai Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Shai Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
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