Let's Hear It for the Boy (album)
| Let's Hear It for the Boy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1984 | |||
| Studio | The Complex, Los Angeles, California; LeGonks West, West Hollywood, California; Soundcastle, Santa Monica, California | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul, funk, dance | |||
| Length | 40:53 | |||
| Label | Columbia, CBS | |||
| Producer | Deniece Williams, George Duke | |||
| Deniece Williams chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Let's Hear It for the Boy | ||||
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Let's Hear It for the Boy is an album by American recording artist Deniece Williams released in 1984 on Columbia Records.[1] The album reached No. 10 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and No. 26 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Production
Deniece Williams produced six of the album's tracks while George Duke produced the remaining four.[2] The production of the album was completed in early May 1984 before the album was released a few weeks later.[3]
Singles
The album's title track reached No. 1 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles, and Dance Club Play charts.[4][5][6] On the UK Pop Singles chart, it peaked at No. 2.[7] The song was written for the 1984 feature film Footloose and appears on its soundtrack. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Other tracks from the album released as singles include, "Next Love", which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart,[8], and "Black Butterfly", which reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Stereo Review | (favourable)[10] |
Stereo Review described Williams' performance upon the LP as "a delight" with "fine vocalizing".[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | George Duke | 4:18 | |
| 2. | "I Want You" |
| Williams | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Picking Up the Pieces" |
| Williams | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Black Butterfly" | Duke | 4:25 | |
| 5. | "Next Love" |
| Duke | 4:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Haunting Me" |
| Duke | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Don't Tell Me We Have Nothing" |
| Williams | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Blind Dating" |
| Williams | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Wrapped Up" |
| Williams | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Whiter Than Snow" | Traditional | Williams | 3:44 |
Personnel
Musical
- Deniece Williams – lead vocals, arrangements (2), backing vocals (1, 3, 6–10)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9)
- Jeff Baxter – guitar (3, 7, 8, 9)
- Michael Sembello – guitar (4, 6)
- Nathan East – bass (3, 4, 7, 8, 9)
- Fred Washington – bass (5)
- Ricky Lawson – drums (3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
- Ricky Nelson – drums (9)
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (1, 3)
- Sheila E. – percussion (5)
- John Robinson – tom toms (6)
- George Duke – LinnDrum programming (1, 6), Memorymoog (1, 5), Prophet 5 (1, 4), Moog bass (1), keyboards (2), Rhodes (5), synthesizer (6), vocoder (6), special effects (6)
- Leon Pendarvis – synthesizer (3, 8, 9), arrangements (3, 7, 8, 9)
- Kevin Grady – synthesizer (3, 8, 9)
- Russell Ferrante – acoustic piano (3, 4, 8, 9), Rhodes (4)
- Jerry Peters – organ (10), arrangements (10)
- Ronnie Laws – tenor saxophone (2)
- Richard Elliot – lyricon (4)
- Hubert Laws – flute (5)
- George Del Barrio – string arrangements (2)
- George Merrill – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9), LinnDrum programming (6), Roland Jupiter 8 (6), arrangements (6)
- Shannon Rubicam – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
- Oren Waters – backing vocals (3, 9)
- Roosevelt Christmas III – backing vocals (5, 6)
Production
- Larkin Arnold – executive producer
- Bridget Bergman – make-up
- Nancy Donald – art direction
- George Duke – producer (1, 4, 5 & 6)
- Murray Dvorkin – mix assistant (1)
- D.W. Enterprises – management
- Mitch Gibson – second engineer (4)
- Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).
- Mick Guzauski – engineer (2–10)
- Constance Guzman – production assistant
- Tony Lane – art direction
- Margaret MacFarlane – photography
- Tom Perry – engineer (1–10)
- Nick Spigel – second engineer (1)
- Tommy Vicari – engineer (1–10), mixing (1–10)
- Deniece Williams – producer (2, 3, 7–10)
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top 200 Albums[11] | 26 |
| US Billboard Top Black Albums[12] | 10 |
References
- ^ Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It For The Boy. Columbia Records. 1984.
- ^ Matthews, Carl (June 2, 1984). "Sounds: Deniece Williams". The Afro-American. Baltimore. p. 11. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Rolling Stones plan to do video, concert in L.A. during Olympics". The Ledger. May 3, 1984. p. 2A. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy". Official Charts.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Next Love (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Black Butterfly (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ a b Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It For The Boy (PDF). Vol. 49. Stereo Review. September 1984. p. 97.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Billboard 200)". Billboard.