If I Were Your Woman (Stephanie Mills album)

If I Were Your Woman
Studio album by Stephanie Mills
Released	June 1, 1987
Recorded	1986–1987
Studio	Alpha International Studios (Philadelphia, PA); Celestial Sound Studios, Greene St. Recording, Quadrasonic Studios, Sigma Sound and Unique Recording Studios (New York City, NY); Cherokee Studios and Sound Castle Recorders (Los Angeles, CA); Baby O'Recorders (Hollywood, CA); Mama Jo's Studio and Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, CA); Battery Studios (London, UK).
Genre	R&B soul
Length	39:58
Label	MCA
Producer	Nick Martinelli Ron Kersey Paul Laurence Robert Brookins La La Wayne Brathwaite Davy D Russell Simmons
Stephanie Mills chronology
Stephanie Mills (1985) If I Were Your Woman (1987) Home (1989)
Singles from If I Were Your Woman
"I Feel Good All Over" Released: 1987 "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" Released: 1987 "Secret Lady" Released: 1988 "If I Were Your Woman" Released: 1988

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The New York Times	(favorable) [2]

If I Were Your Woman is the eleventh studio album by American recording artist Stephanie Mills, released on June 1, 1987, on MCA Records. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. If I Were Your Woman was also certified Gold and Platinum in the US by the RIAA. ^{[3] [4]}

Critical reception

Robert K. Oermann of USA Today ranked this album at No. 26 on his list of 1987's top 50 R&B albums. ^[5]

Singles

A song from the LP called I Feel Good All Over reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Dance Single Sales chart. ^{[6] [7]} Another single called (You're Puttin') A Rush on Me peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 15 on the Billboard Dance Single Sales chart. ^{[8] [9]} A remix of (You're Puttin') A Rush on Me peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. ^[10] The album's title track also reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot Soul Songs chart. ^[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Feel Good All Over"	Gabriel Hardeman Annette Hardeman	Nick Martinelli	5:02
2.	"If I Were Your Woman"	Clay McMurray Pamela Sawyer Gloria Jones	Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey	4:36
3.	"(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me"	Timmy Allen Paul Laurence	Laurence	5:52
4.	"Jesse"	Robert Brookins Tony Haynes	Brookins	5:17
5.	"Secret Lady"	Mills Howard Grate	LaForrest "La La "Cope	5:25
6.	"Touch Me Now"	Mills Barry J. Eastmond Terry Alexander Wayne Brathwaithe	Brathwaithe	4:54
7.	"Running for Your Love"	Mills Brathwaithe Alexander	Brathwaithe	4:33
8.	"Can't Change My Way"	David Reeves Mills	Davy D Russell Simmons	4:28

Personnel

• Stephanie Mills – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 3, 6, 7)
• Donald Robinson – acoustic piano (1), Rhodes piano (1)
• Randy Cantor – synthesizers (1)
• Ron Kersey – keyboards (2), programming (2)
• Paul Laurence – all other instruments (3)
• Robert Brookins – keyboards (4), programming (4)
• George Duke – acoustic piano (4)
• Barry Eastmond – keyboards (5), pianos (6)
• LaForrest "La La" Cope – keyboards (5), arrangements (5)
• V. Jeffrey Smith – synthesizers (5), additional programming (5), rhythm arrangements (5)
• Skip Anderson – acoustic piano (7)
• Keith Andes – additional synthesizers (7)
• Davy D – all instruments (8)
• Randy Bowland – guitars (1)
• Herb Smith – guitars (2)
• Kevin Chokan – guitars (4)
• Ira Siegel – guitars (5, 6)
• Mike Campbell – guitars (7)
• Doug Grigsby – bass (1)
• Freddie Washington – bass (2)
• Timmy Allen – bass (3)
• Wayne Braithwaite – bass (5, 6, 7), synthesizers (7), drum programming (7)
• Darryl Burgee – drums (1), percussion (1)
• John Paris – drum overdubs (4)
• Yogi Horton – drums (5)
• Terry Silverlight – drums (6)
• Jimmy Maelen – percussion (5)
• Bashiri Johnson – percussion (6)
• Nick Martinelli – arrangements (1)
• Edith Wint – string contractor (6)
• Richard Henrickson – concertmaster (6)
• Cynthia Biggs – backing vocals (1)
• Deborah Dukes – backing vocals (1)
• Annette Hardeman – backing vocals (1)
• Gabriel Hardeman – backing vocals (1), arrangements (1)
• Charlene Holloway – backing vocals (1)
• Gordon Scott – backing vocals (1)
• Alex Brown – backing vocals (2, 4, 6, 7, 8), BGV arrangements (2, 4-7)
• Lynn Davis – backing vocals (2)
• Vesta Williams – backing vocals (2)
• Marva King – backing vocals (4)
• Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (4)
• Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals (6, 7, 8)
• Maxine Waters – backing vocals (6, 7, 8)
• Cliff Branch – backing vocals (7)

Technical

• Taavi Mote – remix engineer
• Hill Swimmer – engineer (1)
• Erik Zobler – engineer (2)
• Ron Banks – engineer (3)
• Louil Silas Jr. – remixing (3, 5)
• Mitch Gibson – engineer (4)
• Tommy Vicari – engineer (4, 8)
• Philip Walters – engineer (4)
• Carl Beatty – engineer (5)
• Fernando Kral – engineer (5, 6)
• Cassandra Mills – remixing (5)
• John Convertino – engineer (6, 7)
• Acar Key – engineer (6, 7)
• Brian Max – engineer (6, 7)
• Barbara Milne – engineer (6, 7)
• Bryan "Chuck" New – engineer (6, 7)
• Jon Smith – engineer (6, 7)

Design

• Cassandra Mills – executive producer, album concept
• Stephanie Mills – executive producer, album concept
• September – art direction, design
• Ron Slenzak – photography
• Jeffrey Beaton – make-up
• James Gibson – hair stylist

Charts

Year	Chart	Peak position
1987	US Billboard 200	30
	US Billboard Top R&B Albums	1

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions [12]
		US Pop	US R&B	US Dance	UK
1987	"I Feel Good All Over"	—	1	—	—
	"(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me"	85	1	23	62
	"Secret Lady"	—	7	—	—
1988	"If I Were Your Woman"	—	19	—	—

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1987 (U.S.)

References

1. If I Were Your Woman review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
2. Holden, Stephen (July 6, 1986). "BLACK FEMALE VOCALISTS BANISH FORMULA POP". The New York Times .
3. Stephanie Mills (1987). If I Were Your Woman (album). MCA Records.
4. "Stephanie Mills: If I Were Your Woman". riaa.com. RIAA.
5. K. Oermann, Robert (December 31, 1987). "I'm looking over the albums that shook my soul in 1987". USA Today – via newsbank.com.
6. "Stephanie Mills: I Feel Good All Over (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
7. "Stephanie Mills: I Feel Good All Over (Dance Single Sales)". billboard.com. Billboard.
8. "Stephanie Mills: (You're Puttin') A Rush on Me (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
9. "Stephanie Mills: (You're Puttin') A Rush on Me (Dance Single Sales)". billboard.com. Billboard.
10. "(You're Puttin') A Rush On Me (Remix): Dance Club Songs". billboard.com. Billboard.
11. "Stephanie Mills: If I Were Your Woman (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
12. "UK Charts > Stephanie Mills". Official Charts Company . Retrieved January 31, 2010.