Bonafide (Maxi Priest album)

Bonafide
Studio album by Maxi Priest
Released	29 June 1990
Recorded	1989−90
Studio	Music Works Recording Studio, Penthouse Studios and Mixing Lab Studio (Kingston, Jamaica) Groove Music (Ocho Rios, Jamaica) Livingston Studios, Roundhouse Studios, Lillie Yard Studio, Terminal 24 Studios, Britannia Row Studios, First Protocol Studios and Maison Rouge Studios (London, England) The Pink Museum (Liverpool, England)
Genre	Reggae fusion pop R&B soul
Length	53:07
Label	Charisma
Producer	Phil Bodger Geoffrey Chung Augustus "Gussie" Clarke Peter D. Sly Dunbar Donovan Germain Nellee Hooper Jazzie B Carlton Ogilvie Handel Tucker
Maxi Priest chronology
Maxi / Maxi Priest (1987) Bonafide (1990) Best of Me (1991)
Singles from Bonafide
"Close to You" Released: 8 July 1990 "Peace Throughout the World" Released: 1990 "Human Work of Art" Released: December 1990 "Just a Little Bit Longer" Released: 1991 "Space in My Heart" Released: 1991

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Robert Christgau	C+ [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

Bonafide is the fourth studio album by the English pop/reggae singer Maxi Priest. ^{[6] [7]} It was released in 1990 by Charisma Records. ^[8] The album peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, while its biggest hit, "Close to You", was a smash, peaking at number one that year.

Three other singles were issued: "Human Work of Art" ("Close to You"'s predecessor, which did not chart in the US), "Just a Little Bit Longer" (a minor hit at 62) and "Space in My Heart" (failed to chart). However, the success of "Close to You" (a gold single on 30 October 1990) drove the album to gold status, which it received on 30 January 1991 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Critical reception

The AllMusic review by Ron Wynn stated: "Priest scored a #1 pop hit with 'Close to You' from this album, which is more pop/R&B with a reggae touch than it is real reggae." ^[1] The Los Angeles Times wrote that the album "avoids the scattershot syndrome that often afflicts projects with multiple producers." ^[9] The Milwaukee Sentinel called Bonafide a "tour de force" and "smooth, seductive, stylistic and very, very addictive." ^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Just a Little Bit Longer"	Handel Tucker	4:23
2.	"Close to You"	Max Elliott Gary Benson Winston Sela	5:25
3.	"Never Did Say Goodbye"	Elliott Ian Green Jean-Paul Maunick	4:05
4.	"Best of Me"	Elliott Peter Hunnigale	3:38
5.	"Space in My Heart"	David Austin Elliott	3:41
6.	"Human Work of Art"	Michael Leeson Peter Vale	4:09
7.	"Temptress"	Mikey Bennett Hopeton Lindo	5:06
8.	"Peace Throughout the World" (featuring Jazzie B)	Elliott Maunick	4:38
9.	"You"	Elliott Benson Sela	4:29
10.	"Sure Fire Love"	Elliott Phil Radford Peter Yellowstone	3:54
11.	"Life"	Elliott Paul Robinson	4:15
12.	"Prayer for the World"	Jimmy Scott Frank Musker	5:17

Personnel

• Maxi Priest – vocals, backing vocals (3)
• Handel Tucker – keyboards (1-4, 10-12), drum programming (1), arrangements (1-4, 10-12), bass (2), keyboard bass (11)
• Robbie Lyn – keyboard bass (1), synthesizers (7), keyboards (9)
• Peter D. Rose – keyboards (3, 12), keyboard bass (3), drums (3, 12), drum programming (3, 12)
• Martyn Phillips – keyboards (5, 8)
• Carlton "Bubblers" Ogilvie – keyboards (6), drums (6), drum programming (6), arrangements (6)
• Danny Browne – acoustic piano (7), keyboards (7), guitars (7)
• Leo Grant – keyboards (9, 11)
• Stanley Andrew – guitars (6)
• Leroy "Mafia" Heywood – bass (1, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12)
• Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson – bass (7)
• Robbie Shakespeare – bass (12)
• Sly Dunbar – drums (2-4, 10-12), drum programming (2-4, 10-12), arrangements (2-4, 10-12)
• Nellee Hooper – drums (5, 8), drum programming (5, 8), arrangements (5, 8)
• Cleveland "Clevie" Browne – drums (7)
• Erskine Thompson – vibraphone (3)
• Luís Jardim – percussion (5, 8)
• Rass Brass – horns (1)
• Ray Carless – saxophones (4)
• Dennis Rollins – trombone (4)
• Barbara Snow – trumpet (4)
• Howard Ball – violin (5)
• Bill Benham – violin (5)
• Dean Fraser – vocal arrangements (1, 7), horns (9)
• Geoffrey Chung – arrangements (2-4, 10-12)
• Jazzie B – arrangements (5, 8), DJ (8)
• The Music Works Crew – arrangements (7)
• Brian and Tony Gold – backing vocals (1, 7)
• Nadine Sutherland – backing vocals (1, 12)
• Paul Robinson – backing vocals (2-4, 10, 11)
• Janice Hoyle – backing vocals (4)
• Beverley Skeete – backing vocals (4, 6, 10)
• Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals (5)
• Cleveland Watkiss – backing vocals (5)
• Donald Campbell – backing vocals (6)
• Toyin Adekale – backing vocals (8)
• Derrick Cross – backing vocals (8)
• Kimberley James – backing vocals (8)
• Pam Hall – backing vocals (12)
• J.C. Lodge – backing vocals (12)
• Stanley "Stanrick" Ricketts – backing vocals (12)
• Gavin "Fullness" Sant – backing vocals (12)
• Junior Tucker – backing vocals (12)

Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra on "Close to You"

• Mykell Riley – string contractor
• Ellen Blair, Pamela Crawford, Ivan Hussey, Stephen Hussey, Sara Lorwenthal, Yolisa Phahle and John Taylor – string players

Production

• Maxi Priest – executive producer, additional production (9, 10)
• Erskine Thompson – executive producer
• Augustus "Gussie" Clarke – producer (1, 7)
• Geoffrey Chung – producer (2-4, 10-12)
• Sly Dunbar – producer (2-4, 10-12)
• Handel Tucker – producer (2-4, 10-12)
• Phil Bodger – additional production (2, 3, 11)
• Peter D. Rose – additional production (3)
• Nellee Hooper – producer (5, 8)
• Beresford "Jazzie B" Romero – producer (5, 8)
• Carlton Ogilvie – producer (6), additional production (7)
• Paul Rabiger – additional production (7)
• Donovan Germaine – producer (8)
• Leroy "Mafia" Heywood – additional production (9, 10)
• Stylorouge – art direction, design
• Eamon J. McCabe – photography
• Level Vibes Ltd. – management

Technical

• Sylvester Gordon – recording (1, 7)
• Courtney Small – recording (1, 7)
• Paul Rabiger – mix engineer (1, 4, 6, 9, 12), mixing (4, 6, 7, 12), remix engineer (7), remixing (9), recording (12)
• Jeremy Allom – recording (2-4, 10-12)
• Phil Bodger – mixing (2, 3, 11), mix engineer (2, 3, 11)
• Dominic Robson – recording (3)
• Peter D. Rose – mixing (3, 12)
• Nellee Hooper – mixing (5, 8)
• Jazzie B – mixing (5, 8)
• Guy Fixsen – recording (6)
• Marcus Lindsey – recording (6)
• Carlton Ogilvie – mixing (7)
• Ruddy Thomas – recording (9)
• Steven Stanley – mixing (10)
• William Stuart – recording (12)
• Leo Grant – mix assistant (2, 12), mix engineer (10)

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Australia ARIA Charts [11]	25
UK Albums Chart [12]	11
US Billboard 200 [13]	47

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [14]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [15]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Wynn, R. AllMusic Review Archived 16 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine accessed July 4, 2012
2. May, Mitchell (20 September 1990). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. Tempo. p. 8.
3. "Robert Christgau: CG: Maxi Priest". www.robertchristgau.com.
4. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 647.
5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 560–561.
6. "Maxi Priest | Biography & History". AllMusic.
7. Norment, Lynn (February 1991). "Sounding Off". Ebony. 46 (4): 14.
8. "Jet's Top 20 Albums". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 5 November 1990 – via Google Books.
9. Snowden, Don (21 February 1991). "Reggae's Maxi Priest Wins Mainstream Favor". Los Angeles Times. p. F7.
10. Tanzilo, Robert (14 September 1990). "`Bonafide' success". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 14.
11. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
12. "MAXI PRIEST | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
13. "Maxi Priest". Billboard. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021.
14. "British album certifications – Maxi Priest – Bonafide". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 24 December 2020.
15. "American album certifications – Maxi Priest – Bonafide". Recording Industry Association of America.