| Uptown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1987 | |||
| Label | EMI America [1] | |||
| Producer | Jim Gaines (executive producer) | |||
| The Neville Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Uptown is an album by the American musical group the Neville Brothers, released in 1987. [2] [3] The album's title is an homage to the New Orleans neighborhood in which the Nevilles grew up. [4] The group supported the album by touring with Santana. [5]
The album peaked at No. 155 on the Billboard 200. [6]
After four commercially unsuccessful albums, the Nevilles brought in outside writers, producers, and musicians, including Jerry Garcia, Branford Marsalis. [7] The album was overseen by Jim Gaines, then best known as Huey Lewis's producer, who agreed to executive produce only if he was allowed to make a "non-traditional" New Orleans album. [7] Uptown was recorded in Metairie, Louisiana. [8]
"Midnight Key" was cowritten by Jimmy Buffett. [9] Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley also contributed to the album.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide |  [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
| Windsor Star | B+ [9] |
Spin wrote: "By stripping them of all but the most subtle New Orleansisms, the Nevilles sound like Journey. Or Rick Springfield. Or instant mashed potatoes." [4] Robert Christgau thought that "between adult themes, solidly insinuating tunes, uncommonly grizzled vocals, and faint indigenous lilt, what we have here is a pretty damn good [Contemporary Hit Radio] album." [11]
The Globe and Mail considered that "the long-term pleasures come from Art Neville's rock steady keyboards and growling voice." [14] USA Today thought that "the undistinquished playing offers little of the funky fire that has made the Nevilles New Orleans' top rhythm band." [15] The Star Tribune opined that, "at best, this slick production evokes vintage Tower of Power with a Southern accent; at worst, it's as bland as the made-for-radio barroom-rock 'n' soul of Huey Lewis." [16]
AllMusic wrote that the album contains the group's "usual tight playing and exuberant collective vocals." [10] The Rolling Stone Album Guide panned the use of "sequencers and electronic percussion." [13]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Whatever It Takes" | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Forever ... For Tonight" | 4:13 |
| 3. | "You're the One" | 4:21 |
| 4. | "Money Back Guarantee (My Love Is Guaranteed)" | 4:35 |
| 5. | "Drift Away" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Shek-A-Na-Na" | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Old Habits Die Hard" | 3:46 |
| 8. | "I Never Needed No One" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Midnight Key" | 4:24 |
| 10. | "Spirits of the World" | 4:26 |
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