Always You | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 25, 1993 | |||
Genre | R&B, soul | |||
Length | 53:22 | |||
Label | Qwest Records, Warner Bros. Records | |||
Producer | Benny Medina (exec) | |||
James Ingram chronology | ||||
|
Always You is the fourth studio album by singer James Ingram, released on May 25, 1993, by Qwest Records.[1] The album got to No. 27 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart.[2]
Always You was executively produced by Benny Medina.[1]
The album cut, "Someone Like You", reached No. 33 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Dayton Daily News | [5] |
Deseret News | [7] |
Rolling Stone | [6] |
David Wild of Rolling Stone gave a three out of five stars rating exclaiming "A great popular singer who suffers from a lack of image, James Ingram is unlikely to change that position much with the release of "Always You," his new album that finds him working with producers Keith Thomas (who made Amy Grant a major pop act), the great Philly soulman Thom Bell and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire fame. This strange combo works, though.[6] Sonia Murray of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said "James Ingram, a well-oiled machine in the hit-making factory, has assembled another album ready for much airplay. "Always You" is consistently him. A collection of ballads and massage-like mid-tempo songs, his latest effort shows that Mr. Ingram knows what works for him and why. Thanks to his painstaking care with every lyric, even gushy cuts like "Always You" and "A Baby's Born" come off as convincing."[8] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review exclaimed "Others might shout, bark, growl, scream and rap their way through recordings, but James Ingram has such a superb voice that it's enough to simply hear him sing. Building on the tradition of soul crooning established in earlier decades, he is presented here in tastefully fashioned romantic settings that permit him to display his irresistible way with a ballad. There is no huffing, puffing, or grunting. Instead, Ingram is permitted to cast a spell with his velvety voice as he interprets several quality songs, including the pensive A Baby's Born, the socially aware Sing for the Children, and the pretty Any Kind of Love. While Ingram is a masterly balladeer, this does not mean that he is technically limited. Without disrupting the mood he has created, he deftly weaves in some dazzling vocal effects a la Al Jarreau or George Benson. He does so without ever breaking his cool, and that is the mark of a real master."[9] Cathy Carmode of the Deseret News wrote "Ingram's new collection is a keeper because it's so listenable, not because any of the songs is particularly remarkable. Albums so consistently pleasant and enjoyable are ones that shouldn't be let go. When I want to complete a task or spend some time with a friend or sweetheart, and want some soothing, pleasant background music, I don't want to have to get up and fast forward through a song that breaks that mood. Always You is appropriate for just that sort of purpose, if not for more intent listening."[7] With a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating Greg Simms of the Dayton Daily News found that "James Ingram teamed with Thom Bell and Benny Medina to produce Always You, and Maurice White, the mind behind Earth, Wind and Fire, lent a hand. But all that seems to amount to is a little embellishment on this album. Indeed, helping Ingram produce a group of songs is like helping Carl Lewis run the 100 -meter dash. Ingram is a welcome throwback to the days when crooners just stepped up to the microphone and let their voices go. The idea was just to sing sweetly and let the audience appreciate a fine voice. That's what Always You is all about." Simms also added "Ingram treats his listeners right. There is no way to go wrong with Always You."[5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Someone Like You" | Ingram, Keith Thomas | 4:24 |
2. | "Let Me Love You This Way" | Ingram, Dennis Morgan | 4:14 |
3. | "Always You" | Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Keith Thomas | 4:38 |
4. | "Treat Her Right" | Ingram, Keith Thomas | 5:04 |
5. | "A Baby's Born" | Burt Bacharach, Thom Bell, John Bettis, Linda Creed, Ingram | 6:16 |
6. | "This is the Night" | Burt Bacharach, Thom Bell, John Bettis, Ingram | 5:05 |
7. | "You Never Know What You Got" | Thom Bell, Leroy Bell, Linda Creed, Ingram | 6:22 |
8. | "Too Much for this Heart" | Dawn Thomas | 5:24 |
9. | "Sing for the Children" | Burt Bacharach, John Bettis, Ingram | 5:07 |
10. | "Any Kind of Love" | Ingram, Bruce Roberts, Carole Bayer Sager | 6:56 |
Additional Credits
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK R&B Albums (Official Charts Company)[2] | 27 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 74 |