The Promise (Earth, Wind & Fire album)
| The Promise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| Released | May 20, 2003 | |||
| Genre | R&B, funk | |||
| Length | 56:42 | |||
| Label |
Kalimba Avex/Cutting Edge | |||
| Producer | Maurice White, Tim & Bob, Phillip Bailey | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Reissue cover | ||||
 2009 Reissue Cover |
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The Promise is the 18th studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire. Released on Maurice White's label Kalimba Records, it was their first of new material in six years. The album reached #5 on the Top Independent Album Chart and #19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart. It also featured collaborations with Angie Stone, The Emotions, Gerald Albright and Paulinho Da Costa. The album's cover art was designed by Morito Suzuki. The track "All About Love" is a different song and not a remake of their 1975 song of the same name from their album That's the Way of the World.
The album cut produced and written by Tim & Bob Hold Me was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.[1]
On February 24, 2009 The Promise was re-released on Kalimba Music.[2]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Blender | link |
| People | (Critic's choice) link |
| Yahoo Music | (favorable) link |
AllMusic declared that "a certain reverence needs to be paid toward a group that can manage to still produce interesting, soulful music well into a third decade" and that the album is "extremely soulful and soothing",[3] while People called The Promise "musically rich".[4]
Trivia
"Where Do We Go from Here" and "Dirty" were originally recorded during the I Am sessions and remixed for this album. "Dirty", in particular, in its original form with blues legend Junior Wells, already appeared on the 1992 collection The Eternal Dance.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All In the Way feat. The Emotions" | Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn, Maurice White | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Betcha'" | Gregory Curtis | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Wiggle" | Preston Glass, White | 0:39 |
| 4. | "Why?" | Curtis, White | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Wonderland" feat. Angie Stone" | Chris Rodriguez, Tommy Sims | 4:05 |
| 6. | "Where Do We Go from Here?" | Bill Meyers, Ross Vannelli | 5:21 |
| 7. | "Freedom" | M. White | 0:42 |
| 8. | "Hold Me" | Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson | 4:37 |
| 9. | "Never" | Curtis, White | 5:08 |
| 10. | "Prelude" | 0:40 | |
| 11. | "All About Love" | Sheila Hutchinson, Wayne Vaughn, Wanda Vaughn | 4:24 |
| 12. | "Suppose You Like Me" | James Bailey, Scott Storch, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, Questlove | 4:37 |
| 13. | "The Promise" | Raymond Crossley, Ralph Johnson, White | 0:27 |
| 14. | "Love's Patience/She Waits" | Marc Harris, Tommy Sims | 5:09 |
| 15. | "The Promise (Continued)" | Crossley, Johnson, White | 0:51 |
| 16. | "Let Me Love You" | Curtis | 4:17 |
| 17. | "Dirty" | White, Alexander Dutkewych, K.G.St.J. | 3:47 |
Japan bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soul" | Johnson, Carlos Rios, White | 3:48 |
| 2. | "So Lucky" | Bailey, Scott Storch, Questlove | 4:44 |
Personnel
- Maurice White - lead and background vocals, kalimba, producer, executive producer, horn arrangements, vocal producer
- Tim Kelley - mixer, arranger, producer, keyboards, drum programming
- Bob Robinson - arranger, producer, piano, guitar
- Verdine White - bass
- Philip Bailey - lead and background vocals, executive producer
- Ralph Johnson - percussion, background vocals, producer, drum programming
- B. David Whitworth - background vocals
- Tom Mgrdichian - keyboards, string arrangements
- Sir Alexander Dutkewych - guitar, harp on "Dirty"
- John Paris - drums
- Greg "G-Mo" Moore - guitar
- Robert Brookins - keyboards, producer, drum programming
- Daniel de los Reyes - percussion
- Gary Bias - flute, saxophone
- Reggie Young - trombone
- Ray Brown - trumpet, flugelhorn, horn arrangements, soloist
- Darrell Crooks - guitar
- Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
- Gary Grant - trumpet
- Jerry Hey - trumpet, horn arrangements
- Sheila Hutchinson - background vocals
- Tollak Ollestad - harmonica
- Wayne Linsey - keyboards
- Raymond Crossley - keyboards
- Gregory Curtis - keyboards, background vocals, producer, engineer, drum programming
- Andy Martin - trombone
- Howard McCrary - background vocals
- Michael "Patches" Stewart - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Wanda Vaughn - lead and background vocals
- Wayne Vaughn - drums, keyboards, background vocals, producer, engineer, horn arrangements, vocal producer
- Eric Walls - guitar
Production
- Myron McKinley - rhythm arrangements
- Dave Dolimar - engineer
- Preston Glass - producer, keyboard programming
- Steve Hall - mastering
- Andy Haller - engineer
- Cameron Marcarelli - engineer, drum programming, assistant engineer
- Wallace Mercer - engineer
- Richard Salvato - production coordination
- Dexter Simmons - mixing
- Ben Wright - horn arrangements
- Morito Suzuki - cover design
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Billboard 200 | 89 |
| Top Independent Albums | 5 | |
| Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 19 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "All in the Way" | Adult Contemporary | 25 |
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 77 |
