More Than Friends (album)
| More Than Friends | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Studio | Battery Studios (London, England)
| |||
| Genre | Pop, jazz | |||
| Label | Jive[1] | |||
| Producer | Barry Eastmond, Loris Holland, Timmy Allen, Teddy Riley | |||
| Jonathan Butler chronology | ||||
| ||||
More Than Friends is an album by the South African musician Jonathan Butler, released in 1988.[2][3] The title track was released as a single.[4]
The album peaked at No. 113 on the Billboard 200.[5] Butler supported the album by touring with Najee and Angela Bofill.[6]
Production[edit]
Butler made it a point to avoid writing about South Africa and its politics.[7] He added elements of hip hop to his sound on More Than Friends; "True Love Never Fails", a duet with Vanessa Bell Armstrong, incorporated gospel influences.[8][9][10] Butler did not feel like he was abandoning jazz so much as becoming more aware of popular music styles.[11] "Sekona" is an instrumental.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
The Washington Post opined that Butler "has all but abandoned whatever musical and vocal distinctiveness he once had in favor of his copycat commercial bent."[15] The Austin American-Statesman determined that the music "is upbeat and infectious with a backbeat that overpowers its occasional lapses into formulaic radio fare."[16] The Richmond Times-Dispatch called More Than Friends a "slickly produced album" that "moves toward the pop mainstream."[17]
AllMusic wrote that the album "continued the de-emphasis on his guitar playing, and was his biggest, most lavishly produced set."[13]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "There's One Born Every Minute (I'm a Sucker for You)" | Jonathan Butler, Jolyon Skinner | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Breaking Away" | Butler, Skinner, Loris Holland | 4:45 |
| 3. | "More Than Friends" | Butler, Skinner | 5:16 |
| 4. | "Take Me Home" | Butler | 4:43 |
| 5. | "True Love Never Fails (duet with Vanessa Bell Armstrong)" | Butler, Skinner | 5:18 |
| 6. | "She's a Teaser" | Butler, Skinner | 4:19 |
| 7. | "She's Hot (Burning Up)" | Butler, Skinner | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Sarah Sarah" | Butler, Skinner | 5:04 |
| 9. | "It's So Hard to Let You Go" | Butler, Skinner | 4:53 |
| 10. | "Sekona" | Butler | 4:40 |
CD track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "There's One Born Every Minute (I'm a Sucker for You)" | Butler, Skinner | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Breaking Away" | Butler, Skinner, Holland | 4:45 |
| 3. | "More Than Friends" | Butler, Skinner | 5:16 |
| 4. | "Take Me Home" | Butler | 4:43 |
| 5. | "True Love Never Fails" | Butler, Skinner | 5:18 |
| 6. | "Melodie" | Butler, Barry Eastmond | 4:40 |
| 7. | "She's a Teaser" | Butler, Skinner | 4:19 |
| 8. | "She's Hot (Burning Up)" | Butler, Skinner | 4:10 |
| 9. | "Sarah Sarah" | Butler, Skinner | 5:04 |
| 10. | "It's So Hard to Let You Go" | Butler, Skinner | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Sekona" | Butler | 4:40 |
| 12. | "Forever" | Butler, Eastmond | 4:50 |
Personnel[edit]
- Jonathan Butler – vocals (1-10, 12), backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 9-12), acoustic guitar (3-6, 11, 12), lead guitar (8)
- Barry Eastmond – keyboards (1, 3-7, 9-12), drum programming (1, 5, 6, 9), programming (3, 7, 11, 12), acoustic piano solo (7), synth bass (9), percussion (11)
- Loris Holland – keyboards (2, 5), drum programming (5), backing vocals (5)
- Pete Q. Harris – Fairlight programming (1, 2)
- Jim Baker – Fairlight programming (2)
- Eric Rehl – keyboards (7), programming (7)
- Teddy Riley – keyboards (8), drum programming (8)
- Lance Saban – electric guitars (2)
- Wayne Braithwaite – bass guitar (2, 4, 10)
- Timmy Allen – drum programming (3, 7), backing vocals (3, 7)
- Steve Ferrone – drums (4)
- Buddy Williams – drum overdubs (5), drums (11)
- Terry Silverlight – drums (10, 12)
- Bashiri Johnson – percussion (3, 4)
- V. Jeffrey Smith – saxophone (2, 5), backing vocals (2)
- Najee – alto saxophone (9)
- Marc Russo – alto saxophone (10)
- Will Downing – backing vocals (1)
- Curtis King – backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12)
- Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (1)
- Joyce Stovall – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Darryl Tookes – backing vocals (1, 7)
- Audrey Wheeler – backing vocals (1, 3), voice (1)
- Deborah Cooper – backing vocals (2, 9, 10, 12)
- Natalie Jackson – backing vocals (2)
- Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (2)
- Sandra St. Victor – backing vocals (2)
- Vanessa Bell Armstrong – vocals (5)
- Alfa Anderson – backing vocals (5)
- Jocelyn Brown – backing vocals (5)
- Marva King – backing vocals (5)
- Charmaine Yates – backing vocals (5)
- The Darryl Douglas Workshop Choir – choir (5)
- Darryl Douglas – choral arrangements and conductor (5)
- Lee Drakeford – backing vocals (8)
- Aaron Hall – backing vocals (8)
- Yolanda Lee – backing vocals (9, 10, 12)
- Vaneese Thomas – backing vocals (9, 10, 12)
- Janice Dempsey – backing vocals (11)
- Brenda White-King – backing vocals (11)
Production[edit]
- Barry Eastmond – producer (1, 3-7, 9-12)
- Loris Holland – producer (2, 5)
- Timmy Allen – producer (3, 7)
- Teddy Riley – producer (8)
- Nigel Green – mixing (1, 10, 12)
- Bryan "Chuck" New – mixing (2-9, 11)
- Mike Allaire – recording engineer
- Ron Banks – recording engineer
- Carl Beatty – recording engineer
- JC – recording engineer
- Bill Esses – recording engineer
- Don Feinberg – recording engineer
- Jim Hanneman – recording engineer
- Dennis Mitchell – recording engineer
- Jonathan Elliott – design
- Zombart – design
- Peter Mountain – photography
- Sheila Rock – photography
References[edit]
- ^ Thompson, Dave (April 2, 2019). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin.
- ^ "Jonathan Butler Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Duffy, Thom (27 Nov 1988). "Music". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 7.
- ^ Heckman, Don (28 Mar 1989). "Jonathan Butler Did It—A Star in the Making". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 6.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research Inc. p. 123.
- ^ Jones IV, James T. (28 Feb 1989). "Good Friends tour fuses jazz and soul". USA Today. p. 5D.
- ^ Gallo, Phil (February 17, 1989). "South African Butler tries his hand at apolitical pop". Weekend Guide. New Haven Register. p. 34.
- ^ Miller, Michael (February 17, 1989). "Jonathan Butler, Jack of All-Musical Trades, to Perform". The State. Columbia. p. 1B.
- ^ DeVault, Russ (March 10, 1989). "South African Jonathan Butler Overcame Drug Addiction to Make Musical Comeback". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D10.
- ^ Smith, Brad (February 21, 1989). "Butler's star quality shines at Paramount". Living. The Republican. Springfield. p. 27.
- ^ Ruffin, Mark (March 3, 1989). "Former South African idol finds more success in U.S.". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 25.
- ^ Eichenberger, Bill (March 3, 1989). "3 Offer Ups, Downs and Even Some Jazz". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 8D.
- ^ a b "More Than Friends". AllMusic.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 92.
- ^ Brown, Joe (24 Feb 1989). "On the evidence of the less-than-enthralling 'More Than Friends'...". The Washington Post. p. N19.
- ^ Point, Michael (17 Mar 1989). "Jivin' Jonathan". Austin American-Statesman. p. F1.
- ^ Farmer, Robin (February 24, 1989). "Childhood Gift Fashioned South African Musicians's Life". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. C1.