Tuskegee is the tenth solo album by American singer-songwriter Lionel Richie , released on March 5, 2012 through Mercury Records . The album consists entirely of reinterpretations of previously released songs by Richie, each performed with a different guest artist. It became Richie's third number-one album on the Billboard 200 and his first since Dancing on the Ceiling in 1986. Tuskegee also became Richie's first album to sell more than a million copies in the United States since Dancing on the Ceiling .
The album is named after the Alabama city where Richie was born and later completed his undergraduate degree at Tuskegee Institute .[ 12]
Singles
"Endless Love " featuring Shania Twain was released as the album's lead single in the United States on February 7, 2012. In Denmark, "Say You, Say Me " featuring Rasmus Seebach was released at the first single on February 22, 2012.
Four promotion singles — "Easy " featuring Willie Nelson , "Just for You " featuring Billy Currington , "Stuck on You " featuring Darius Rucker , and "Hello " featuring Jennifer Nettles — were released in advance of the album.[ 13]
Although it was not released as a single, "Deep River Woman " featuring Little Big Town , charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart from unsolicited airplay and reached a peak of number 60. It was also the only song from the album to make an appearance on the chart, though the album's lead single, "Endless Love," was a Top 20 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The album was an unexpected hit. It debuted in the United States at number two on the Billboard 200 behind Madonna 's MDNA . Tuskegee sold 199,000 copies in its first week, becoming Lionel Richie's best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991.[ 14] The following week the album sold 95,000 copies and fell two places to number four.[ 15] In its third week on the chart Tuskegee rose to number one, selling 129,000 copies. It is Richie's third number-one album and his first since Dancing on the Ceiling (1986).[ 16] Tuskegee was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on May 3, 2012, for shipments of one million units in the US. As of December 2012, it has sold 1,071,000 copies.[ 17]
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 19,320 copies. It is Lionel Richie's eleventh top 10 album there.[ 18] In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart , selling 18,000 copies.[ 19]
2012 Tour
In support of the album, Lionel Richie announced a 2012 tour starting in Aberdeen and touring throughout Europe.
Set List
Intro Hello (remix)
All Around the World
Penny Lover
Easy
Ballerina Girl
Still
Truly
Stuck On You
Dancing on the Ceiling
Three Times a Lady
You Are (duet with Waylon)
Se La
Sail On
Machine Gun
Lady (You Bring Me Up)
Endless Love
Brick House
Fire (Ohio Players)
My Destiny
Say You, Say Me
Running With the Night
Hello
All Night Long
Goodbye
Track listing
North American edition
Australian edition additional track[ 20] Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 14. "Angel " (with Pixie Lott ) Richie, Barry, Taylor Dann Huff, Lionel Richie 5:01
Home Shopping Network additional CD[ 21] Title Writer(s) 1. "You Are" (Live at Wembley Arena ) Lionel Richie, Brenda Harvey Richie 2. "Say You, Say Me" Richie 3. "My Love" Richie 4. "Dancing on the Ceiling" Richie, Carlos Rios, Michael Frenchik 5. "Stuck on You" Richie
British edition
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "You Are" (with Blake Shelton) Lionel Richie, Brenda Harvey Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:01 2. "Say You, Say Me" (with Rasmus Seebach ) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:08 3. "Stuck on You" (with Darius Rucker) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 3:19 4. "Deep River Woman" (with Little Big Town) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:08 5. "My Love" (with Kenny Chesney) Richie Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney and Lionel Richie 5:34 6. "Dancing on the Ceiling" (with Rascal Flatts) Richie, Carlos Rios, Michael Frenchik Dann Huff and Lionel Richie 4:17 7. "Hello" (with Jennifer Nettles) Richie Nathan Chapman and Lionel Richie 4:28 8. "Sail On" (with Jill Johnson ) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:04 9. "Endless Love" (with Shania Twain) Richie Nathan Chapman and Lionel Richie 4:19 10. "Just for You" (with Billy Currington) Richie, Paul Barry, Mark Taylor Dann Huff and Lionel Richie 4:11 11. "Lady" (with Kenny Rogers) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:09 12. "Easy" (with Willie Nelson) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:29 13. "All Night Long" (with Jimmy Buffett and Coral Reefer Band) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:57 14. "Angel" (with Pixie Lott ) Richie, Barry, Taylor Dann Huff, Lionel Richie 5:01
Deluxe edition additional tracks Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 15. "Say You, Say Me" (with Jason Aldean) Richie Dann Huff, Lionel Richie 5:08 16. "Sail On" (with Tim McGraw) Richie Dann Huff, Lionel Richie 5:04
The Deluxe Edition includes a bonus DVD featuring the making of the record, artist interviews and behind the scenes footage.
German edition
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "You Are" (with Blake Shelton) Lionel Richie, Brenda Harvey Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:01 2. "Say You, Say Me" (with Rasmus Seebach ) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:08 3. "Stuck on You" (with Darius Rucker) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 3:19 4. "Deep River Woman" (with Little Big Town) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:08 5. "My Love" (with Kenny Chesney) Richie Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney and Lionel Richie 5:34 6. "Dancing on the Ceiling" (with Rascall Flatts featuring Stefanie Heinzmann ) Richie, Carlos Rios, Michael Frenchik Dann Huff and Lionel Richie 4:17 7. "Hello" (with Jennifer Nettles) Richie Nathan Chapman and Lionel Richie 4:28 8. "Sail On" (with Jill Johnson ) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:04 9. "Endless Love" (with Shania Twain) Richie Nathan Chapman and Lionel Richie 4:19 10. "Just for You" (with Billy Currington) Richie, Paul Barry, Mark Taylor Dann Huff and Lionel Richie 4:11 11. "Lady" (with Kenny Rogers) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:09 12. "Easy" (with Willie Nelson) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:29 13. "All Night Long" (with Jimmy Buffett and Coral Reefer Band) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:57 14. "Angel" (with Cassandra Steen ) Richie, Barry, Taylor Dann Huff, Lionel Richie 5:01
Deluxe edition additional DVD Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "You Are" (with Blake Shelton) Lionel Richie, Brenda Harvey Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:01 2. "Say You, Say Me" (with Rasmus Seebach ) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:08 3. "Stuck on You" (with Darius Rucker) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 3:19 4. "Deep River Woman" (with Little Big Town) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:08 5. "My Love" (with Kenny Chesney) Richie Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney and Lionel Richie 5:34 6. "Dancing on the Ceiling" (with Rascall Flatts) Richie, Carlos Rios, Michael Frenchik Dann Huff and Lionel Richie 4:17 7. "Hello" (with Jennifer Nettles) Richie Nathan Chapman and Lionel Richie 4:28 8. "Sail On" (with Jill Johnson ) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 5:04 9. "Endless Love" (with Shania Twain) Richie Nathan Chapman and Lionel Richie 4:19 10. "Just for You" (with Billy Currington) Richie, Paul Barry, Mark Taylor Dann Huff and Lionel Richie 4:11 11. "Lady" (with Kenny Rogers) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:09 12. "Easy" (with Willie Nelson) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:29 13. "All Night Long" (with Jimmy Buffett and Coral Reefer Band) Richie Tony Brown and Lionel Richie 4:57
Personnel
Musicians
Pat Buchanan – electric guitar
Nick Buda – drums
Tom Bukovac – electric guitar
Buddy Cannon – background vocals
Chris Carmichael – string arrangements, strings
Butch Carr – synthesizer
Nathan Chapman – bass guitar , drums, acoustic guitar , electric guitar, keyboards , programming, ukulele
Perry Coleman – background vocals
Chad Cromwell – drums
Dan Dugmore – steel guitar
Paul Franklin – steel guitar
Kenny Greenberg – electric guitar
John Hobbs – piano
Jim Horn – tenor saxophone
Dann Huff – electric guitar
John Barlow Jarvis – keyboards
John Jorgenson – electric guitar
Charlie Judge – keyboards
Kim Keyes – background vocals
Tim Lauer – Hammond B-3 organ , piano
Paul Leim – drums
Richard Madenfort – acoustic guitar, piano, background vocals
Tim Marks – bass guitar
Rick Marty – electric guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar
Randy McCormick – Hammond B-3 organ
Chris McHugh – drums
Jerry McPherson – electric guitar
Gordon Mote – keyboards, piano
Steve Nathan – keyboards
Larry Paxton – bass guitar
Mickey Raphael – harmonica
Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
Lionel Richie – keyboards, lead vocals, background vocals
Chris Rodriguez – background vocals
Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar, mandolin
Neil Thrasher – background vocals
Ilya Toshinsky – banjo , acoustic guitar
John Willis – acoustic guitar
Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle
Special Guests
Jason Aldean – duet vocals on "Say You, Say Me"
Jimmy Buffett – lead vocals on "All Night Long"
Kenny Chesney – duet vocals on "My Love"
Billy Currington – duet vocals on "Just for You"
Jay DeMarcus – bass guitar and background vocals on "Dancing On the Ceiling"
Karen Fairchild – vocals on "Deep River Woman"
Robert Greenidge – steel drums on "All Night Long"
Doyle Grisham – steel guitar on "All Night Long"
Tina Gullickson – background vocals on "All Night Long"
Roger Guth – drums on "All Night Long"
Gary LeVox – lead vocals on "Dancing On the Ceiling"
John Lovell – trumpet on "All Night Long"
Ralph MacDonald – percussion on "All Night Long"
Jim Mayer – bass guitar and background vocals on "All Night Long"
Peter Mayer – electric guitar and background vocals on "All Night Long"
Mac McAnally – acoustic guitar and background vocals on "All Night Long"
Tim McGraw – duet vocals on "Sail On"
Willie Nelson – acoustic guitar and duet vocals on "Easy"
Jennifer Nettles – duet vocals on "Hello"
Kenny Rogers – duet vocals on "Lady"
Joe Don Rooney – electric guitar and background vocals on "Dancing On the Ceiling"
Darius Rucker – duet vocals on "Stuck On You"
Kimberly Schlapman – vocals on "Deep River Woman"
Nadirah Shakoor – background vocals on "All Night Long"
Blake Shelton – duet vocals on "You Are"
Phillip Sweet – vocals on "Deep River Woman"
Shania Twain – duet vocals on "Endless Love"
Michael Utley – keyboards on "All Night Long"
Jimi Westbrook – vocals on "Deep River Woman"
Charts and certifications
Charts
Year-end charts
Chart (2012)
Position
Australian Albums Chart[ 32]
77
Canadian Albums Chart[ 33]
23
Dutch Albums Chart[ 34]
75
US Billboard 200[ 35]
9
US Country Albums Chart[ 35]
3
US Digital Albums Chart[ 35]
24
Certifications
Release history
References
^ Critic reviews at Metacritic
^ About.com review
^ Allmusic review
^ BBC Music review
^ The Boston Globe review
^ Country Weekly review
^ Entertainment Weekly review
^ Los Angeles Times review
^ The New York Times review
^ Rolling Stone review
^ Taste of Country review
^ Huey, Steve. "Lionel Richie Biography" . allmusic. Retrieved March 4, 2011 .
^ a b "Countdown to Tuskegee Release at iTunes" . Universal Music Nashville . 6 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012 .
^ Caulfield, Keith (3 April 2012). "Madonna Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, Lionel Richie at No. 2" . Billboard . Retrieved 9 April 2012 .
^ Caulfield, Keith (11 April 2012). "Nicki Minaj's 'Roman Reloaded' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200" . Billboard . Retrieved 18 April 2012 .
^ a b Caulfield, Keith (18 April 2012). "Lionel Richie's 'Tuskegee' Hits No. 1 on Billboard 200" . Billboard . Retrieved 18 April 2012 .
^ a b Paul Grein (January 3, 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Top Albums of 2012" . Chart Watch . Yahoo Music. Retrieved January 5, 2013 .
^ Jones, Alan (12 March 2012). "Official Chart Analysis: Springsteen album sells 74k, Gotye single shifts another 81k" . Music Week . Retrieved 14 March 2012 .
^ John Williams (2012-03-28). "CANOE - JAM! Music - Artists - Richie, Lionel : Lionel Richie debuts at No. 1" . Jam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2012-04-07 .
^ "Tuskegee | CD & DVD Music, Music Genres, Pop/Rock" . JB HI-FI. Retrieved 14 March 2012 .
^ "Lionel Richie Tuskegee CD and Exclusive 5-Track CD at HSN.com" . Home Shopping Network . Retrieved 14 March 2012 .
^ "Top 50 Albums Chart - Australian Recording Industry Association" . ARIA . Retrieved April 8, 2012 .
^ Tuch, Paul (March 30, 2012). "Lionel Richie Scores First Canadian No. 1 Album in Three Decades" (PDF) . Billboard . Retrieved March 28, 2012 .
^ "Album Top-40" . Hitlisten . IFPI Denmark & Nielsen Music . Retrieved 2012-03-16 .
^ Steffen Hung. "Lionel Richie - Tuskegee" . hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-04-07 .
^ Steffen Hung (2012-03-24). "Les charts français" . lescharts.com. Retrieved 2012-04-07 .
^ "Chart Track" . GfK. Retrieved 2012-03-16 .
^ "VG-lista - Topp 40 Album uke 11, 2012" . VG-lista . Retrieved 2012-03-17 .
^ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Hitparade - Alben Top 100 08.04.2012" . hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-04-07 .
^ "Archive Chart" . UK Albums Chart . The Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2012-03-11 .
^ "Chart listing for Tuskegee " . Billboard . Retrieved April 5, 2012 .
^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012" . ARIA . Retrieved January 15, 2015 .
^ "Best of 2012: Top Canadian Albums" . Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013 .
^ http://www.dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2012&cat=a
^ a b c http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/the-billboard-200
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums" (PDF) . Australian Recording Industry Association .
^ "Canadian album certifications – Lionel Richie – Tuskegee" . Music Canada .
^ "Certificeringer" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark . Retrieved 19 March 2012 .
^ "American album certifications – Lionel Richie – Tuskegee" . Recording Industry Association of America .
^ "LIONEL RICHIE OG RASMUS SEEBACH I SKØN DUET" (in Danish). Universal Music. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012 .
External links
Studio albums Live albums Compilation albums Singles Songwriting Tours Related articles