My Melody (Deniece Williams album)

My Melody
Studio album by Deniece Williams
Released	March 13, 1981
Recorded	1980–1981
Studio	Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre	R&B soul
Length	39:13
Label	ARC//Columbia
Producer	Thom Bell Deniece Williams
Deniece Williams chronology
When Love Comes Calling (1979) My Melody (1981) Niecy (1982)
Singles from My Melody
"Silly" Released: August 1981 "What Two Can Do"

My Melody is the fifth studio album by American singer Deniece Williams, released in March 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard Top Soul LPs chart. ^[1] My Melody was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA. ^[2]

Overview

"Silly" and "What Two Can Do" were released as singles with each peaking at No. 11 and No. 17, respectively, on the Billboard R&B singles chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic declared: "Deniece's heavenly soprano is as impressive as ever under the guidance of producer Thom Bell. The sweet Philly sound architect keeps Williams' expressive, high-range vocals under wraps, transforming her into a bel canto singer on eight delightful selections." ^[3] The Philadelphia Inquirer opined that "although her roots are R&B, Miss Williams transcends easy categorisation with this collection of material and her versatile presentation." ^[4] Stephen Holden of The New York Times found that "My Melody, Miss Williams's fourth solo album, is an inspired collaboration with Thom Bell, the Philadelphia songwriter and producer whose hits with the Stylistics and the Spinners in the early 70's epitomized pop-soul elegance." ^[6] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote that "several of the songs have a comfortable, nestling down quality that makes the album, if not one of her best, at least easy to enjoy." ^[7]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"My Melody"	Thom Bell, Deniece Williams	4:12
2.	"It's Your Conscience"	Thom Bell, Deniece Williams	4:53
3.	"Silly"	Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams	5:56
4.	"Strangers"	Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams	6:26

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"What Two Can Do"	Thom Bell, Deniece Williams	3:50
6.	"You're All That Matters"	Thom Bell, Preston Glass, Alan Glass, Deniece Williams	5:17
7.	"Suspicious"	Thom Bell, Deniece Williams	4:14
8.	"Sweet Surrender"	Thom Bell, Deniece Williams	4:21

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1981) Peak position US Billboard 200 [8] 74 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [9] 13

Year-end charts Chart (1981) Position US Billboard 200 [10] 86 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [11] 16

Singles – Billboard

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"It's Your Conscience"	Soul Singles	45	US
1981	"Silly"	Billboard Hot 100	53	US
1981	"Silly"	Soul Singles	11	US
1981	"What Two Can Do"	Soul Singles	17	US

Personnel

Musicians

• Deniece Williams – lead vocals
• Thom Bell – keyboards, backing vocals, arrangements and conductor
• George Merrill – keyboards, backing vocals
• Bobby Eli – guitar
• Bill Neale – guitar
• Bob Babbitt – bass guitar
• Charles Collins – drums
• Ed Shea – percussion
• Larry Washington – percussion
• Don Renaldo – strings, horns
• Carl Helm – backing vocals

Production

• Producers – Thom Bell and Deniece Williams
• Production Coordination – JoDee Omar and Bo Ryan
• Rhythm Tracks and Vocals engineered by Jim Gallagher and Don Murray.
• Strings and Horns engineered by Jim Gallagher and Arthur Stoppe.
• Mixed by Don Murray at Monterey Sound Studios (Glendale, CA).
• Mastered by Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
• Art Direction – Desmond Strobel
• Photography – Charles William Bush
• Fashions – Ann Taylor

References

1. "Deniece Williams: My Melody (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
2. "Deniece Williams: My Melody". riaa.com. RIAA.
3. Hamilton, Andrew. "Deniece Williams: My Melody". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
4. "Deniece Williams: My Melody". newspapers.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 29, 1981. p. 80.
5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 766.
6. Holden, Stephen (April 26, 1981). "TWO TASTEFULLY OPULENT RELEASES". The New York Times .
7. Garland, Phyl (August 1981). "Denice Williams: My Melody" (PDF). Stereo Review . Vol. 46, no. 8. p. 83. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
8. "Deniece Williams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
9. "Deniece Williams Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
10. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
11. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.