| The Promise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 June 1991 [1] | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 50:19 | |||
| Label | Siren (UK) Charisma (U.S.) | |||
| Producer | Andy Richards | |||
| T'Pau chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Calgary Herald | B [3] |
| Music & Media | (favorable) [4] |
The Promise is the third album by British pop group T'Pau, released in 1991 by Siren Records in the UK and Charisma Records in the U.S.
The album reached #10 on the UK Albums Chart and gave the group two charting singles - "Whenever You Need Me" (a UK Top 20) and "Walk on Air". A third single, a remix of the track "Soul Destruction", failed to make the chart and a fourth single, "Only a Heartbeat", was released only in the United States and Japan. The group disbanded shortly after the release of this album and its singles.
Following on from the cover art for the band's previous albums, the artwork for the release included the word promise rearranged to form a face. Unlike Bridge of Spies and Rage , this face was less predominantly placed.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soul Destruction" |
| 3:44 |
| 2. | "Whenever You Need Me" |
| 4:06 |
| 3. | "Walk on Air" |
| 4:34 |
| 4. | "Made of Money" |
| 3:50 |
| 5. | "Hold On to Love" |
| 4:18 |
| 6. | "Strange Place" |
| 4:30 |
| 7. | "One Direction" |
| 3:59 |
| 8. | "Only in a Heartbeat" |
| 4:39 |
| 9. | "The Promise" |
| 3:59 |
| 10. | "A Place in My Heart" |
| 3:58 |
| 11. | "Man and Woman" |
| 4:37 |
| 12. | "Purity" |
| 3:47 |
| Total length: | 50:19 | ||
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Albums ( Music & Media ) [5] | 50 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [6] | 40 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [7] | 10 |
T'Pau are an English pop group formed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of top 40 hits in the UK during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "China in Your Hand", "Heart and Soul" and "Valentine", and several hits in the rest of Europe, before disbanding in 1992. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts, and in 2013 she reunited with original band member and co-songwriter Ronnie Rogers for a 25th-anniversary UK tour.
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".
"Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak, released from his third album, Heart Shaped World (1989). Released as a single in July 1989, it became a sleeper hit after being featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta radio station music director who loved David Lynch films, began playing the song, and it quickly became an American top-10 hit in March 1991, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the single became a number-one hit in Belgium and reached the top 10 in several other nations.
Bridge of Spies is the debut studio album by English pop group T'Pau, released on 14 September 1987 by Siren Records. In the United States and Canada, Virgin Records released the album under the title T'Pau.
"China in Your Hand" is a song by English pop group T'Pau from their debut studio album, Bridge of Spies (1987). A re-recorded version was released as a single in October 1987, spending five weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart. "China in Your Hand" was the 600th single to top the UK chart and kept George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You" from hitting the top spot. The song also reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 11th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV, and in 2017 was chosen by The Daily Telegraph as one of the 21 best power ballads.
Rage is the second album by British pop group T'Pau, released in 1988. It reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and gave the group three hit singles—"Secret Garden", "Road to Our Dream" and "Only the Lonely". It was not issued in the U.S.
"Heart and Soul" is the debut single by British pop rock band T'Pau, released in a rerecorded version from their debut studio album Bridge of Spies in 1987. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached number four on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.
"The One and Only" is the debut single by the English singer and actor Chesney Hawkes. Written by Nik Kershaw, the single was released by Chrysalis Records in January 1991. Produced by Kershaw and Alan Shacklock, and recorded and mixed by Gareth Cousins, the song was featured in the comedy-drama film Buddy's Song (1991), which starred Hawkes as the eponymous Buddy and Roger Daltrey as his father. The film performed moderately well at the UK box office, but the song was a hit in that country's music charts, spending five weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in March and April 1991. Kershaw's influence can also be heard throughout the track not only in guitar style, but in the backing vocals on the intro and choruses, with Hawkes singing the verses.
"The Promise of a New Day" is a song by American singer and entertainer Paula Abdul, recorded for her second studio album Spellbound (1991) and services as the album's opening track. The track, written by Abdul, Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith and produced by Lord and Smith, was released as the album's second official single on July 5, 1991 to radio in the United States. The song lyrically finds the singer singing optimistically about a relationship, with a vague sub-context of improvement of the world. It was also her first single released under her own label, Captive Records.
"When You Tell Me That You Love Me" is a song by American singer Diana Ross, released on August 20, 1991 as the lead single from her nineteenth studio album, The Force Behind the Power (1991). The song was released on the Motown label in the United States and by EMI Records in the United Kingdom. It was written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis, and produced by Peter Asher. A sentimental ballad, it became the album's biggest hit, peaking at number 37 on the US Billboard R&B singles chart and number two on the UK Singles Chart. Ross considers it one of her signature songs and it was subsequently covered by various artists. The UK release of "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" included her 1985 hit "Chain Reaction".
"This I Promise You" is a ballad recorded by American boy band NSYNC. It was released in September 2000 as the third and final single in the United States and the fourth and final single in Europe from their third studio album, No Strings Attached (2000). The song is included on all three of the band's compilation albums: Greatest Hits (2005), The Collection (2010), and The Essential *NSYNC (2014). The single reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Nobody Knows" is a song by R&B singer Tony Rich from his 1996 debut album, Words. Released as his debut single on November 7, 1995, the song peaked at number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. It also became a hit in several other countries, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching number two in Australia and Canada, number four in the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. Rich received a nomination for the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Secret Garden" is a song by British band T'Pau, released as the lead single from their second studio album, Rage (1988). It was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Released on 19 September 1988, "Secret Garden" reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.
"Now That We Found Love" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and originally recorded by American R&B/soul vocal group The O'Jays for their seventh album, Ship Ahoy (1973).
"Only the Lonely" is a song by English band T'Pau, released in 1989 as the third and final single from their second studio album, Rage (1988). It was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. "Only the Lonely " peaked at No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for six weeks. For its release as a single, "Only the Lonely" was remixed.
"Promises" is a rock song by Irish rock band the Cranberries. It is the first single from the band's fourth album, Bury the Hatchet, released in 1999. The song was the only single from the album to chart in the US and the last single before their hiatus. The song, which has a heavy rock beat with strident lead guitar, deals with the subject of divorce. A music video involving a cowboy confronting a witch/scarecrow hybrid, directed by Olivier Dahan, was released to promote the single.
"Whenever You Need Me" is a song by English band T'Pau, released in May 1991 by Siren and Virgin as the lead single from their third studio album, The Promise (1991). It was written by Carol Decker and Ron Rogers, and produced by Andy Richards. "Whenever You Need Me" reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for six weeks. It was the band's last Top 40 hit in the UK.
"Walk on Air" is a song by British band T'Pau, which was released in 1991 as the second single from their third studio album The Promise. It was written by Carol Decker and Ron Rogers, and produced by Andy Richards. "Walk on Air" reached No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for two weeks.
"Soul Destruction" is a song by English pop band T'Pau, released on 30 September 1991 as the third single from their third studio album, The Promise. The song was written by vocalist Carol Decker and rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers, and was produced by Andy Richards. It peaked at number 79 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Always There" is a 1975 song by Ronnie Laws and William Jeffrey from Laws' album Pressure Sensitive. After producer Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders enlisted lyricist Paul B Allen III to create a vocal version of the tune, officially making Allen a co-writer, it was re-recorded in 1976 by American R&B group Side Effect for their third album, What You Need. It was a minor hit, reaching the top 5 on the US Dance chart; however it was a larger hit for Incognito and Jocelyn Brown in 1991, whose version reached no. 6 in the UK.
