Heritage (Earth, Wind & Fire album)

Last updated
Heritage
Earth, Wind & Fire - Heritage.jpg
Studio album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedFebruary 17, 1990
Recorded1988-1989
Studio The Hit Factory (New York City, New York)
Genre
Length51:16
Label Columbia
Producer Maurice White
  • Frankie Blue
  • Les Pierce
  • Robert Brookins
  • Ian Prince
  • Bill Meyers
  • Morris "Butch" Stewart
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 2
(1988)		Heritage
(1990)		 The Eternal Dance
(1992)
Singles from Heritage
  1. "Heritage"
    Released: February 1990
  2. "For the Love of You"
    Released: May 1990
  3. "Wanna Be The Man"
    Released: August 1990

Heritage is the fifteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in February 1990 on Columbia Records, and was their final release of new music for the label. The album reached No. 19 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No.18 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart. [1] [2] [3] Heritage also got to No. 31 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart and No. 39 on both the Finland Suomen virallinen albumilista and the German Pop Albums chart. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Overview

Heritage was produced by Maurice White. White stated in an interview with the Associated Press that tributes are paid to Fats Waller and Charlie Parker on the album. He also added "The album was a germ in my mind, its very interesting watching it evolve and come to fruition. It starts as an idea, and all of a sudden its a giant thing. I was thinking, first of all of musical heritage, the things we had drawn from. And we wanted to bring to our fans attention things to appreciate, things to be drawn from." As well Heritage features guest appearances by artists such as Wanda Vaughn and Jeanette Hawes of The Emotions, Sly Stone, MC Hammer and The Boys. [1] [7] [8]

Singles

The title track features The Boys and reached No. 5 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. [9] The single, "For the Love of You" featuring MC Hammer, peaked at No. 19 on the same chart. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Spin (favourable) [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
People (favourable) [14]
LA Weekly (favourable) [15]
Boston Globe (favourable) [16]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Baltimore Sun (favourable) [18]
New York Daily News (favourable) [19]
USA Today (favourable) [20]
NME (9/10) [21]

Lynell George of LA Weekly scribed "Heritage doesn't eschew the familiar; we get horns, harmonies and the grand-scale opulence (most notably the finale, "Welcome"). There are the hidden heirlooms as well: Sly Stone's voice unfolds out of mothballs, he's wound tight and is especially raw and cranky. The whole is randomly interspersed with brief interludes "Soweto." "Bird," "Faith" representing Africa, the jazz tradition and unwavering religious allegiance, all cornerstones of the African-American experience. A little busy, hmmm?". [15] J.D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun declared "Earth, Wind & Fire has not only kept its sound current, but on Heritage actually seems invigorated by the process of change". [18] John Milward of Rolling Stone called Heritage "an album that finds these soulful survivors proving that their old-fashioned strengths can still sound fresh in the most modern sense of the word". [13] James T. Jones IV of USA Today exclaimed "The band made a comeback in '87 with Touch the World, but the new Heritage.. is better. EWF cockily flexes its muscles at musically inept teen rivals in instrumental interludes, but the first half is mainly rap-influenced..Die-hard EWF fans will prefer the second half. It showcases more of the group's characteristic vocal harmonies, horn-driven funk and thoughtful ballads." [20]

Pablo Guzmán of the New York Daily News praised the album, saying "What Maurice White, Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Andrew Woolfolk, and Ralph Johnson set out to accomplish two years ago by re-forming the band - to be taken seriously again as purveyors of new music - they have managed successfully, as the new album, "Heritage," shows". [19] Don Palmer of Spin noted "EWF's newest kicks with some genuine enthusiasm". [12] Simon Witter of NME wrote "Celebrity sidetracks aside, 'Heritage' is virtually flawless". Witter summed up his review of the album by exclaiming " 'Heritage' is a stunning album, a triumph of talent and creative openness over fickle fashion and the ravages of time." [21] Mitchell May of the Chicago Tribune, in a 3 out of 4-star review, found "For their latest album, Earth, Wind & Fire updates its sound in an attempt to win over a new audience largely unfamiliar with the hits that made the group an R&B giant in the '70s. The once mighty horn section has been reduced to a few perfunctory solos; Verdine White's thumping bass lines have been muted; and the band's two drummers have been ditched in favor of the synthesized drum-beats-from-a-can approach." [17] Paul Robicheau of The Boston Globe also described Heritage as a "fresh and funky outing". [16] As well Lynden Barber of The Sydney Morning Herald placed Heritage at No. 7 on his list of the top ten albums of 1990. [22]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Interlude: Soweto" Maurice White 0:36
2."Takin' Chances"Frankie Blue, Lestley R. Pierce3:30
3."Heritage (feat. The Boys)"Frankie Blue, Lestley R. Pierce, Maurice White4:05
4."Good Time (feat. Sly Stone)" Robert Brookins, Sly Stone, Maurice White4:05
5."Interlude: Body Wrap" 0:23
6."Anything You Want"Ian Prince4:46
7."Interlude: Bird" Gary Bias 0:36
8."Wanna Be the Man (feat. MC Hammer)"MC Hammer, Patterson, Sheldon Reynolds, Maurice White, Verdine White 4:20
9."Interlude: Close to Home" Lyle Mays 1:35
10."Daydreamin'"Victor Hill, Bernard Spears, Maurice White, Billy Young4:02
11."King of Groove"Morris Stewart5:21
12."I'm in Love"Victor Hill, Bernard Spears, Billy Young4:02
13."For the Love of You (feat. MC Hammer)"Robert Brookins, MC Hammer, Stephanie Mills, Maurice White4:27
14."Gotta Find Out*"Victor Hill, Bernard Spears, Billy Young4:10
15."Motor"Frankie Blue, Lestley R. Pierce, Maurice White3:44
16."Interlude: Faith"Billy Young1:01
17."Welcome" Ralph Johnson, Maurice White, Billy Young4:03
18."Soweto (Reprise)"Maurice White0:38

Personnel

Earth, Wind & Fire

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Singles
YearSingleChartPosition
1990"For the Love of You"Billboard Hot R&B Singles19
"Heritage"Billboard Hot R&B Singles5
Japanese Pop Singles (Oricon)4 [5]
"Wanna Be the Man"Billboard Hot R&B Singles46
Japanese Pop Singles (Oricon)65 [5]

Accolades

AuthorPublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
Lynden Barber Sydney Morning Herald AustraliaBlue Hot Numbers19907 [22]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". 45worlds.com.
  2. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage (Hot R&B/Hip Hop Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  3. 1 2 "Top British Soul Albums". No. 557. Blues & Soul. March 27, 1990.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  4. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage (GFK Top 100 Albums)". offiziellecharts.de.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  6. 1 2 Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Earth, Wind & Fire". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 69. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage. Columbia Records. February 1990.
  8. ↑ Italie, Hillel (January 24, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire finds its Heritage". Lawrence Journal World . Associated Press. p. 60 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire – Heritage". Billboard.com.
  10. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire: For The Love Of You". Billboard.com.
  11. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  12. 1 2 Palmer, Don (April 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire Heritage (Review)". Vol. 6, no. 1. Spin Magazine. p. 121.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  13. 1 2 Milward, John (March 22, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
  14. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Heritage". People.com. People. February 19, 1990.
  15. 1 2 George, Lynell (March 1, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. LA Weekly. p. 79.
  16. 1 2 Robicheau, Paul (February 15, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. Boston Globe. p. 104.
  17. 1 2 May, Mitchell (February 27, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
  18. 1 2 Considine, J.D. (February 16, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. Baltimore Sun. p. 105.
  19. 1 2 Guzman, Pablo (February 18, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 422.
  20. 1 2 Jones, James T (18 January 1990). "LISTEN UP!". USA TODAY. p. 4D. ProQuest   306292404.
  21. 1 2 Witter, Simon (March 17, 1990). Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage. NME. p. 39.
  22. 1 2 Lynden Barber (December 21, 1990). "Blue Hot Numbers". newspapers.com. Sydney Morning Herald.
  23. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Earth, Wind & Fire – Heritage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Earth, Wind & Fire – Heritage" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire, TLP" . Billboard . Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Earth, Wind & Fire, BLP" . Billboard . Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
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