| Heroes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1980 | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B, gospel | |||
| Length | 43:26 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | James Anthony Carmichael, The Commodores | |||
| The Commodores chronology | ||||
| ||||
Heroes is the eighth studio album by the Commodores, released in June 1980 by Motown Records. It has been certified platinum in the US by the RIAA. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Robert Christgau | B [4] |
| Smash Hits | 9/10 [5] |
With a 9 out of 10 rating, Bev Hillier of Smash Hits called Heroes "a highly polished, versatile album." [5] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review praised the album, writing: "On it they explore a broad range of subjects and show a willingness to tackle material that is not so obviously tailored to ride the charts. Furthermore, they have gone beyond the simplistic boy -loves -girl and dance -dance -dance lyrics that are the formula staples of contemporary soul music. The album offers plenty of the kind of soul funk we have come to expect of the Commodores, performed with stunning precision, but there are also some interesting variations." [6] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave a B, describing Heroes as "an improvement. For one thing, most of the brotherhood anthems--which avoid the gender-specific, actually, with lots of "people," "folks," and "y'all"--have a somewhat more rousing beat than "Three Times a Lady." And on the fond "Old-Fashion Love" and the cold-hearted "Sorry to Say," the brothers remind Lionel that this is still supposed to be a funk band." [4]
Heroes was nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. [7]
Record World said of the title track that "Lionel Ritchie sings with loving sincerity." [8] Record World said of "Old-Fashion Love" that "Multi-octave vocal carousing and a funky percussion backdrop provide the setting on this plea for some premium love." [9] Record World called the single "Jesus Is Love" an "inspirational ballad." [10]
Commodores
Additional personnel
| 1980 | Billboard US R&B | 3 |
| Billboard US Pop | 7 | |
| Sweden | 26 [11] | |
| Holland | 44 [12] | |
| New Zealand | 45 [13] | |
| Australia | 94 [14] |
| Year | Single | Chart positions [15] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Dance | ||
| 1980 | "Old-Fashion Love" | 20 | 8 | — |
| "Heroes" | 54 | 27 | — | |
| "Jesus Is Love" | - | 34 | — | |
Commodores, often billed as the Commodores, is an American funk and soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer.
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Thomas McClary is an American musician, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founder and lead guitarist of The Commodores. McClary is widely credited with having created the signature sound of The Commodores' original music.
James Anthony Carmichael is an American Grammy-winning musician, arranger, and record producer. At first he started off in Los Angeles as an arranger and producer for Motown acts like The Temptations and the Jackson 5. Carmichael went on to attain fame in arranging and producing artists such as the Commodores, Atlantic Starr, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.
The Very Best of The Commodores is the seventh compilation album by American funk/soul band Commodores, released in 1995 on Motown Records. The album charted at No. 26 on the UK Pop Albums chart and at No. 39 on the New Zealand Pop Albums chart. The album has been certified Silver in the UK by the BPI.