Fe Real | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1992 | |||
Genre | Reggae | |||
Label | Charisma [1] | |||
Maxi Priest chronology | ||||
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Fe Real, stylized as fe Real, is the fifth studio album by the English musician Maxi Priest, released in 1992. [2] [3] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Reggae Album". [4] The title character of Terry McMillan's novel How Stella Got Her Groove Back listens to the album while on vacation in Jamaica. [5]
The album peaked at No. 60 on the UK Albums Chart, [6] at No. 130 on the Australian ARIA Chart, [7] and at No. 191 on the Billboard 200. [8]
The album was recorded in Jamaica, England, and the United States. [9] Many producers worked on the album, including Sly Dunbar. [10] [11] Junior Giscombe toasted on "Make My Day". [12]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [15] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | [16] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: "Built on a subtle foundation of reggae dance-hall riddems, Priest rides the Caribbean groove and never allows it to become monotonous—rare for the genre." [16] Rolling Stone considered "Hard to Get" "the best of the reggae-tinged tracks." [17] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution praised the "infectious mix of reggae and R&B arrangements." [18]
Three singles were released from the album. The first single was "Groovin' in the Midnight", [9] which reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart [6] and number 63 on the US Billboard Hot 100. [19] The second single from the album was "Just Wanna Know", released as a double A-side with the song "fe Real", which features British singer-songwriter Apache Indian. Despite sharing the same title, "fe Real" wasn't included on Priest's album of the same name, but is included on Apache Indian's debut album, No Reservations . The double A-sided single reached number 33 in the UK Singles Chart. [6] "One More Chance" was the third single released from the album, reaching number 40 in the UK. [6]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Can't Turn Away" |
| 5:02 |
2. | "Promises" |
| 4:02 |
3. | "Just Wanna Know (U.K. Mix)" |
| 3:50 |
4. | "Groovin' in the Midnight" |
| 4:58 |
5. | "Make My Day" |
| 4:54 |
6. | "Ten to Midnight" |
| 4:24 |
7. | "One More Chance" |
| 5:25 |
8. | "Sublime" |
| 5:35 |
9. | "Amazed Are We" |
| 4:47 |
10. | "Hard to Get" |
| 6:20 |
Steven Kapur, known by the stage name Apache Indian, is a British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ. He had a series of hits during the 1990s. He is best known in the UK for the song "Boom Shack-A-Lak", which reached the top ten during August 1993.
Diana King is a Jamaican singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They are best known for their hit 1995 single "Shy Guy" and their remake of "I Say a Little Prayer" which was featured on the soundtrack to My Best Friend's Wedding.
Max Alfred Elliott, known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one of the first international artists to have success in this genre, and one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all time.
Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD, better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in North America with his studio album Just Reality in 1990. He released other studio albums, including As Raw as Ever and X-tra Naked, which both won a Grammy Award as Best Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "Mr. Loverman" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs.
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.
"Wild World" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. It first appeared on his fourth album, Tea for the Tillerman (1970). Released as a single in September 1970 by Island Records and A&M Records, "Wild World" saw significant commercial success, garnering attention for its themes of love and heartbreak, and has been covered numerous times since its release. Maxi Priest and Mr. Big had successful cover versions of the song, released in 1988 and 1993.
"Don't Call Me Baby" is a song by Australian house music duo Madison Avenue, released as the first single from their only studio album, The Polyester Embassy (2000). Written by Cheyne Coates, Andy Van Dorsselaer, Duane Morrison, and Giuseppe Chierchia, the song includes a bassline sample from "Ma Quale Idea" by Italo disco artist Pino D'Angiò, which in turn is based on "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead.
No Reservations is the debut studio album by British-Asian musician Apache Indian, released in January 1993 by Island Records and their subsidiary Mango. The musician and singer recorded the album primarily in Jamaica's Tuff Gong studios with producers including Simon and Diamond, Bobby Digital, Phil Chill and Sly Dunbar. It follows, and includes, Apache Indian's 1990–91 singles – "Move Over India", "Chok There" and "Don Raja" – which saw him pioneer a fusion of Jamaican ragga and Indian bhangra later known as bhangramuffin.
"Informer" is a song by Canadian reggae musician Snow, released in August 1992 by East West Records as the first single from his debut album, 12 Inches of Snow (1993). The song is well known for the line "a licky boom boom down" and for Snow's fast toasting and often unintelligible lyrics.
"Close to You" is a song by English reggae singer Maxi Priest. It was released in 1990 as the lead single from his fifth album Bonafide (1990). "Close to You" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
"Luv Me, Luv Me" is a song by Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy. It was first released in 1998 with Janet Jackson credited as a featured artist. The song was re-recorded in 2000 with Samantha Cole's vocals after Jackson's label withheld the song from being included on Shaggy's next album. It was released in 2001 as the third official single from his 2000 album Hot Shot.
"I'm Not Giving You Up" is a 1996 song by Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, released as the third single from her seventh studio album, Destiny (1996). It was popular more by its single remix by Tony Moran, which later was included on Estefan's 2001 Greatest Hits Vol. II compilation instead of its original version. In the US, the song was released as a double single along with "Higher". In Europe, it was released to coincide with the European leg of Estefan's Evolution World Tour. "I'm Not Giving You Up" peaked at number 11 in Spain, number 28 in the UK and number 33 in Scotland. In the US, the song reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Mr. Loverman" is a song by Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks, released in 1992 and 1993 as a single by Epic Records. It reached number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles Chart, as well as becoming a top-20 hit in France, Germany and Ireland. The song was written by Ranks, Mikey Bennett and Hopeton Lindon. The music video for the song was directed by Fab 5 Freddy. Spex included "Mr. Loverman" in their "The Best Singles of the Century" list in 1999, and Q Magazine featured it in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003.
"Sweat (A La La La La Long)" is a song by Jamaican reggae fusion band Inner Circle, released in July 1992 by Warner Records as the lead single from their twelfth album, Bad to the Bone (1992). It was written by the band's Ian and Roger Lewis, and produced by them with another band member, Touter Harvey. Song was vocalised by a past member Calton Coffie. It became a number-one hit in Belgium, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe. In the US, it reached numbers 16 and 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. The accompanying music video, depicting the group on the beach, was directed by Mathias Julien. Australian music channel Max included "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" in their list "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2017.
"People Everyday" is a song by American hip hop group Arrested Development, released in July 1992 as the second single from their debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... (1992). The song reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the group's biggest hit in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in November 1992. The song also reached the top 10 on the charts of Australia, France, and New Zealand, peaking at number six in all three countries. NME ranked "People Everyday" number 38 in their list of "Singles of the Year" in December 1992.
"It Keeps Rainin'" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and pianist Fats Domino in 1961 and written by Domino, Dave Bartholomew and Bobby Charles. It was released in the US on Imperial 5753, and in the UK on London HLP-9374, as the B-side of "I Just Cry". The song was covered by Bitty McLean in 1993, becoming a chart success in Europe and New Zealand.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back is the soundtrack to the 1998 film, How Stella Got Her Groove Back. It was released on August 11, 1998, through Flyte Tyme Records and consisted mainly of R&B music. The album was entirely produced by the production duo, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with additional help from Wyclef Jean & Jerry Duplessis as well as Salaam Remi. The soundtrack peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was certified gold on September 22, 1998, by the RIAA. Two singles were released from the album, "Luv Me, Luv Me" and "Beautiful".
Bonafide is the fourth studio album by the English pop/reggae singer Maxi Priest. It was released in 1990 by Charisma Records. 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.
"That Girl" is a song by English reggae singer Maxi Priest featuring Jamaican reggae musician Shaggy. It was released on 10 June 1996 as the first single from Priest's sixth album, Man with the Fun (1996). The song samples the 1962 instrumental "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. "That Girl" reached the top 20 in at least eight countries, including the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Finnish Singles Chart, No. 4 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, No. 7 on the Australian Singles Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Just Keep Me Moving" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang, co-written with Ben Mink. It was featured in the 1993 film Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, starring Uma Thurman, as well as the soundtrack album. The single was released in November 1993 by Warner Bros. and Sire, and reached number six on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number seven on the Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary chart. In Europe, it peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart, but was more successful on the Music Week Airplay and Dance Singles charts, peaking at numbers 26 and 35. A music video was also produced to promote the single.