The Game (Chico DeBarge album)

The Game
Studio album by Chico DeBarge
Released	October 26, 1999
Length	56:48
Label	Motown
Producer	Chico DeBarge El DeBarge Brian McKnight Vada Nobles Shandi Quildon Soulshock & Karlin
Chico DeBarge chronology
Long Time No See (1997) The Game (1999) Free (2003)

The Game is the fourth studio album by American singer Chico DeBarge. It was released by Motown Records on October 26, 1999 in the United States. The album marked DeBarge's return to Motown Records since 1988 after Kedar Entertainment founder Kedar Massenburg was appointed as head of the label in late 1998. The Game peaked at number 41 on the US Billboard 200 and number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Robert Christgau

AllMusic editor Jon Azpiri rated the album two and a half stars out of five. He found that "many of the tracks on The Game feel deeply autobiographical [...] Tracks like the self-explanatory "Sexual" are filled with the kind of growls and yelps of joy that you'd hear on a Marvin Gaye record. While Debarge falls well short of a master like Gaye, he is well on his way to becoming a distinct artist, a welcome relief from much of late-'90s R&B which seems to come off an assembly line."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Game"	Chico DeBarge James Henderson	C. DeBarge	4:49
2.	"Give You What You Want (Fa Sure)"	C. DeBarge Carsten Schack Kenneth Karlin Rahsaan Patterson	C. DeBarge Soulshock & Karlin	4:40
3.	"Listen to Your Man" (featuring Joe)	C. DeBarge Juanita Stokes	C. DeBarge Vada Nobles	5:16
4.	"Sorry"	C. DeBarge Andrea Martin Ivan Matias Shandi Quildon	C. DeBarge Quildon	4:43
5.	"Everybody Knew But Me"	C. DeBarge El DeBarge Henderson	C. DeBarge E. DeBarge	5:54
6.	"Sexual"	C. DeBarge Henderson	C. DeBarge	3:58
7.	"Till Tomorrow"	Marvin Gaye	C. DeBarge E. DeBarge	3:58
8.	"When Can I See You Again"	Brian McKnight	McKnight	4:52
9.	"Talk About You" (featuring Bobby Brown)	C. DeBarge Henderson	C. DeBarge	4:55
10.	"The Edge"	C. DeBarge Andrea Bordenave	C. DeBarge	3:22
11.	"Your Way"	C. DeBarge Bordenave	C. DeBarge	4:26
12.	"Heart, Mind & Soul"	Bruce Fisher E. DeBarge Leon Ware	C. DeBarge E. DeBarge	5:46
Total length:				56:48

Notes

• "Heart Mind & Soul" is a cover of the title track of the 1994 album from DeBarge's brother El DeBarge.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Game.

• Doug E. Fresh – beatbox on "Listen to Your Man"
• Andrea Martin – background vocals on "Sorry"
• Benjamin Wright – string arrangement on "Everybody Knew But Me" and "Heart, Mind & Soul"
• DJ Quik – mixing on "Till Tomorrow"

• Brian McKnight – background vocals on "When Can I See You Again"
• Mama DeBarge – additional vocals on "Heart, Mind & Soul"
• Wah Wah Watson – guitar on "Heart, Mind & Soul"

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	41
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	6

Release history

The Game release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref(s)
United States	October 26, 1999	CD cassette	Motown