El DeBarge (album)

Untitled

El DeBarge is the self-titled debut album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records (a sub-label of Motown) and featured the hit singles, "Who's Johnny" and "Love Always". Singer/actress Vanity featured on backing vocals on the track, "Secrets Of The Night". This album went gold.

Track listing

1. "Who's Johnny" (Peter Wolf, Ina Wolf) – 4:11
2. "Secrets Of The Night" (Albert Hammond, Diane Warren) – 4:20
3. "I Wanna Hear It From My Heart" (Warren) – 4:25
4. "Someone" (Jay Graydon, Mark Mueller, Robbie Nevil) – 4:45
5. "When Love Has Gone Away" (Jack Conrad, Larry Henley) – 3:08
6. "Private Line" (Diane Warren) – 3:48
7. "Love Always" (Burt Bacharach, Bruce Roberts, Carole Bayer-Sager) – 5:32
8. "Lost Without Her Love" (Randy Goodrum, Graydon) – 4:35
9. "Thrill Of The Chase" (Alan Roy Scott, Roy Freeland, Gary Pickus) – 3:47
10. "Don't Say It's Over" (Diane Warren) – 4:32

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Jason Elias of Allmusic rated El DeBarge two-and-a-half out of five stars. He stated: "While the setup and idea are still exciting on paper, [the album] is a disappointment." He also stated that "the majority of the [...] tracks just don't do anything to enliven the product or accentuate his voice", and concluded by saying: "The fact that DeBarge didn't have a hand in producing or writing the songs all but made this ho-hum from the start."

Personnel

• El DeBarge – vocals
• Vanity - background vocals ("Secrets Of The Night")
• Jay Graydon – synthesizer, guitar, songwriter, arranger, producer, engineer
• Peter Wolf – keyboards, producer

Chart performance

Chart	Peak
US Billboard 200	24
US Billboard Top R&B Albums	8