Chaka (album)

Last updated
Chaka
Chaka Khan - Chaka (1978 album).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 12, 1978
Studio Atlantic Recording Studios (New York City)
Length43:11
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Arif Mardin
Chaka Khan chronology
Street Player
(1978)
Chaka
(1978)
Masterjam
(1979)
Singles from Chaka
  1. "I'm Every Woman"
    Released: September 26, 1978
  2. "Life is a Dance"
    Released: January 17, 1979

Chaka is the debut solo album by American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on October 12, 1978, through Warner Bros. Records. Following the release of the Chaka album, Khan reunited with Rufus for the recording of 1979's Masterjam , produced by Quincy Jones. Her second solo album Naughty followed in 1980.

Contents

Promotion

Two singles were released from Chaka, the first being her anthemic solo debut "I'm Every Woman," which would become one of Khan's signature tunes alongside "Ain't Nobody" (1983) and "I Feel For You" (1984). [1] The song has over the past three decades been re-released, remixed and covered a number of times, most notably by Whitney Houston in 1992 for the soundtrack album The Bodyguard , then featuring guest vocals by Khan herself and topping Billboard 's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. A remix of Khan's original recording was also a Top-Ten hit in the U.K. in 1989. The remix was included on the compilation Life is a Dance - The Remix Project , the title track of which was the second single release from the Chaka album in early 1979 (US R&B number 40). The album also features the ballad "Roll Me Through The Rushes", never commercially released as a single but still receiving considerable airplay in 1979, as well as Khan's cover version of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her", re-titled "I Was Made to Love Him".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide B [3]

AllMusic editor Andy Kellman called the album "a near-total break from Rufus." He found that although "I'm Every Woman" "overshadows everything else on Chaka, the album is full of outstanding performances and a broad range of strong material pulled together by Arif Mardin. It's a near-total break from Rufus. The only connections are Tony Maiden's guitar solo on a gender-switched cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her" and writing input from a few Rufus collaborators." [2] Robert Christgau wrote that "Mardin and the usual En Why studio funkies lay down a heavier bottom for Ms. Rufus than her El Lay street bottom for Ms. Rufus than her El Lay street players have in years. She's expressing herself by looking for songs, too, but while every one gives her something to say, only Ashford & Simpson's "I'm Every Woman" is up to her human potential." [3]

Commercial performance

Chaka debuted at number 111 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 4, 1978, and eventually peaked at number 12 on December 16, 1978. [4] It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 14, 1978. [5]

Track listing

Chaka track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm Every Woman"4:07
2."Love Has Fallen on Me"
4:52
3."Roll Me Through the Rushes"
4:42
4."Sleep on It"
  • Andrew Kastner
  • Larry John McNally
4:21
5."Life Is a Dance" Gavin Christopher 4:20
6."We Got the Love" (duet with George Benson)Benson3:27
7."Some Love"
  • Khan
  • Keith Boyd, Jr.
  • Traude Sapik
  • Mark Stevens
5:50
8."A Woman in a Man's World"
  • Kastner
  • McNally
3:56
9."The Message in the Middle of the Bottom" Lalomie Washburn 4:15
10."I Was Made to Love Him" Henry Cosby, Lula Mae Hardaway, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder 3:23

Personnel

Performers and musicians

Technical

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Chaka
Chart (1978–2024)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] 74
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [7] 50
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) [8] 5
US Billboard 200 [4] 12
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [9] 2

Certifications

Certifications for Chaka
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [5] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. Leech, Jeanette (March 22, 2024). "I'm Every Woman: The Story". thisisdig.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. 1 2 https://www.allmusic.com/album/r42218/review
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 28, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  4. 1 2 "Chaka Khan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "American album certifications – Chaka Khan – Chaka". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  6. "Australiancharts.com – Chaka Khan – What Cha' Gonna Do for Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Chaka Khan – What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  8. "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 13. hét". MAHASZ . Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  9. "Chaka Khan Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2024.