| The Comfort Zone | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 20, 1991 | |||
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| Genre | R&B [1] [2] | |||
| Length | 66:27 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Vanessa Williams chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Comfort Zone | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Chicago Tribune | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A [1] |
The Comfort Zone is the second studio album by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams. It was released on August 20, 1991, by Mercury's Wing Records Label.
The first single from the album, called "Running Back to You", was released on July 16, 1991. For an uptempo song, the track peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The second single from the album, called "The Comfort Zone", was released on October 29. Upon its release, the song peaked at number 62 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The third single from the album, "Save the Best for Last", was released on January 14, 1992. Upon its release, the song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks.
"Just for Tonight" was released as the fourth single from the album on April 21. Upon its release, that song reached at number 26 on the Hot 100, followed by the fifth and final single from the album, "Work to Do", in which was released on July 21 and achieved a moderate success.
Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A, writing, "With 14 longish songs, beautifully sequenced and warmly sung, The Comfort Zone is less a pop record than the soundtrack to a giddy, heartfelt R&B stage musical about love — minus the man."
He highlighted "The Comfort Zone", "Running Back to You", "Save the Best for Last", "What Will I Tell My Heart", "Freedom Dance" and "Goodbye", and concluded, "Through it all, the keyboard romps, the drums get busy, and a flute adds occasional breathy punctuation. Give the lady a great big hand." [1]
The album peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 and reached number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 24 upon its release in April 1992 before quickly falling out of the top 50.
The album has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).
The album was nominated for five Grammy Awards: Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female for "Runnin' Back to You" in 1992; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Record of the Year and "Song of the Year" for "Save the Best for Last" and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female for "The Comfort Zone" in 1993.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Comfort Zone" |
|
| 3:59 |
| 2. | "Running Back to You" |
|
| 4:39 |
| 3. | "Work to Do" (featuring Dres) |
| 4:36 | |
| 4. | "You Gotta Go" (featuring Brian McKnight) |
|
| 6:21 |
| 5. | "Still in Love" | Derek Bramble | Bramble | 5:22 |
| 6. | "Save the Best for Last" |
| Keith Thomas | 3:38 |
| 7. | "What Will I Tell My Heart?" |
|
| 4:17 |
| 8. | "Strangers Eyes" |
|
| 6:16 |
| 9. | "2 of a Kind" |
|
| 5:16 |
| 10. | "Freedom Dance (Get Free!)" |
|
| 4:14 |
| 11. | "Just for Tonight" |
| Thomas | 4:28 |
| 12. | "One Reason" |
| Thomas | 4:52 |
| 13. | "Better off Now" |
| Thomas | 4:14 |
| 14. | "Goodbye" |
| Thomas | 4:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "The Right Stuff" (Norman Cook 12″ remix) |
|
| 6:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Running Back to You" (DNA 7″ mix) |
|
| 3:25 |
The tracks "Work to Do" and "What Will I Tell My Heart?" both appeared in the film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man ; the latter also appeared on the film's soundtrack album.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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}
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) [19] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Japan (RIAJ) [20] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [21] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
"Save the Best for Last" is a song by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams, released in January 1992 as the third single from her second studio album, The Comfort Zone (1991). The song was written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman, and Jon Lind. It is a ballad about a young female admirer of a single man who stands by and watches as the object of her desires goes through years of dating, before he finally unexpectedly decides to initiate a relationship with her. The lyrics' redemptive themes resonated with Williams' story, as she had put together a successful music career following her earlier Miss America resignation scandal.
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Vanessa Williams released her sophomore album The Comfort Zone in 1991, and most of the record was clubby, uptempo R&B.
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