So Good | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 August 1988 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1987–88 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:38 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Mica Paris chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from So Good | ||||
|
So Good is the debut album by British recording artist Mica Paris. It was released on 1 August 1988 by 4th & B'way Records.
The album was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the UK Albums Chart and also appearing stateside on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. So Good was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments of more than 300,000 copies in the UK.
Four singles were released from the album, all of which reached the top-30 of the UK Singles Chart. "My One Temptation" was chosen as the album's lead single, becoming a top-ten hit in the UK and also peaking within the top-20 of the Irish Singles and US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It was her first and remains her only entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album's fourth and final single is a cover of the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway single "Where Is the Love" and features American singer-songwriter Will Downing.
Mica Paris began singing in community churches, aged seven, and joined a young gospel group, The Spirit of Watts, at 12. [2] The Spirit of Watts featured on the Word Records Buzz On The Streets (1985) album and the Ears and Eyes Gospel Joy - A Live Celebration (1986) album. Aged 13, Paris sought session work, inspired by her father, a jazz trumpeter and flautist, as well as older friends [2] and sister Alysha Warren (who also achieved success as a solo artist). [3] She told Ebony , "I pretended to be older because I was tall for my age (5' 10") and I got my first session that way." [2] Paris was also a backing singer for Hollywood Beyond, recording on their debut album If (1985), [3] before signing her first record deal with jazz label 4th & Broadway (an Island Records subsidiary), while still a teenager. [4]
Paris told Ebony that "you do have to be a tough girl to succeed in the music industry [...] but you don't have to be obnoxious and conceited. I can't walk the streets in London; everyone knows who Mica Paris is, but I've never let it get to me because I just don't believe in it [...] I think that's what keeps you above all the bad things that go into [the business] — when you maintain the way you are." [2]
Describing Paris as "the greatest of British gospel/soul singers", studio engineer Richard Digby Smith recounted: [5]
"Mica was unsigned at the time but it was apparent very early on that this incredibly talented young lady was going places. Her temperament suggested a reluctance at times to perform in the studio and she certainly tested the patience of her manager, Viv Broughton as well as mine and Nicky's. 'Don't feel like singing today' was her usual lament. 'Time is money, Mica,' was always Viv's response, 'so you've got no choice. Now do us all a favour and get a vocal on this track'. It was all a bit of a teasing game, good natured and at times quite hilarious. Mica would sulk into the studio, pick up the headphones, stand at the microphone and completely blow us all away with her powerfully passionate singing. Perfect intonation, the clearst of enunciation and so much soul. The tracks we recorded at Flame contributed to Mica's first album deal, So Good." [5]
In Ebony , Paris expressed: "I gave it all I had when I worked on it." [2] Ebony explained that, Paris expressed to label executives her desire "to make music that would cross over to the Black and White publics and still maintain the soul. And they told her politely that they didn't know how she was going to do that. She did it by carefully selecting her songs. She said, 'I refuse to sing songs that don't make sense to me — about Mercedes, or materialistic crap.'"Ebony wrote that the songs "blend pop and soul sounds"; "My One Temptation" being "upbeat and playful", while "Where is the Love" and the title track "So Good" "offer a bit more rhythm and blues". [2]
Lead single, "My One Temptation", was written by British-born songwriters Mick Leeson and Peter Vale, who were both former school teachers who began writing in the early 1980s. They also wrote hits for Sheena Easton ("One Man Woman"), Alvin Stardust ("So Near to Christmas") and Haywoode ("Roses"). [6]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
Stereo Review | satisfactory [9] |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R & B and Soul | [10] |
So Good achieved generally positive reviews from critics. In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor, Alex Henderson praised Paris's "fine range", describing her as an "earthy singer" and compared her to American singer Natalie Cole. Furthermore, he wrote that Paris "is among the many noteworthy talents to come out of Britain's healthy R&B scene of the 1980s and '90s". Henderson listed "the haunting 'My One Temptation', the jazz-influenced 'Sway (Dance the Blues Away)' and the sizzling 'Nothing Hits Your Heart like Soul Music'" as the album's "more noteworthy cuts" but commented that "'Where Is the Love'... makes it crystal clear that she's quite capable of depth" and "does the most to test what Paris is truly made of".
So Good debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart, [11] dropping to number 10 in its second week on the chart and falling out of the top 10 the following week to number 19. Though So Good dropped out of the top forty in its sixth week to number forty-four it re-entered at number 40 the following week, holding the position for two weeks. The album dropped out of and re-entered the top-forty a total of four times before accumulating a total of thirty-two weeks on the chart. [11] So Good was certified silver on 19 August 1988, gold on 8 September 1988 and platinum on 14 February 1989 by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). [1]
In the US, So Good peaked at number 86 on the Billboard 200, accumulating a total of 23 weeks on the chart but found greater success on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at 29 and accumulating a total of twenty-four weeks on the chart. [12]
"My One Temptation" was the first single released from the album and is Paris's biggest hit to date. It peaked at number 15 in Ireland and number seven in the UK, where it accumulated a total of 13 weeks on the singles chart. [13] In the US, the song was also a top-10 hit on the Billboard component Adult Contemporary chart peaking at number seven. [14] Furthermore, it peaked at number 15 and number 36 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Dance Club Songs charts respectively and remains Paris's only entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 where it reached number 97. [15] [16] [17]
Her second and third singles, "Like Dreamers Do", featuring jazz musician Courtney Pine, and "Breathe Life Into Me", both peaked within the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart, [13] [18] while the latter also reached the top 30 of the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (then titled "Hot Black Singles"). [16]
Her fourth and final single, "Where Is the Love", is a cover of the 1972 Grammy Award-winning Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway single written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter. It became the album's second top-20 hit in the UK and Paris's second and last appearance on the Irish Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 21. [13]
In the US, "Don't Give Me Up" was released, reaching number 87 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the week of 9 December 1989. [19]
All tracks composed by Mick Leeson and Peter Vale; except where indicated.
^Some releases feature the song "Words Into Action" (4:47) in place of "Where Is the Love".
The Parisienne Choir
Chart (1988) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [20] | 127 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] | 91 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [22] | 38 |
UK Albums (OCC) [11] | 6 |
US Billboard 200 [23] | 86 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [24] | 29 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer. He signed to Polygram Records in 1992, and rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
"Everyday People" is a 1968 song composed by Sly Stone and first recorded by his band, Sly and the Family Stone. It was the first single by the band to go to number one on the Soul singles chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It held that position on the Hot 100 for four weeks, from February 9 to March 8, 1969, and is remembered as one of the most popular songs of the 1960s. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song of 1969.
Just Whitney is the fifth studio album by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on November 27, 2002, by Arista Records. It was her first studio album to be released after her greatest hits compilation, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000), and the follow-up to her multi-platinum fourth studio album, My Love is Your Love (1998). Just Whitney was also Houston's first to be released after re-signing her contract with Arista in 2001 for $100 million - the largest recording contract for a female artist at the time.
Angela Laverne Brown, known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio the Sequence. In the early 1990s, she became a member of the R&B trio Vertical Hold. Stone then signed with Arista Records to release her debut solo album Black Diamond (1999), which received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spawned the single "No More Rain ".
"My Girl" is a soul music song recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) record label. Written and produced by the Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, it became the Temptations' first U.S. number 1 single, and is considered their signature song. Robinson's inspiration for writing "My Girl" was his wife, Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson. The song was included on the Temptations 1965 album The Temptations Sing Smokey. In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
"Get Ready" is a Motown song written by Smokey Robinson, which resulted in two hit records for the label: a U.S. No. 29 version by The Temptations in 1966, and a U.S. No. 4 version by Rare Earth in 1970. It is significant for being the last song Robinson wrote and produced for the Temptations, due to a deal Berry Gordy made with Norman Whitfield, that if "Get Ready" did not meet with the expected degree of success, then Whitfield's song, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", would get the next release, which resulted in Whitfield more or less replacing Robinson as the group's producer.
"So Gone" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album, After the Storm (2003), following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of her 2002 album, All Eyez on Me. Incorporating elements of hip hop and 1970s-style smooth jazz as well as soul music, it features a sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", penned by Zyah Ahmonuel and performed by The Whispers.
"If You Want Me to Stay" is a 1973 hit single by Sly and the Family Stone, from their album Fresh.
So Many Ways is the debut album by American R&B vocal group The Braxtons. Released on August 6, 1996, the album produced four singles; "So Many Ways", "Only Love", "The Boss" – which peaked at number-one in the Billboard Dance Charts – and "Slow Flow". "So Many Ways" peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and No. 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
"Where Is the Love" is a popular song written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter, and recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Released in 1972 from their album, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and spent a week each at number one on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and R&B chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 58 song for 1972. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
"Be Happy" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Arlene DeValle, and Jean-Claude Olivier from duo Poke & Tone for her second studio album, My Life (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Olivier. "Be Happy" contains an instrumental sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" (1979) by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of the record "I Want You" (1976) by Marvin Gaye.
"Give It to Me Baby" is a song written by American singer Rick James. Taken from his album Street Songs, the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at No. 40 and spent five weeks at No. 1 on the R&B chart. Two other tracks from Street Songs, "Super Freak" and "Ghetto Life", topped the American dance chart for three weeks in the summer of 1981. The song proved to be even more successful with R&B and dance club audiences. Part of the background vocals were sung by Temptations member Melvin Franklin.
"I'll Try Something New" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and originally released in 1962 by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. Their version was a Billboard Top 40 hit, peaking at #39, and just missed the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #11. The song was released later as a joint single by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, also becoming a charting version on the Billboard 100 pop singles chart, peaking for two weeks in April 1969 at number 25.
"Angel" is a soul ballad recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song was co-written by Aretha's sister, Carolyn, and Sonny Sanders. Aretha co-produced the song with Quincy Jones and it originally appeared on Aretha's nineteenth album, Hey Now Hey (1973). It was released as a single by Atlantic in June 1973 and went on to top the US R&B Singles chart for two weeks while reaching number twenty on the Pop chart. The single sold over 900,000 copies.
"My One Temptation" is the debut single by British singer Mica Paris, released as the first single from her debut album, So Good (1988). The song was released by 4th & Broadway and Island Records in 1988 and became Mica Paris' biggest hit, reaching the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and US Adult Contemporary chart. It was also a top twenty hit on the US R&B singles and Irish singles charts.
The discography of British singer Mica Paris consists of eight studio albums, one compilation album, four EPs and thirty six singles.
"Breathe Life into Me" is a song by British singer Mica Paris. It was released as the third single from her debut album So Good by 4th & B'way Records and became her third consecutive top-thirty hit in the UK. The song was originally sung by American CCM singer Russ Taff from his 1987 self-titled album.
Whisper a Prayer is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter Mica Paris. It was released on 8 June 1993 by 4th & B'way Records, her last for the label. Recording sessions for the album commenced in the spring of 1992 and concluded the following spring with Paris co-writing four of the twelve songs and producing one. Whisper a Prayer features writing and production from Narada Michael Walden, Rod Temperton and Terry Britten all of whom were top record producers at the time.
"I Wanna Hold on to You" is a song by British singer-songwriter Mica Paris, released in May 1993 by 4th & B'way as the second single from her third studio album, Whisper a Prayer (1993). Co-written by Paris with Narada Michael Walden and Sally Jo Dakota, it peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart and number five on Music Week's Dance Singles chart. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American artist, photographer, director and creative director Matthew Rolston. It was later made available by VEVO on YouTube in 2018.
Gospel is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Mica Paris. It was released on December 4, 2020 by Warner subsidiary East West Records. Gospel is Paris' first album since Born Again (2009).