Louder Than Words (album)

Following years of intense touring and recording, Richie was suffering from burnout symptoms by March 1986.{{cite web |first=Neil|last=Strauss|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/18/arts/the-pop-life-083348.html |title=The Pop Life|website=The New York Times |date=April 18, 1996|accessdate=November 3, 2020}} While he only intended to take a year off, his father, Lionel Richie Sr., fell ill before dying in 1990. After his death, Richie struggled with what he described as "a massive depression".{{cite web |first=Lindsay|last=Kimble |url=https://people.com/music/lionel-richie-depressed-after-fathers-death/ |title=Lionel Richie Says He Went Into a 'Massive Depression' After His Father's Death: He 'Was My Hero'|website=People.com |date=April 20, 2018|accessdate=November 3, 2020}} At the same time, he was divorcing from his first wife Brenda Harvey after nearly two decades of marriage. Right after that, amid the release of his first compilation album Back to Front (1992) and the pre-production of a new studio album, his best friend informed Richie that he was dying from AIDS-related causes. It was not until his passing, that Richie felt ready to produce new music. Welcoming his second child, son Miles, with his second wife Diane Alexander in May 1994 eventually helped jumpstarting a return to recording. In a 2018 interview with People magazine, Richie commented: "They didn’t know what the hell I did for a living so I thought at that particular point, let’s go back and prove to the kids what I do. And so that was the incentive. I realized, this is what I should be doing."

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/louder-than-words-mw0000181889 |title=Tuskgee|publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=November 3, 2020 |last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}

|rev2 = Billboard

|rev2score = (favorable){{cite magazine|first=J.R.|last=Reynolds|title=Reviews & Previews: Albums|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-04-27.pdf|magazine=Billboard|date=April 27, 1996|page=79|accessdate=November 24, 2022}}

|rev3 = Robert Christgau

|rev3score = {{Rating-Christgau|neither}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292169,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201113159/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292169,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 1, 2008|title=Consumer Guide Reviews|publisher=Robert Christgau|accessdate=November 3, 2020}}

|rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev4score = B+{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292169,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201113159/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292169,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 1, 2008|title=Louder Than Words|author=Considine, J.D.|author-link=J.D. Considine|date=April 19, 1996|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=November 3, 2020}}

|rev5 = The Guardian

|rev5score = {{Rating|2|5}}Sullivan, Caroline (April 12, 1996). "Music: This Week's Pop CD Releases". The Guardian.

|rev6 = Los Angeles Times

|rev6score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-17-ca-59312-story.html|title=A Solid Return for Richie|author=Hodari Coker, Cheo|author-link=Cheo Hodari Coker|date=April 17, 1996|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 3, 2020}}

}}

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "although there are some slight attempts to incorporate new jack and hip-hop influences into Richie's sound, Louder Than Words relies on his trademark balladeering, which remains his forte. All of the weak moments on Louder Than Words are ill-advised forays into rap – to put it bluntly, he can rap about as well as Snoop Dogg can sing. Although the ballads aren't as strong as his late-'70s and early-'80s standards, they are nevertheless pleasant, which makes the record a worthwhile purchase for fans." Chicago Tribune critic Calvin Wilson declared the album "a mixed bag. Some of the selections are little more than filler – but when Richie is fully engaged, he comes up with music that's truly exhilarating. To be sure, Richie understands what's expected of him."{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-06-09-9606090151-story.html|title=Tuskgee|website=AllMusic |accessdate=November 3, 2020 |date=June 6, 1996|last=Wilson|first=Calvin }}

Cheo Hodari Coker, writing for the Los Angeles Times, called the album a "welcome return" and wrote: "From beginning to end, Louder Than Words is palatable enough for the crossover crowd, but also soulful enough for his now-older black female fans, many of whom moved on to Babyface in Richie’s absence. The elegant “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” the uncharacteristically sensual "Say I Do" and the easygoing jam "Ordinary Girl" show that Richie hasn’t lost any of his charm or compositional powers." Entertainment Weekly critic J.D. Considine remarked that "Richie’s middle-of-the-road R&B may as well be from another century. It isn’t that he can’t work a groove; what makes Richie seem so old-fashioned is that he doesn’t understand that these days the groove is everything. A pity, because even if he hasn’t kept up with the times, he has grown [...] Even if Louder Than Words doesn’t put him back on top of the charts, it’s proof that Richie is on top of his game."

In the United States, Louder Than Words debuted at number 33 on the US Billboard 200 with first weeks sales of 28,000 copies.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-25-ca-62318-story.html|title=Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 25, 1996|access-date=March 1, 2012}} It peaked at number 28.

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Piece of Love

| writer1 = {{hlist|Booker T. Jones|Marva King|Jeff Byrd}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Richie|James Anthony Carmichael}}

| length1 = 4:04

| title2 = Still in Love

| writer2 = Richie

| extra2 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael|Humberto Gatica{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length2 = 4:33

| title3 = I Wanna Take You Down

| writer3 = {{hlist|James Harris III|Terry Lewis}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Richie|Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis}}

| length3 = 5:01

| title4 = Can't Get Over You

| writer4 = Richie

| extra4 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length4 = 4:33

| title5 = Change

| writer5 = {{hlist|Richie|David Cochrane}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length5 = 5:01

| title6 = Nothing Else Matters

| writer6 = Richie

| extra6 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length6 = 4:34

| title7 = Ordinary Girl

| writer7 = {{hlist|Richie|Babyface}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length7 = 5:01

| title8 = Say I Do

| writer8 = {{hlist|Harris|Lewis|James Wright}}

| extra8 = Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

| length8 = 5:01

| title9 = Paradise

| writer9 = {{hlist|Richie|Lloyd Tolbert}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length9 = 5:02

| title10 = Don't Wanna Lose You

| writer10 = {{hlist|Richie|Harris|Lewis}}

| extra10 = Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

| length10 = 5:01

| title11 = Now You're Gone

| writer11 = Richie

| extra11 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length11 = 5:43

| title12 = Lovers at First Sight

| writer12 = Richie

| extra12 ={{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length12 = 6:59

| title13 = Climbing

| writer13 = Richie

| extra13 = {{hlist|Richie|David Foster}}

| length13 = 6:26

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Italian bonus track

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title14 = Amo, T'Amo, Ti Amo

| writer14 = {{hlist|Richie|Alberto Testa|Tony Renis}}

| extra14 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael|Gatica{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length14 = 4:04

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese bonus track

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title13 = What Do They Know

| writer13 = Richie

| extra13 = {{hlist|Richie|Carmichael}}

| length13 = 4:04

| title14 = Climbing

| writer14 = Richie

| extra14 = {{hlist|Richie|Foster}}

| length14 = 6:26

}}

Notes

• ^{{{note|a|[a]}}} signifies a co-producer

Credits lifted from the album's liner notes.{{cite AV media notes|title=Louder Than Words|others=Lionel Richie|year=1996|publisher=Mercury Records|type=booklet}}

Performers and musicians

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Lionel Richie – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10), keyboards (2, 11), rhythm arrangements (5), tenor sax solo (11), acoustic piano (12)
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizers (1, 2, 4–6, 9, 11, 12)
• Lloyd Tolbert – keyboards (1, 4, 9, 11), synth bass (1), drum programming (1, 2, 4, 9, 11), rhythm arrangements (9)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (1, 11, 12), acoustic piano (5), synth bass (9)
• John Barnes – synthesizers (2, 6, 11)
• James Anthony Carmichael – keyboards (2, 4), string arrangements and conductor (2, 4, 6, 7, 11), rhythm arrangements (5), horn arrangements and conductor (11)
• Simon Franglen – synthesizers (2, 7, 11)
• James "Big Jim" Wright – keyboards (3, 8, 10)
• Jimmy Jam – all other instruments (3, 8, 10)
• Terry Lewis – all other instruments (3, 8, 10)
• David Cochran – synthesizers (5), guitars (5), drum programming (5), saxophone (5), horn and rhythm arrangements (5)
• Steve Porcaro – synthesizers (6, 13), programming (13), rhythm arrangements (13)
• Tony Smith – programming (6, 12)
• Babyface – keyboards (7), drum programming (7), backing vocals (7)
• Claude Gaudette – synthesizers (13)
• William Ross – synthesizers (13)
• David Paich – keyboards (13), rhythm arrangements (13)
• Michael Thompson – guitars (1, 2, 4–6, 9, 11, 12)
• Timothy May – guitars (2)
• Dean Parks – guitars (2, 12)
• Mike Scott – guitars (3, 8, 10)
• Robert Palmer – guitars (5)
• Steve Lukather – guitars (13)
• Sekou Bunch – bass guitar (4, 6)
• Nathan East – bass guitar (6, 7, 12)
• Randy Jackson – bass guitar (11, 12)
• Alex Richbourg – drum programming (3)
• Ricky Lawson – drums (6)
• John Robinson – drums (7)
• Jeff Taylor – drum programming (8)
• Chris Dave – drums (10)
• Omar Hakim – drums (11, 12)
• Jeff Porcaro – drums (13)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2, 4, 7, 11)
• Michael Fisher – percussion (13)
• Tommy Morgan – harmonica (2)
• Toots Thielemans – harmonica (6)
• Brandon Fields – saxophones (6, 12)
• Dan Higgins – saxophones (6, 12)
• Kim Hutchcroft – saxophones (12)
• George Bohanon – trombone (6), French horn (12)
• Andrew Martin – trombone (6)
• Bill Reichenbach, Jr. – trombone (12)
• Jerry Hey – trumpet (1)
• Darrel Anthony Browning – trumpet (5)
• Daniel Fornero – trumpet (6)
• Oscar Brashear – trumpet (6, 12)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (6, 12)
• Charles Davis – trumpet (12)
• Warren Luening – trumpet (12)
• Don Waldrup – tuba (6)
• John Dickson – French horn (6)
• Marylin Johnson – French horn (6)
• Brad Warnaar – French horn (6, 12)
• David Duke – French horn (12)
• Brian O'Connor – French horn (12)
• Jeremy Lubbock – string arrangements and conductor (6, 12)
• Marva King – backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11), BGV arrangements (1, 9)
• 4.0 – backing vocals (3, 8)
• Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (4, 5)
• Arnold McCuller – backing vocals (4, 7, 9)
• Peter Gabriel – backing vocals (7)
• Ayub Ogada – backing vocals (7)
• Sue Ann Carwell – backing vocals (11)

{{div col end}}

Technical

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Calvin Harris – engineer and mixing (1, 2, 4–7, 9, 11)
• Milton Chen – engineer (1, 2, 5, 9, 12), assistant engineer
• Barney Perkins – engineer (2, 6, 11, 12)
• Steve Hodge – engineer and mixing (3, 8, 10)
• Jeff Taylor – engineer (3, 8, 10), assistant engineer
• Fred Law – engineer (4, 9)
• Humberto Gatica – engineer (6, 13), mixing (13)
• John Jessel – engineer (6)
• Brad Gilderman – engineer (7)
• David Reitzas – engineer (13)
• Drake Ayen – assistant engineer
• David Betencourt – assistant engineer
• Craig Brock – assistant engineer
• Darrel Anthony Browning – assistant engineer
• Jim Champange – assistant engineer
• Michael W. Douglass – assistant engineer
• Gasten Kamal Graham – assistant engineer
• Patrick Karamian – assistant engineer
• Bill Kinsley – assistant engineer
• Bill Leonard – assistant engineer
• Doug Michael – assistant engineer
• Jennifer Monnar – assistant engineer
• Pierre Monroe – assistant engineer
• Jim Nelson – assistant engineer
• John Nelson – assistant engineer
• Kenny Ochoa – assistant engineer
• Sean O'Dwyer – assistant engineer
• Greg Pinto – assistant engineer
• Alex Reed – assistant engineer
• Mike Retter – assistant engineer
• Rail Rogut – assistant engineer
• Bill Smith – assistant engineer
• John Srebalus – assistant engineer
• Ken Villeneuve – assistant engineer
• Guy Costa – mastering at Quadim Studio (Westlake Village, California)
• Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
• John Coulter – art direction, design
• Alan Silfen – art direction, design, photography
• Erin Flanagan – styling
• Freddy Demann – management

{{div col end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Louder Than Words|artist=Lionel Richie|award=Gold|relyear=1996|certyear=1996|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Lionel+Richie&ti=Louder+than+words&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title=Lionel Richie: Louder Than Words|publisher=RIAA|website=riaa.com}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=Louder Than Words|artist=Lionel Richie|award=Silver|relyear=1996|certyear=1996|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/3993-3549-2|title=Lionel Richie: Louder Than Words|publisher=BPI|website=bpi.co.uk}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|title=Louder Than Words|artist=Lionel Richie|award=Gold|relyear=1996|certyear=1996|certref={{cite web|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-certifications/?categorie=Albums&interprete=Lionel%20Richie&titre=Louder%20Than%20Words|title=Lionel Richie: Louder Than Words|publisher=SNEP|website=snepmusique.com}}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Lionel Richie}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1996 albums

Category:Lionel Richie albums

Category:Mercury Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis