Winner in You
| Winner in You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 28, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Genre |
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| Length | 44:48 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer |
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| Patti LaBelle chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Winner in You | ||||
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Winner in You is the eighth
studio album by American R&B singer Patti LaBelle. It was released by MCA Records on April 28, 1986, in the United States. Recording sessions took place during 1985–1986. Production was handled by several record producers, including Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Nickolas Ashford
, among others.
The album peaked at number one on the US
New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. To date, the album is estimated to have sold over eight million copies worldwide,[1][2] becoming her best-selling album ever. Upon its release, Winner in You received moderate reviews from music critics. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). LaBelle embarked on the Winner in You Tour from 1986 to 1987, touring Europe to promote her album.[3]
Release and promotion
Singles
The first single to be released off of Winner in You was "
Austrian Singles Chart.[8]
The second single to be released was "
New Zealand Singles Chart. The third single to be released was "Kiss Away the Pain". It was not as successful as the two prior singles, only reaching number thirteen on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[4] The final single to be released was "Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight)," reaching number fifty on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.[4] It is played twice in Sweet Liberty and over the opening credits of Outrageous Fortune
.
Critical response
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
Allmusic |   [9] |
| Robert Christgau | B[10] |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed)[11] |
Winner in You received average reviews from critics. Ron Wynn on
Michael McDonald as well as LaBelle's singing abilities. Christgau also compliments her and her family's songwriting abilities. He believes this is how LaBelle became a multi-platinum solo artist. Christgau did not like the earlier part of the album, claiming she "doesn't start out with such surefire goods". Overall, he says the "beats and tunes kick in till you could care less what organ she's singing through." Kim Farber of Billboard gave the album a mixed review,[11] claiming it to be inconsistent. He believes album was not a "hands-down winner so many anticipated," saying how none of the fast tracks have a "jump." Ferber, although, praises her singing ability and says that is the only thing that saved the album. He said the ballads
were well written, and enjoyed "On My Own", saying the song is "something real" and likes the song "Oh, People" even more.
Commercial performance
The album peaked at number one on the US
Albums Top 60.[18] In the United Kingdom, it entered at number thirty-four and peaked at number 30 on the UK Albums Chart.[19]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | " Valerie Simpson | 4:18 |
Personnel
- Patti LaBelle – vocals, backing vocals (3)
- Robbie Buchanan – synthesizers (1), drum programming (1)
- Paul Fox – synthesizers (1), drum programming (1), additional synthesizers (5, 8)
- Andy Goldmark – acoustic piano solo (1)
- Burt Bacharach – acoustic piano (2, 9)
- Greg Phillinganes – Yamaha DX7 (2)
- David Foster – synthesizers (2, 9)
- Peter Wolf – synthesizers (2)
- Howie Rice – keyboards (3), guitars (3, 6), additional synthesizers (5, 8), synthesizers (6), drum programming (6), drum fills (8)
- Ron Kersey – grand piano (4), Yamaha DX7 (4), Yamaha CS-80 (4)
- Will Bryant – Oberheim OB-8 (4), Yamaha DX7 (7)
- Bill LaBounty – synthesizers (5), drum programming (5)
- Nick Johnson – acoustic piano (7), Yamaha DX7 (7)
- Steve George – synthesizers (8)
- Steve Mitchell – additional synthesizers (8)
- Randy Kerber – Yamaha DX7 (9)
- Joseph Joubert – keyboards (10)
- Paul Jackson, Jr.– guitars (1)
- Dann Huff – guitars (2, 9)
- Leo Nocentelli – guitars (4), rhythm guitar (7)
- David T. Walker – guitars (4), lead guitar (7)
- Charles Fearing – guitars (5, 8)
- Michael Landau – guitars (8), lead guitar (8)
- Nathan East – bass (1)
- Neil Stubenhaus – bass (2)
- Le Quient Jobe – bass (3)
- Freddie Washington – bass (4, 7, 9)
- Carlos Vega – drums (2)
- Nate Neblett – Simmons drums (7)
- Pat Mastelotto – drum programming (8)
- John Robinson – drums (9)
- Chris Parker – drums (10), percussion (10)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 2, 6)
- James Gadson – percussion (3), drums (4, 7)
- Terral Santiel – percussion (3, 8), drums (5)
- George Howard – saxophone solo (4)
- David I. – alto sax solo (7)
- Larry Williams – saxophones (8)
- Charles Loper – trombone (8)
- Chuck Findley – trumpet (8)
- Jerry Hey – trumpet (8), horn arrangements (8)
- Jerry Peters – horn and string arrangements (7)
- Charles Veal – concertmaster (7)
- The Sweeties (Carla Benson, Evette Benton and Barbara Ingram) – backing vocals (1, 2, 5)
- Michael McDonald– vocals (2)
- Clydene Jackson – backing vocals (2)
- Julia Tillman – backing vocals (2)
- Maxine Willard – backing vocals (2)
- Marva Barnes – backing vocals (4)
- Alex Brown – backing vocals (4), BGV arrangements (4)
- Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (4)
Production
- Patti LaBelle – executive producer
- Richard Perry – producer (1, 5, 6, 8)
- Burt Bacharach – producer and arrangements (2, 9)
- Carole Bayer-Sager – producer and arrangements (2, 9)
- Howie Rice – producer (3, 6)
- James Budd Ellison – producer (3, 4, 7), production supervisor
- Ron Kersey – producer (4)
- Nick Johnson – producer (7)
- Nickolas Ashford – producer and arrangements (10)
- Valerie Simpson – producer and arrangements (10)
- Andy Goldmark – co-producer (1)
- Bruce Roberts – co-producer (1)
- Bill LaBounty – associate producer (5)
- Steve George – co-producer (8)
- Richard Page – co-producer (8)
- Bradford Rosenberger – production coordinator (1, 6, 8)
- Frank DeCaro – production coordinator (9)
- Cheryl Dickerson – A&R manager
- Jeff Adamoff – design
- September – art direction, design
- Ann Field – illustration
- Marc Raboy – photography
- Gallin Morey Associates – management
Technical credits
- Michael Brooks – recording (1, 5, 8)
- Bill Schnee – remixing (1)
- Mick Guzauski – recording (2, 9)
- Joel Moss – recording (2)
- Hill Brin Swimmer – recording (3, 4, 7), mixing (7)
- Taavi Mote – remix engineer (3), mixing engineer (4)
- Louil Silas, Jr.– remixing (3), mixing (4)
- Ron Kersey – mixing (4)
- Don Smith – remix engineer (5, 8)
- John Arrias – recording (6)
- Norman Whitfield Jr. – remixing (6), additional engineer (6)
- Robert Biles – recording (7), mixing (7)
- Ian Eales – basic track engineer (8)
- Tim Cox – recording (10)
- Michael Hutchinson – mixing (10)
- John Boghosian – additional engineer (1, 6, 8), basic track engineer (5)
- Glen Holgiun – additional engineer (1, 5), assistant engineer (1, 5, 6, 8)
- Thom Panunzio – additional engineer (1)
- Julie Last – assistant engineer (1, 5, 8)
- Kraig Miller – assistant engineer (1, 5, 6, 8)
- Glen Kurtz – second engineer (3, 4)
- Dennis Stefani – second engineer (4)
Recording studios
- Tracks 1, 5, 6 & 8 recorded and mixed at Studio 55 (Los Angeles, CA).
- Track 2 recorded at Conway Studios (Hollywood, CA), Lion Share Recording (Los Angeles, CA) and Bill Schnee Studios(Hollywood, CA).
- Track 3 recorded at Baby O' Recorders (Hollywood, CA). Remixed at Larrabee Sound Studios (Hollywood, CA).
- Track 4 recorded at Baby O' Recorders and Westlake Audio(Los Angeles, CA). Mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios.
- Track 7 recorded at Baby O' Recorders and Soundcastle Studios (Hollywood, CA). Mixed at Soundcastle Studios.
- Track 9 recorded at One on One Studios, Lion Share Recording and Conway Studios.
- Track 10 recorded at 39th Street Studios (New York, NY). Mixed at The Hit Factory (New York, NY).
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
| US Cashbox (magazine) Chart (1986) | Peak
position | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 75 R&B Albums[26] | 1 | |||||||||||
| Top 100 Albums[27] | 2 | |||||||||||
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[28] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Patti LaBelle: 5 Things On R&B Singer Battling Gladys Knight In A 'Verzuz' Battle". Hollywood Life. September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "Winner In You - Patti LaBelle". Carousell. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald - On My Own". Dutch Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald - On My Own". Sverigetopplistan. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald - On My Own - austriancharts.at". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: Patti LaBelle". Robert Christgau. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ a b Farber, Jon (June 19, 1986). "Patti LaBelle: Winner in You". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
- ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Albums Chart". Billboard. May 24, 1986. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ "Top Hip-Hop and R&B Albums & Charts". Billboard. May 24, 1986. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ "Winner in You - Patti LaBelle". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Patti LaBelle – Winner in You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "Dutchcharts.nl – Patti LaBelle – Winner In You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Charts.nz – Patti LaBelle – Winner In You". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Swedishcharts.com – Patti LaBelle – Winner In You". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Patti LaBelle | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "Cashbox Magazine" (PDF). June 14, 1986.
- ^ LaBelle, Patti (June 28, 1986). "Cashbox Magazine" (PDF).
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Patti LaBelle – Winner in You". Music Canada. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
