| Leon Ware | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Way, Los Angeles; The Village, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Elektra Records | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Leon Ware chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Leon Ware | ||||
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Leon Ware is the second self-titled and overall fifth studio album [1] [2] by American musician Leon Ware, released in 1982. It was his second and final release for Elektra Records. [1] The album was produced by Ware and Marty Paich.
Ware's previous release, Rockin' You Eternally , was not a huge success commercially; nevertheless, Elektra Records financed a follow-up that became his second self-titled album. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Upon release, Leon Ware failed to reach the charts, and it flopped, which led to his discharge from Elektra Records. [1] Despite the commercial failure, the album was modestly acclaimed and received mostly positive reviews from contemporary critics. Florestine Purnell of The Kansas City Star commended the album and its songs; she called it "an excellent opportunity to get better acquainted with [Ware]." She also praised Ware's vocal style, citing it as "smooth and classy." Furthermore, she noted that the tonal quality of Ware's voice is reminiscent of Smokey Robinson, Peabo Bryson and Marvin Gaye. [4] Similarly, The Sacramento Bee found Ware's "achingly pure falsetto" voice on-par with Gaye's and wrote that "Ware brings a depth to a well-mined genre through his tender phrasing and dreamy melodies..." [5] Tim Gebhart of Rapid City Journal expressed his disappointment, calling the album "unfulfilling" considering Ware's production background and the "stellar" line-up of musicians featured on the album. [6] In a retrospective review, Jason Elias of AllMusic commented, "Leon Ware, more often than not, seems to be overly concerned with making a big hit." He also pointed out that Ware "sounded wan and hemmed in." He dubbed the opening track, "Slippin' Away," as the best track of Leon Ware while also criticizing it as it reminded him of a "so-so" song from Earth, Wind & Fire's 1980 album Faces. He added, "Given the fact that this didn't include many great songs, Leon Ware isn't the best way to get acquainted with the artist." [7]
Leon Ware was reissued on vinyl and CD several times from 1998 to 2015. [8]
In 2011, American rapper and singer Theophilus London released his debut album Timez Are Weird These Days , which features an allusion to Leon Ware on the album's cover. [9]
According to AllMusic. [10]
Musicians:
Production:
David Frank Paich is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist, and secondary vocalist of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the band's three most popular songs: "Hold the Line", "Rosanna", and "Africa". With Toto, Paich has contributed to 17 albums and sold over 40 million records. He and guitarist and singer Steve Lukather are the only members to appear on every studio album.
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