It's Your Night

It's Your Night
Studio album by James Ingram
Released	July 27, 1983
Recorded	1982–1983
Studio	Westlake (Los Angeles) Ocean Way (Los Angeles)
Genre	R&B, disco, funk, soul
Length	41:19
Label	Qwest Records Warner Bros. Records
Producer	Quincy Jones
James Ingram chronology
It's Your Night (1983) Never Felt So Good (1986)

It's Your Night is the debut album by American singer-songwriter James Ingram, released by Qwest Records/Warner Records on July 27, 1983. The album was commercially successful, as it peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart and reached number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. It was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in early 1984, making this his highest-charting album and only RIAA-certified album.

The aforementioned album and its parent singles were nominated for quadruple Grammy Awards for both 1984 and 1985, with "Yah Mo B There" winning for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

It is also his first on Qwest Records, which was run by Quincy Jones. It features the song "Yah Mo B There", which is a duet with singer Michael McDonald. It has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and is his highest-charting album ever.

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Quincy Jones.

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Party Animal"	James Ingram Richard Page Mark Vieha	4:55
2.	"Yah Mo B There"	Ingram Quincy Jones Michael McDonald Rod Temperton	4:40
3.	"She Loves Me (The Best That I Can Be)"	Jim Photoglo Brian Francis Neary	3:40
4.	"Try Your Love Again"	Glen Ballard Brock Walsh	4:25

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Whatever We Imagine"	David Foster Paul Gordon Jeremy Lubbock	3:58
6.	"One More Rhythm"	Temperton	4:05
7.	"There's No Easy Way"	Barry Mann	3:51
8.	"It's Your Night"	Ingram Mann Cynthia Weil	3:37
9.	"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"	Alan and Marilyn Bergman Michel Legrand	4:16

Personnel

• James Ingram – lead vocals, synthesizers (1, 2, 8), synth bass (1), arrangements (1, 2), backing vocals (2, 8), keyboards (8)
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizers (1–3, 8)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (1, 4), synthesizers (1, 4, 6), acoustic piano (6)
• Mark Vieha – synthesizers (1), arrangements (1)
• Craig Hundley – synthesizer programming (1, 4-6), synthesizers (4)
• Quincy Jones – arrangements (1–3, 7, 9), African voices (2), electric piano (3)
• Michael McDonald – synthesizers (2), arrangements (2), lead and backing vocals (2)
• Rod Temperton – synthesizers (2, 6), arrangements (2)
• Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (3), synthesizers (3, 8), arrangements (3)
• Don Dorsey – synthesizers (3)
• David Paich – synthesizers (3, 7, 9), arrangements (7)
• David Foster – keyboards (5), synthesizers (5), acoustic piano (9), arrangements (9)
• Ian Underwood – synthesizer programming (5, 6)
• Jimmy Smith – organ (6), synthesizers (6)
• Steve Porcaro – synthesizer programming (7, 9)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (1, 4, 8, 9)
• Larry Carlton – guitars (3)
• George Doering – guitars (9)
• Louis Johnson – bass guitar (1, 8)
• Abe Laboriel – bass guitar (7)
• Nathan East – bass guitar (9)
• Harvey Mason Sr. – drums (1)
• John Robinson – drums (2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
• Raymond Calhoun – drums (3)
• Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums (9)
• Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (2, 4, 5, 8)

• Steve Ray – fingerpopper (8)
• Ernie Watts – tenor sax solo (4)
• Larry Williams – saxophones (4, 6)
• Tom Scott – lyricon (5), saxophones (6), lyricon solo (8)
• Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (4, 6)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (4, 6), flugelhorn (4)
• Jerry Hey – trumpet (4, 6), flugelhorn (4)
• Johnny Mandel – arrangements (9)
• Ollie E. Brown – backing vocals (1)
• Zane Giles – backing vocals (1)
• Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (1)
• Susaye Greene Brown – backing vocals (1)
• Howard Hewett – backing vocals (1, 6)
• Bunny Hull – backing vocals (1, 8)
• David Pack - backing vocals (2)
• Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (1)
• Augie Johnson – backing vocals (1)
• Valerie Johnson – backing vocals (1)
• Scherrie Payne – backing vocals (1)
• Luther Vandross – backing vocals (1)
• Tom Bahler – backing vocals (6)
• Linda Harmon – backing vocals (6)
• Edie Lehmann – backing vocals (6)
• Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (8)
• Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (8)
• Maxine Willard Waters – backing vocals (8)
• Patti Austin – lead and backing vocals (9)

Production

• Producer – Quincy Jones
• Co-Producer on Track 9 – Johnny Mandel
• Production Assistants – Steve Ray and Mark Ross
• Tracks 1-8 recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
• Track 9 recorded by Joel Moss
• Additional Recording and Technical Director – Matt Forger

• Assistant Engineers – Steve Bates, Ric Butz, Mark Ettel and Greg Laney.
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios (Hollywood, CA).
• Art Direction – Simon Levy and Jeri McManus
• Design – Jeri McManus
• Photography – Matthew Rolston
• Sleeve Notes – James Ingram and Quincy Jones

Popular culture

The song "Whatever We Imagine" was used as the closing theme for both 1984 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and 1986 NBA Finals for CBS Sports.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–1984)	Peak position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	27
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	30
UK Albums (OCC)	25
US Billboard 200	46
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	10
Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	99

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)	Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	16

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.