After 7 (After 7 album)

This article is about After 7's eponymous album. For the Lay Bankz album, see After 7 (Lay Bankz album).

After 7
Studio album by After 7
Released	August 22, 1989
Recorded	1988–1989
Studio	Elumba Studios, Studio Masters, Soundscape Studios, Galaxy Sound Studios
Genre	R&B
Length	35:24
Label	Virgin [1]
Producer	L.A. Reid, Babyface, De'Rock, Kayo
After 7 chronology
After 7 (1989) Takin' My Time (1992)
Singles from After 7
"Heat of the Moment" Released: 1989 "Ready or Not" Released: February 20, 1990 "Can't Stop" Released: May 16, 1990

After 7 is the debut album by After 7. ^{[2] [3]} Released in 1989, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on November 27, 1990, ^[4] and spawned two No. 1 R&B hits, "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop." Those songs also reached No. 7 and No. 6, on the Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that the album "benefits more from the ingenuity of producers L.A. Reid and BabyFace than from the skill of singers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds." ^[6]

Track listing

1. "Don't Cha' Think" – 3:59 (Don Parks, Daryl Simmons, Kayo)
2. "Heat of the Moment" – 4:27 (Babyface, L.A. Reid)
3. "Can't Stop" – 4:07 (Babyface, Reid)
4. "My Only Woman" – 4:41 (Kayo, Reid, Simmons)
5. "Love's Been So Nice" – 4:27 (Babyface, Parks)
6. "One Night" – 5:00 (Babyface, Reid)
7. "Ready or Not" – 4:35 (Babyface, Reid)
8. "Sayonara" – 4:03 (Babyface, Reid)

Personnel

• Keith Mitchell, Kevon Edmonds, Melvin Edmonds: Vocals
• L.A. Reid: Drums, percussion
• Babyface: Keyboards, bass
• Kayo: Moog bass, keyboards, drums, percussion
• Daryl Simmons: Keyboards, drums, percussion
• Donald Parks: Synthesizer programming (Fairlight CMI, Oberheim OB-8, Emulator II, Yamaha DX7)
• Dee Bristol, Kathy Hazzard, Lynn Mabry: Additional backing vocals

Production

• Tracks 1 and 4 arranged, produced and mixed by De'rock and Kayo. Recorded by David Rideau.
• Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 arranged and produced by L.A. & Babyface; tracks 2, 6 and 7 co-produced by De'rock and Kayo. Track 2 recorded by David Rideau and Tim Jacquette; mixed by Keith Cohen and L.A. Reid. Track 3 recorded by Jon Gass, Jon Gaggenheim and Keith Cohen; mixed by Keith Cohen. Track 5 recorded by Jon Gass; mixed by Barney Perkins, De'rock and Kayo. Track 6 recorded by David Rideau, Donnell Sullivan and Jon Gass; mixed by Keith Cohen. Track 7 recorded by Donnell Sullivan and Jon Gass; mixed by Barney Perkins. Track 8 recorded by Jon Gass; mixed by De'rock, Kayo and Keith Cohen.
• Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989–1991) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [7] 124 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [8] 35 US Billboard 200 [9] 35 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [10] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position US Billboard 200 [11] 64 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [12] 4

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 73.
2. "The Source |Melvin Edmonds Of Legendary R&B Group After 7 Gone at age 65". May 20, 2019.
3. "After 7 | Biography & History". AllMusic.
4. "Gold & Platinum: After 7 - RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 5, 2015.
5. Lytle, Craig (August 22, 1989). "After 7 - After 7". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
6. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 9.
7. "After 7 ARIA chart history (albums), received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 7, 2024– via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
8. "Charts.nz – After 7 – After 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
9. "After 7, TLP" . Billboard . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
10. "After 7, BLP" . Billboard . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
11. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
12. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
13. "American album certifications – After 7 – After 7". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved May 4, 2025.