The Promise (Earth, Wind & Fire album)
| The Promise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 20, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002–2003 | |||
| Studio | Magnet Vision Studios, Santa Monica, CA | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:42 | |||
| Label | Kalimba | |||
| Producer | Maurice White, Tim & Bob | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
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| Reissue cover | ||||
 2009 reissue cover | ||||
| Singles from The Promise | ||||
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The Promise is the eighteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in May 2003 on Kalimba Music.[1] The album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.[2][3]
Overview[edit]
The Promise was executively produced by Maurice White. Artists such as Angie Stone, The Emotions, Gerald Albright and Paulinho Da Costa featured on the LP. The album's cover art was also designed by Morito Suzuki.[1]
"Where Do We Go from Here" and "Dirty" were originally recorded during the I Am sessions and remixed for this album. "Dirty", in particular, in its original form with blues legend Junior Wells, already appeared on the 1992 box-set The Eternal Dance.[1]
Singles[edit]
The track "All in the Way" featuring The Emotions reached No. 13 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 25 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[4][5]
The songs, "Never" and "Why?" peaked at Nos. 17 and 19, respectively, on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart.[6][7] "Hold Me", produced and written by Tim & Bob, reached No. 28 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart.[8] "Hold Me" was also Grammy nominated for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [10] |
| Blender | [11] |
| People | (favourable)[12] |
| The Guardian | [13] |
| USA Today |  [14] |
| Boston Globe | (favourable)[15] |
| Associated Press | (favourable)[16] |
| SF Weekly | (favourable)[17] |
| Washington Post | (favourable)[18] |
| Dayton Daily News | (B)[19] |
People called The Promise a "musically rich 17-track set (including five trademark instrumental interludes) that blows away most of today’s R&B."[12] With a three out of five star rating Chairman Mao of Blender proclaimed that EWF "maintains their trademark buoyancy on a classy collection of mid-tempo numbers and sweeping ballads."[11] Rob Theakston of AllMusic gave a three out of five star rating and declared the album is "extremely soulful and soothing".[10] With a 3.5 out of five star rating Steve Jones of USA Today wrote "with horn-kissed ballads and infectious jazz funk grooves, the band seems to have regained its spark".[14] Renee Graham of the Boston Globe noted that "unfussy and sincere, this is well-crafted R&B for grown ups".[15] David Peschek of The Guardian also gave a 4 out of five star rating and described The Promise as "17 tracks of immaculately smooth, meticulously detailed mid-tempo pop-soul and thoroughly intoxicating in its lushness."[13]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All in the Way" (featuring The Emotions) | Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn, Maurice White | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Betcha'" | Preston Glass, Maurice White | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Wiggle" | Preston Glass | 0:39 |
| 4. | "Why?" | Gregory Curtis, Maurice White | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Wonderland"" (featuring Angie Stone) | Chris Rodriguez, Tommy Sims | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Where Do We Go from Here?" | Bill Meyers, Ross Vannelli | 5:21 |
| 7. | "Freedom" | Maurice White | 0:42 |
| 8. | "Hold Me" | Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson | 4:37 |
| 9. | "Never" | Gregory Curtis, Maurice White | 5:08 |
| 10. | "Prelude" | 0:40 | |
| 11. | "All About Love" | Sheila Hutchinson, Wanda Vaughn, Wayne Vaughn | 4:24 |
| 12. | "Suppose You Like Me" | Scott Storch, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, Questlove, Sir James Bailey | 4:37 |
| 13. | "The Promise" | Raymond Crossley, Ralph Johnson, Maurice White | 0:27 |
| 14. | "She Waits" | Marc Harris, Tommy Sims | 5:09 |
| 15. | "The Promise (Continued)" | Maurice White, Ralph Johnson | 0:51 |
| 16. | "Let Me Love You" | Gregory Curtis | 4:17 |
| 17. | "Dirty" | Maurice White | 3:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Soul" | Maurice White, Ralph Johnson, Carlos Rios | 3:48 |
| 18. | "So Lucky" | Scott Storch, Questlove, Sir James Bailey | 4:44 |
Personnel[edit]
- Maurice White – lead and background vocals, kalimba, producer, executive producer, horn arrangements, vocal producer
- Tim Kelley – mixer, arranger, producer, keyboards, drum programming
- Bob Robinson – arranger, producer, piano, guitar
- Verdine White – bass
- Philip Bailey – lead and background vocals
- Ralph Johnson – percussion, background vocals, producer, drum programming
- B. David Whitworth – background vocals
- Tom Mgrdichian – keyboards, string arrangements
- Sir Alexander Dutkewych – guitar, harp on "Dirty"
- John Paris – drums
- Greg "G-Mo" Moore – guitar
- Robert Brookins – keyboards, producer, drum programming
- Daniel de los Reyes – percussion
- Gary Bias – flute, saxophone
- Reggie Young – trombone
- Ray Brown – trumpet, flugelhorn, horn arrangements, soloist
- Darrell Crooks – guitar
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Gary Grant – trumpet
- Jerry Hey – trumpet, horn arrangements
- Sheila Hutchinson – background vocals
- Tollak Ollestad – harmonica
- Wayne Linsey – keyboards
- Raymond Crossley – keyboards
- Gregory Curtis – keyboards, background vocals, producer, engineer, drum programming
- Andy Martin – trombone
- Howard McCrary – background vocals
- Michael "Patches" Stewart – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Wanda Vaughn – lead and background vocals
- Wayne Vaughn – drums, keyboards, background vocals, producer, engineer, horn arrangements, vocal producer
- Eric Walls – guitar
Production[edit]
- Myron McKinley – rhythm arrangements
- Dave Dolimar – engineer
- Preston Glass – producer, keyboard programming
- Steve Hall – mastering
- Andy Haller – engineer
- Cameron Marcarelli – engineer, drum programming, assistant engineer
- Wallace Mercer – engineer
- Richard Salvato – production coordination
- Dexter Simmons – mixing
- Ben Wright – horn arrangements
- ja:Morito Suzuki – cover design
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[3] | 5 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[2] | 19 |
| US Billboard 200 | 89 |
| Japan (Oricon)[20] | 115 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "All in the Way" | US Billboard Adult R&B Airplay[4] | 10 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[5] | 25 | ||
| UK Independent Singles[21] | 45 | ||
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 77 | ||
| "Hold Me" | US Billboard Adult R&B Airplay[8] | 28 | |
| 2014 | "Never" | US Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs[6] | 17 |
| 2015 | "Why?" | US Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs[7] | 19 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise. Kalimba Music. May 2003.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album)". billboard.com.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise (Top Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: All In The Way Chart History (Adult R&B)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: All In The Way Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Never (Smooth Jazz Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Why? (Smooth Jazz Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire: Hold Me (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- ^ a b Theakston, Rob. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ a b Mao, Chairman. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". blender.com. Blender. Archived from the original on 2009-05-10.
- ^ a b Picks and Pans Main: Song. People. May 26, 2003.
- ^ a b Peschek, David (April 9, 2004). "Earth, Wind and Fire, The Promise". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
- ^ a b Burton, Steve (May 23, 2003). "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". Cincinnati Enquirer. USA Today – via newspaper.com.
- ^ a b Graham, Renee (June 6, 2003). "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". newspaper.com. Boston Globe. p. 62.
- ^ "Turn up sound for 'Deftones' – Self-titled CD really rocks". newsbank.com. Telegraph Herald. Associated Press. May 25, 2003. p. f8.
- ^ Palmer, Tamera (May 28, 2003). "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". sfweekly.com. SF Weekly.
- ^ Joyce, Mike. "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". Washington Post.
- ^ Ali, Derek (June 6, 2003). "Earth, Wind & Fire: The Promise". newspapers.com. Dayton Daily News. p. 58.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart". officialcharts.com. Official Charts. May 1, 2004.
