Let's Hear It for the Boy (album)
| Let's Hear It for the Boy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 16, 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1984 | |||
| Studio | The Complex (Los Angeles, California); LeGonks West (West Hollywood, California); Soundcastle (Los Angeles, California). | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul, funk, dance, post-disco | |||
| Length | 40:53 | |||
| Label | Columbia, CBS | |||
| Producer | Deniece Williams, George Duke | |||
| Deniece Williams chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Let's Hear It for the Boy | ||||
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Let's Hear It for the Boy is the eighth studio album by American recording artist Deniece Williams, released on April 16, 1984, by Columbia Records.[1] The album reached No. 26 on the US Billboard 200 Albums chart and No. 10 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hop-Hop Albums chart.
Production
Deniece Williams produced six of the album's tracks while George Duke produced the remaining four.[2] The production of the album was completed in early May 1984 before the album was released a few weeks later.[3]
Singles
The album's
Other tracks from the album released as singles include, "Next Love", which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart,[8] and "Black Butterfly", which reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
Stereo Review | unrated[14] |
Chris Albertson of
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | " Let's Hear It for the Boy" | George Duke | 4:20 | |
| 2. | "I Want You" |
| Williams | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Picking Up the Pieces" |
| Williams | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Black Butterfly" | Duke | 4:25 | |
| 5. | "Next Love" |
| Duke | 4:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Haunting Me" |
| Duke | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Don't Tell Me We Have Nothing" |
| Williams | 4:00 |
| 3. | "Blind Dating" |
| Williams | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Wrapped Up" |
| Williams | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Whiter Than Snow" | Traditional | Williams | 3:44 |
Personnel
Vocals
- Deniece Williams – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 3, 6–10), arrangements (2)
- George Merrill – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
- Shannon Rubicam – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
- Oren Waters – backing vocals (3, 9)
- Roosevelt Christmas III – backing vocals (5, 6)
Musicians
- George Duke – Memorymoog (1, 5), Prophet-5 (1, 4), Moog bass (1), LinnDrum programming (1, 6), keyboards (2), Rhodes (5), synthesizers (6), vocoder (6), special effects (6)
- Leon Pendarvis – synthesizers (3, 8, 9), arrangements (3, 7–9)
- Kevin Grady – synthesizers (3, 8, 9)
- Russell Ferrante– acoustic piano (3, 4, 8, 9), Rhodes (4)
- Roland Jupiter 8(6), LinnDrum programming (6), arrangements (6)
- Jerry Peters – organ (10), arrangements (10)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (1, 3, 5, 7–9)
- Jeff Baxter – guitars (3, 7–9)
- Michael Sembello – guitars (4, 6)
- Nathan East – bass (3, 4, 7–9)
- Freddie Washington – bass (5)
- Ricky Lawson – drums (3–5, 7, 8)
- Ricky Nelson – drums (9)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 3)
- Sheila E. – percussion (5)
- John Robinson – tom toms (6)
- Ronnie Laws – tenor saxophone (2)
- Richard Elliot – lyricon (4)
- Hubert Laws – flute (5)
- George Del Barrio – string arrangements (2)
Production
- Larkin Arnold – executive producer
- George Duke – producer (1, 4–6)
- Deniece Williams – producer (2, 3, 7–10)
- Tommy Vicari – remix engineer (1), recording engineer (4–6)
- Tom Perry – engineer (2, 3, 7–10)
- Mick Guzauski – recording engineer (4–6)
- Nick Spigel – second engineer (4–6)
- Mitch Gibson – second string engineer (4)
- Bernie Grundman Mastering(Hollywood, California)
- Constance Guzman – production assistant
- Tony Lane – art direction
- Nancy Donald – art direction
- Margaret MacFarlane – photography
- Bridget Bergman – make-up
- D.W. Enterprises – management
Chart performance
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | US Billboard Top 200 Albums[15] | 26 |
| US Billboard Top Black Albums[16] | 10 | |
| Dutch Albums[17] | 17 | |
| German Albums | 59 |
References
- ^ Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It For The Boy. Columbia Records. 1984.
- ^ Matthews, Carl (June 2, 1984). "Sounds: Deniece Williams". The Afro-American. Baltimore. p. 11. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Rolling Stones plan to do video, concert in L.A. during Olympics". The Ledger. May 3, 1984. p. 2A. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- Official Charts.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Next Love (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Black Butterfly (Hot Soul Songs)". Billboard.
- Baltimore Sun. p. 121.
- Boston Globe. p. 100.
- ^ a b Johnson, Connie (June 10, 1984). "THE RECORD RACK: STYLISH FLUFF FROM DENIECE". Los Angeles Times. p. 74.
- ^ Wyatt, Hugh (June 22, 1984). Tracing the origins of black music. New York Daily News. p. 140.
- ^ Stereo Review. p. 97.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
