Let There Be Love!

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Let There Be Love!
Let There Be Love!.jpg
Studio album by
Shirley Murdock
Released1991
StudioTroutman Sound Labs
Genre R&B
Label Elektra [1]
Producer Roger Troutman
Shirley Murdock chronology
A Woman's Point of View
(1988)		Let There Be Love!
(1991)		The Very Best of Shirley Murdock
(2001)

Let There Be Love! is an album by the American R&B singer Shirley Murdock, released in 1991. [2] [3]

Contents

The album's first track, "In Your Eyes", was a top 10 R&B hit. [4]

Production

The album was produced by Roger Troutman, with assistance from Murdock and Dale DeGroat. [5] Murdock cowrote a few songs, including "Let There Be Love" and "In Your Eyes". [6] Let There Be Love! was recorded at Troutman Sound Labs, in Dayton, Ohio. [7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Billboard called the album a "shimmering set of lush ballads and rousing dance/funk tunes." [5] The Washington Post considered "We Should Be Together" to be the album's best song, deeming it "a funky, scat-filled jazz tune complete with plunger-mute horn riffs." [10] The Boston Globe opined that Murdock "is one of those under-publicized and underrated singers, raised on gospel, whose power on more secular offerings is a bit too jolting for the average consumer." [11]

The Dayton Daily News thought the album to be "solidly written and produced," praising the "heavy house-music influence" of the title track. [12] USA Today described it as "an adult-oriented collection of lovely ballads and a few discreetly funky dance numbers that generally serve to emphasize her prowess with the slow songs." [13]

AllMusic wrote that "while Let There Be Love! isn't the soul extravaganza Murdock is quite capable of delivering, R&B/pop ballads and slow jams like 'The Last Hurrah', 'Say It, Mean It' and the Anita Baker-ish 'Anywhere' aren't anything to be embarrassed by either." [8] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide thought that Murdock "leaves the soap opera topics behind this time and crafts a work that fully meshes the best aspects of her gospel and secular influences." [9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."In Your Eyes"3:58
2."Stay with Me Tonight"4:02
3."Let There Be Love"5:14
4."Say It, Mean It"3:43
5."The Last Hurrah"3:28
6."We Should Be Together"3:31
7."Anywhere"3:57
8."Everywhere"4:17
9."Heavenly"4:03
10."Save the Children"4:06

References

  1. ↑ "Sounding Off". Ebony. Vol. 46, no. 11. September 1991. p. 24.
  2. ↑ "Shirley Murdock Biography". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Ollison, Rashod D. "Return to gospel". The Baltimore Sun.
  4. ↑ "On the Charts". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. August 15, 1991. p. 21.
  5. 1 2 "Album Reviews — Let There Be Love by Shirley Murdock". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 26. June 29, 1991. p. 76.
  6. ↑ "Legendary Soul Singer Shirley Murdock Remakes '65 Classic 'People Get Ready'". The Washington Informer. April 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ Larsen, Dave (September 6, 1991). "Soundcheck". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 8.
  8. 1 2 "Let There Be Love!". AllMusic.
  9. 1 2 MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 414.
  10. ↑ Griffin, Gil (August 30, 1991). "New Sources of Diva Inspiration". The Washington Post. p. N17.
  11. ↑ Smith, Patricia (October 18, 1991). "Shirley Murdock: Full of surprises". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 31.
  12. ↑ Ali, Derek (July 19, 1991). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 17.
  13. ↑ Marymont, Mark (August 2, 1991). "Reviews". USA Today.
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