El DeBarge (album)

Last updated
El DeBarge
Debarge.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 14, 1986
Recorded1985
Studio
  • Garden Rake, Sherman Oaks
  • Image Recording, Los Angeles
  • Studio 55, Los Angeles
  • Lion Share, Los Angeles
  • Bill Schnee Studios, North Hollywood
  • Conway, Hollywood
Genre R&B, soul
Label Gordy
Producer Peter Wolf, Jay Graydon
El DeBarge chronology
El DeBarge
(1986)
Gemini
(1989)
Singles from El DeBarge
  1. "Who's Johnny"
    Released: April 8, 1986
  2. "Love Always"
    Released: July 8, 1986
  3. "Someone"
    Released: December 1986

El DeBarge is the debut solo album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records (a sub-label of Motown) 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. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Tom Hull – on the Web B+ ( Five Pointed Star Solid.svg ) [5]

Jason Elias of AllMusic stated: "While the setup and idea are still exciting on paper, [the album] is a disappointment." He also stated that "the majority of the [...] tracks just don't do anything to enliven the product or accentuate his voice," and concluded by writing that "the fact that DeBarge didn't have a hand in producing or writing the songs all but made this ho-hum from the start."

Track listing

  1. "Who's Johnny" (Peter Wolf, Ina Wolf) – 4:11
  2. "Secrets Of The Night" (Albert Hammond, Diane Warren) – 4:20
  3. "I Wanna Hear It From My Heart" (Warren) – 4:25
  4. "Someone" (Jay Graydon, Mark Mueller, Robbie Nevil) – 4:45
  5. "When Love Has Gone Away" (Jack Conrad, Larry Henley) – 3:08
  6. "Private Line" (Diane Warren) – 3:48
  7. "Love Always" (Burt Bacharach, Bruce Roberts, Carole Bayer-Sager) – 5:32
  8. "Lost Without Her Love" (Randy Goodrum, Graydon) – 4:35
  9. "Thrill Of The Chase" (Alan Roy Scott, Roy Freeland, Gary Pickus) – 3:47
  10. "Don't Say It's Over" (Diane Warren) – 4:32

Personnel

Production

Studios

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [9] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. "El DeBarge - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard . Archived from the original on 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  2. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  3. Elias, Jason. El DeBarge - El DeBarge at AllMusic
  4. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 186.
  5. Hull, Tom (April 19, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  6. "El DeBarge Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  7. "El DeBarge Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  8. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  9. "American album certifications – El DeBarge – El DeBarge". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 18, 2021.