Song Bird (Deniece Williams album)
| Song Bird | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 28, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | April–July 1977 | |||
| Studio | Wally Heider Studios (Los Angeles, CA) Sunset Sound Hollywood Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA) The Burbank Studios (Burbank, CA) | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul, disco | |||
| Length | 37:25 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Maurice White | |||
| Deniece Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Express | (4/5)[2] |
| New York Times | (favourable)[3] |
| Cashbox | (favourable)[4] |
| Stereo Review | (favourable)[5] |
Song Bird is the second studio album by American singer Deniece Williams, released on October 28, 1977, by Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 23 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 5 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart.[6][7][8]
Overview
Song Bird was produced by Maurice White.[6]
Critical reception
With a four out of five rating Simon Gage of The Daily Express described Songbird as being "filled with gorgeous songs that showcase her four-octave range to full effect".[2] John Rockwell of The New York Times stated "Deniece Williams's “Song Bird” is a most appealing album for anyone who likes varied, skillful and sophisticated singing in the black pop area." He also added "One can't be more stylistically precise than that because it is a characteristic of Maurice White's production and Miss Williams's virtuousically diverse singing that her disk ambles all over the stylistic map. But instead of sounding diffuse, it sounds refreshingly varied.".[3]
Singles
"Baby, Baby My Love's All for You" rose to No. 13 upon the US Billboard Hot R&B Songs and No. 32 on the UK Pop singles chart.[9][10]
Samples and Covers
We Have Love for You was sampled on the track Remember Them Days by Beanie Sigel featuring Eve off Sigel's 2000 album The Truth. Williams also covered Ferlin Husky's Time upon the album [11][12]
Appearances in other media
Williams went on to perform the album cut God Is Amazing at the 1984 Grammy Awards.[13][14]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Time" | Al McKay, Deniece Williams, Fred White, Jerry Peters, Marlo Henderson, Maurice White, Verdine White | 3:51 |
| 2. | "The Boy I Left Behind" | Eric Eisner | 3:37 |
| 3. | "We Have Love for You" | Al Johnson | 3:36 |
| 4. | "God Is Amazing" | Deniece Williams | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Baby, Baby My Love's All for You" | Verdine White, Robert Wright | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Season" | Clarence McDonald, Fritz Baskett | 3:38 |
| 7. | "Be Good to Me" | Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams, Fritz Baskett | 2:56 |
| 8. | "The Paper" | Deniece Williams | 7:48 |
Personnel
- Deniece Williams – lead vocals
- Deniece Williams, Maurice White, Sidney Barnes – backing vocals
- Jerry Peters – piano
- Larry Dunn – synthesizer
- Al McKay, Charles Fearing, John Rowin Jr., Marlo Henderson – guitar
- Nathan Watts, Verdine White – bass
- David Garibaldi, Fred White, Maurice White – drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Victor Feldman – vibraphone
- Andrew Woolfolk, Azar Lawrence, Don Myrick, George Patterson – saxophone
- Charles Loper, George Bohanon, Louis Satterfield – trombone
- Chuck Findley, Michael Harris, Oscar Brashear, Steve Madaio – trumpet
- Don Myrick – saxophone solo (6, 8)
- Michael Harris – trumpet solo (8)
- Tom Tom 84 (Tom Washington) – string and horn arrangements
Production
- Producer – Maurice White
- Co-Producer – Jerry Peters
- Engineer – Warren Dewey
- Assistant Engineer – Jack Rouben
- Design – Nancy Donald
- Photography – Kenneth McGowan
- Management – Cavallo-Ruffalo Management
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | US Billboard Top R&B Albums | 23[7] |
| US Billboard 200 | 66 | |
| 1978 | UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums | 5[8] |
References
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Songbird". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ a b Gage, Simon. "Review: Deniece Williams - Song Bird (BBR)". express.co.uk. Daily Express.
- ^ a b Rockwell, John (December 30, 1977). "The Pop Life". nytimes.com. New York Times.
- ^ Albums. Vol. 39. November 5, 1977. p. 24 – via archive.org.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Deniece Williams: Songbird (PDF). Vol. 40. Stereo Review. April 1978. p. 104.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e "Deniece Williams: Songbird". 45worlds.com.
- ^ a b "Deniece Williams: Songbird (Top R&B Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ a b "Top British Soul Albums". No. 242. Blues & Soul. January 3, 1978.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^ "Deniece Williams". officialcharts.com. Official Charts.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Baby, Baby My Love's All For You (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ Beanie Sigel feat. Eve: Remember Them Days. Def Jam Records. 2000.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Time". cover.info.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE! A Conversation with the Legendary Deniece Williams". sacculturalhub.com.
- ^ "SAVING GRACE: DENIECE WILLIAMS". lafocusnewspaper.com.