Lalah Hathaway (album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Lalah Hathaway

| type = Studio album

| artist = Lalah Hathaway

| cover = LalahHathaway1990.jpg

| alt =

| released = June 29, 1990

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio = * Ocean Way Recording, M'Bila Studios and Soundcastle (Hollywood, CA)

  • Pacifique Studios (North Hollywood, CA)
  • Lion Share, The Playhouse, Summa Music Group, Westlake Studios, Craigland Studios, Silverlake Studios and Elumba Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Devonshire Sound Studios (Burbank, CA)
  • Aire L.A. Studios (Glendale, CA)

| genre =

| length = 45:06

| label = Virgin

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = A Moment

| next_year = 1994

| misc =

{{Singles

| name = Lalah Hathaway

| type = studio

| single1 = Heaven Knows

| single1date = June 28, 1990

| single2 = Baby Don't Cry

| single2date = October 24, 1990

| single3 = It's Somethin'

| single3date = March 7, 1991

| single4 = I'm Coming Back

| single4date = June 6, 1991

}}

}}

Lalah Hathaway is the debut studio album by American singer Lalah Hathaway. It was released by Virgin Records on June 29, 1990, in the United States.

Promotion

The album's first single was "Heaven Knows", produced by Derek Bramble. The follow-up single was "Baby Don't Cry", produced by Angela Winbush. The third single was "Somethin'". Virgin also released Night and Day, an EP available only in Japan. The disc featured two versions of the song "Night and Day" as well as two songs taken from the Lalah Hathaway album. Promotional music videos were shot for the singles "Heaven Knows", "Baby Don't Cry", and "Somethin'".

Critical reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lalah-hathaway-mw0000689967|title=Lalah Hathaway - Lalah Hathaway|author=Henderson, Alex|website=AllMusic}}

| rev2 = The New York Times

| rev2score = (favorable){{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/02/arts/home-entertainment-recordings-recent-releases.html|title=HOME ENTERTAINMENT/RECORDINGS: RECENT RELEASES|author=Watrous, Peter|date=September 2, 1990|newspaper=The New York Times}}

}}

AllMusic editor Alex Henderson found that "the material on this CD ranges from excellent to routine, depending on who's writing and/or producing a particular song. Hathaway doesn't always have fantastic material to work with, but when she does, the results are quite memorable."

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Lalah Hathaway track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 45:06

| title1 = Somethin'

| writer1 = {{hlist|David Foster|Brenda Russell}}

| extra1 = Andre Fischer

| length1 = 3:38

| title2 = Heaven Knows

| writer2 = Derek Bramble

| extra2 = Bramble

| length2 = 5:17

| title3 = Baby Don't Cry

| writer3 = Angela Winbush

| extra3 = Winbush

| length3 = 4:04

| title4 = Smile

| writer4 = {{hlist|Russell Ferrante|Marilyn Scott}}

| extra4 = Fischer

| length4 = 4:55

| title5 = U-Godit Gowin On

| writer5 = {{hlist|Craig T. Cooper|Deborah Cooper}}

| extra5 = C. Cooper

| length5 = 3:28

| title6 = I'm Coming Back

| writer6 = Gary Taylor

| extra6 = {{hlist|Taylor|Fischer{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length6 = 5:37

| title7 = Stay Home Tonight

| writer7 = Martin Van Blockson

| extra7 = Fischer

| length7 = 4:16

| title8 = I Gotta Move On

| writer8 = Winbush

| extra8 = {{hlist|Winbush|Fischer{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length8 = 4:46

| title9 = Sentimental

| writer9 = Chuckii Booker

| extra9 = Booker

| length9 = 3:42

| title10 = Obvious

| writer10 = {{hlist|C. Cooper|D.Cooper|Denise Stewart}}

| extra10 = C. Cooper

| length10 = 5:16

}}

Notes

  • {{note|a|[a]}} signifies additional producers

Personnel

The "Gowin' On" Handclappers (Track 5)

  • Antoinette Brown, Robbie Casey, Deborah Cooper, Jai Diamond, Gerald Farwell, Robert "Bullet" Harris, Cat Miller, Kirtland, Maria A. Manning, Kelvin McKisic and Denise Stewart
  • For Real (Josina Elder, Phaenicia Grant, Shiro Stokes and Wendi Williams)

Production

  • John Brown – executive producer
  • Marsha Burns – production coordinator (2)
  • Melanie Nissen – art direction
  • Tracy Veal – design
  • Jean Paul Mann – front cover photography
  • David Roth – inside photography
  • Celestine Cloutier – wardrobe stylist
  • Victor Joseph – wardrobe stylist
  • Tara Posey – make-up

Technical

  • Dan Hersch – mastering at DigiPrep (Hollywood, California)
  • Al Schmitt – engineer (1, 4), mixing (1, 4, 7), recording (7)
  • Jeff Balding – engineer (2), mixing (2)
  • Mitch Gibson – recording (3)
  • Dennis Stefani – recording (3)
  • Jeff Lorenzen – mixing (3)
  • Robert Biles – engineer (5, 10), mixing (5, 10)
  • Craig T. Cooper – engineer (5), mixing (5)
  • Jeff Woodruff – engineer (6, 8), mixing (6, 8)
  • Rob Seifert – recording (9)
  • Craig Burbidge – mixing (9)
  • Mike Mancini – additional engineer (2)
  • Richard McKernon – additional engineer (4)
  • Doug Rider – additional engineer (4)
  • Steve Sykes – additional engineer (4)
  • Kyle Bess – assistant engineer (2)
  • Steve Harrison – assistant engineer (2)
  • James Johnson – assistant engineer (2)
  • Darren Prindle – assistant engineer (5)
  • Anthony Jeffries – assistant engineer (9)
  • Mike Scotella – assistant engineer (9)
  • Karen Shellenberger – assistant engineer (10)
  • Al Singleton – assistant engineer (10)

Charts

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Weekly chart performance for Lalah Hathaway

! scope="col"| Chart (1990)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Billboard200|191|artist=Lalah Hathaway|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 28, 2020}}
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|18|artist=Lalah Hathaway|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 28, 2020}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Year-end chart performance for Lalah Hathaway

scope="col"| Chart (1990)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990|work=Billboard|accessdate=November 28, 2020}}

| 99

scope="col"| Chart (1991)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1991/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991|work=Billboard|accessdate=November 28, 2020}}

| 81

{{col-end}}

References

{{Reflist}}