| Breakin' Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 30, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Studio | Dawnbreaker, San Fernando, California | |||
| Genre | Crossover jazz, rhythm and blues, funk | |||
| Length | 41:07 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Jay Graydon | |||
| Al Jarreau chronology | ||||
| ||||
Breakin' Away is an album by Al Jarreau, released on June 30, 1981, through the Warner Bros. Records label. To quote AllMusic, "Breakin' Away became the standard bearer of the L.A. pop and R&B sound." [1]
Breakin' Away remains Al Jarreau's most popular album. It spent two years on the Billboard 200 and peaked at #9. [3] The album also hit #1 on both the Jazz and R&B charts.
Four single releases made the charts: "We're in This Love Together", "Breakin' Away", "Teach Me Tonight", and "Roof Garden", the latter being only released in The Netherlands, Belgium and France.
At the Grammy Awards in 1982 the album was given the prize for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, while "(Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo à la Turk" received the award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male. The album was also nominated for Album of the Year.
| Chart (1982–83) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [4] | 80 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [5] | 3 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [6] | 7 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [7] | 36 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [8] | 9 |
| US Billboard 200 [9] | 9 |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard) [10] | 23 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [11] | 1 |
| Year End Chart (1982) | Peak position [12] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 21 |
| R&B | 13 |
| Jazz | 1 |
All tracks written by Tom Canning, Jay Graydon and Al Jarreau, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Closer to Your Love" | 3:54 | |
| 2. | "My Old Friend" | Steve George, John Lang, Richard Page | 4:26 |
| 3. | "We're in This Love Together" | Roger Murrah, Keith Stegall | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Easy" | 5:23 | |
| 5. | "Our Love" | 3:53 | |
| 6. | "Breakin' Away" | 4:12 | |
| 7. | "Roof Garden" | 6:19 | |
| 8. | "(Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo à la Turk" | Dave Brubeck | 4:44 |
| 9. | "Teach Me Tonight" | Sammy Cahn, Gene De Paul | 4:13 |
Lionel Richie is the debut solo studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on October 6, 1982, on Motown Records. Originally intended as a side project at the suggestion of Motown, it was recorded and released while Richie was still a member of the Commodores; he left the group shortly after the album's release. The first single from the album, "Truly", topped the Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up single "You Are" reached number four, and "My Love" reached number five. The album reached number one on the Cashbox albums chart on December 11, 1982.
Can't Slow Down is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lionel Richie. It was released on October 14, 1983, by Motown Records.
Silk Electric is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1982, by RCA Records. It was Ross' second of six albums released by the label during the decade. It reached No. 27 on the US Billboard 200, No. 33 in the UK Albums Chart and the Top 20 in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. The album cover was designed by Andy Warhol.
Extensions is the fifth studio album by the Manhattan Transfer, released on October 31, 1979, by Atlantic Records.
Mecca for Moderns is the sixth studio album by the Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1981 by Atlantic Records.
El DeBarge is the debut album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records and featured the three hit singles, "Who's Johnny," which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Love Always," which reached #43, and "Someone," which was a Top 20 Billboard A/C hit and made it to #70 on the Hot 100. Singer/actress Vanity featured on backing vocals on the track, "Secrets Of The Night". This album was certified by RIAA as gold in September, 1986, selling over 500,000 copies.
They Don't Make Them Like They Used To is the nineteenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Rogers, released in 1986 through RCA Records. The album hit the top 20 on the country charts with the single "Twenty Years Ago" peaked at number two.
Rhythm of the Night is the fourth studio album by DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on March 14, 1985. It reached #19 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the R&B Album Chart. The album was also certified Gold by the RIAA.
This Time is the fourth studio album by Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, released in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The release marked a change in Jarreau's sound to a more R&B-oriented flavor. As a result, the album achieved more success on the mainstream charts than his previous works, while also topping the Jazz Charts. It also reached No. 6 on the R&B charts and No. 27 on the Billboard 200." In 1981 "Never Givin' Up" gave Jarreau a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.
Best Kept Secret is the fourth album by Scottish singer Sheena Easton. It was released in 1983 on EMI Records.
Friends in Love is a studio album by the American singer Dionne Warwick. It was released by Arista Records on April 14, 1982, in the United States. Her third album for the label, it was recorded during the winter of 1981-82, with production by Jay Graydon. It peaked at number 87 on the US Billboard 200. Singles from the album include the title track, a duet with singer Johnny Mathis, which made the Top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and follow-up "For You," which peaked at number 14 on the adult contemporary chart.
Born to Love is a 1983 studio album of duets by American singers Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. It was released by Bryson's label Capitol Records on July 22, 1983, in the United States. The album yielded the hit single "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. The track "Maybe" was written and recorded for the film Romantic Comedy (1983).
Heartlight is the fifteenth studio album by Neil Diamond. It was released in August 1982 on Columbia Records. The album spent 34 weeks on the charts and peaked at #9. For shipments of a million copies it was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Two Eyes is the third studio album by the American singer/songwriter Brenda Russell, released in 1983 on Warner Bros. Records. The album got to No. 16 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart.
20/20 is a studio album by George Benson, released on the Warner Bros. record label in 1985. The lead single by the same name reached #48 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. "You Are the Love of My Life" is a duet with Roberta Flack; it was one of numerous songs used for Eden Capwell and Cruz Castillo on the American soap opera Santa Barbara. Also included on 20/20 is the original version of the song "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" which would later become a smash hit for Hawaiian singer Glenn Medeiros.
Givin' It Up is a collaborative album by American musicians George Benson and Al Jarreau, released on October 24, 2006, by Concord Records. It contains songs previously recorded by both artists and original music. Other vocalists and musicians featured are Jill Scott, Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Abe Laboriel, Chris Botti, Marcus Miller, and Paul McCartney. This project also includes standards by Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke, pop songs by Seals and Crofts and Daryl Hall along with the jazz-swing "Four" by Miles Davis, and "Ordinary People" by John Legend.
Jarreau is the sixth studio album by Al Jarreau, released in 1983. It was his third consecutive #1 album on the Billboard Jazz charts, while also placing at #4 on the R&B album charts and #13 on the Billboard 200. In 1984 the album received four Grammy Award nominations, including for Jay Graydon as Producer of the Year (Non-Classical).
High Crime is the seventh studio album by Al Jarreau, released in 1984. While slightly lower in the charts than his 1981 Breakin' Away and 1983 Jarreau release, this album scored in the top 10 on the Billboard Jazz charts and top 50 in the Billboard 200. In 1986 the album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. The album was certified Gold in 1986.
Tenderness is a live album by Al Jarreau, released in 1994 by Reprise Records. Although officially a live album, it was recorded in studio in front of an invited audience. The album is a compilation of some of Jarreau's older recordings like "We Got By" and "You Don't See Me", covers of artists such as Elton John and Carole King and the Beatles, and more recent pieces from Jarreau's catalogue.
Heart's Horizon is a studio album by American singer and musician Al Jarreau. It was released in 1988 through Reprise Records. It reached No. 75 on the Billboard 200.
