Love's the Place to Be

Love's the Place to Be is a studio album by the American soul musician Will Downing, released in 1993.[1][2] It was his first album for Mercury Records.[3][4]

Love's the Place to Be
Studio album by
Will Downing
Released1993
GenreSoul, jazz, R&B
LabelMercury Records
Will Downing chronology
A Dream Fulfilled
(1991)		 Love's the Place to Be
(1993)		 Moods
(1995)

The album peaked at No. 166 on the Billboard 200.[5] "There's No Living Without You" peaked at No. 67 on the UK Singles Chart.[6]

Production

Among the album's many producers were Barry Eastmond and Ronnie Foster.[3]

Stevie Wonder contributed harmonica to "That's All".[3] Rachelle Ferrell duets with Downing on "Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This".[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The Charlotte Observer[9]
Daily Breeze[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[11]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called the album "the kind of romantic, elegant material that fans of the highly touted Luther Vandross wish he would return to."[12] The Charlotte Observer deemed it "a masterpiece," writing that "the three-song suite 'Do You Still Love Me'/'Hey Girl'/'Break Up to Make Up' is one of the best things to hit CD in a long time."[9]

The Dallas Morning News thought that "Downing has matured into a stunning stylist, caressing such classics as Nat 'King' Cole's 'That's All' [and] the Stylistics' 'Break Up to Make Up' ... with a reverence that still leaves room for redefining."[13] The Daily Breeze wrote that "most of the 11 tracks spin at the same speed and intensity, thus there is no chance for the highs and lows."[10]

AllMusic wrote that "these songs were all some of Downing's best work ... showcasing his vocal prowess."[8]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."There's No Living Without You"4:15
2."Sailing on a Dream"6:09
3."One Moment"4:43
4."Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This"6:21
5."Love's the Place to Be"5:00
6."Lovers Paradise"4:42
7."Everything to Me"4:20
8."Do You Still Love Me"4:55
9."Hey Girl"5:25
10."Break Up to Make Up"5:07
11."That's All"5:37

Selected personnel

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. pp. 104–105.
  2. Hudson, Alexia (8 Oct 1993). "Music Reviews: Love's The Place To Be - Will Downing". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 7E.
  3. Smith, Danyel (Aug 14, 1993). "Downing Plays to Listener Loyalty". Billboard. 105 (33): 18.
  4. McNally, Owen (28 Oct 1993). "HOT AUTUMN NIGHT". Hartford Courant. Calendar. p. 6.
  5. "Will Downing". Billboard.
  6. "WILL DOWNING | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  7. "FIVE TOURING PERFORMERS JOINING FORCES FOR JAZZ EXPLOSION". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. November 13, 1994. p. 1E.
  8. "Love's the Place to Be - Will Downing | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  9. "R&B". The Charlotte Observer. February 11, 1994. p. 5F.
  10. Tranfa, Anthony D. (November 19, 1993). "WILL DOWNING, 'Love's the Place To Be'". Daily Breeze. p. K15.
  11. MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 183.
  12. Murray, Sonia (April 15, 1994). "PREVIEW - Will Downing". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P3.
  13. "Will Downing". The Dallas Morning News. November 11, 1993. p. 5C.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.