Rainbow Connection IV

{{Infobox album

| name = Rainbow Connection IV

| type = Studio album

| artist = Rose Royce

| cover = Rainbow Connection 1979.jpg

| alt =

| released = August 17, 1979

| recorded = Fort Knox Studio
(Los Angeles, California)

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Funk, soul, disco

| length = 44:30

| label = Whitfield

| producer = Norman Whitfield

| prev_title = Strikes Again

| prev_year = 1978

| next_title = Greatest Hits

| next_year = 1980

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Rainbow Connection IV

| type = Studio

| single1 = Is It Love You're After

| single1date = August 1979

| single2 = What You Waitin' For

| single2date = November 1979

}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 =AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{AllMusic |class=album |id=r2031559 |tab=review |label=Rainbow Connection IV review |first=Alex |last=Henderson |accessdate=2012-05-08}}

| rev2 = Smash Hits

| rev2score = 8/10{{cite magazine|last=Starr|first=Red|title=Albums|magazine=Smash Hits|issue=September 20 – October 3, 1979|page=25}}

|rev3 = The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul

|rev3score = {{rating|2|5}}{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul |date=1998 |publisher=Virgin |page=286}}

}}

Rainbow Connection IV is the fourth album by the funk band Rose Royce, released on the Whitfield label in 1979.{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Dave |title=Funk |date=2001 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=278}} It was produced by Norman Whitfield. This would be the last album to include lead singer Gwen Dickey before she left the group to embark on a solo career.

History

The album peaked at #22 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached #74 on the Billboard 200. Two singles were released from the album, "Is It Love You're After" and "What You Waitin' For". "Is It Love You're After" peaked at #31 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. It was more successful on the UK Singles Chart, reaching #13. "What You Waitin' For" failed to chart. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD in 2010 by Wounded Bird Records.

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| extra_column =

| title1 = I Wonder Where You Are Tonight

| note1 =

| length1 = 3:37

| writer1 = Robert Daniels

| extra1 =

| title2 = Is It Love You're After

| note2 =

| length2 = 5:01

| writer2 = Miles Gregory

| extra2 =

| title3 = Shine Your Light

| note3 =

| length3 = 5:26

| writer3 = Robert Daniels

| extra3 =

| title4 = What You Waitin' For

| note4 =

| length4 = 8:54

| writer4 = Norman Whitfield

| extra4 =

| total_length =

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title5 = Bad Mother Funker

| writer5 = Norman Whitfield

| length5 = 4:41

| title6 = You Can't Run From Yourself

| writer6 = Norman Whitfield

| length6 = 5:43

| title7 = Lock It Down

| writer7 = Miles Gregory

| length7 = 5:59

| title8 = Pazazz

| writer8 = Michael Nash

| length8 = 4:47

}}

Personnel

;Rose Royce

Gwen Dickey – lead vocals
Kenny Copeland – trumpet, lead vocals
Kenji Brown – guitar, lead vocals
Lequeint "Duke" Jobe – bass, vocals
Michael Nash – keyboards
Henry Garner – drums, vocals
Freddie Dunn – trumpet
Michael Moore – saxophone
Terry Santiel – congas

;Additional musicians

Walter Downing – clavinet, Rhodes piano
Lafayette Trey Stone, Isy Martin, Wah Wah Watson – guitar
Jack Ashford – tambourine, cowbell

Production

Norman Whitfield – producer, arranger, mixing engineer, album concept
Michael Nash – producer ("Pazazz")
Bruce Miller – string and horn arrangements
Leanard Jackson, Steve Smith – recording engineer, mixing engineer
Norman Moore – cover design
Scott Hensell – photography
Tim Bryant/Gribbitt! – art direction
Bill Whitfield – album coordinator

Charts

class="wikitable"

!Chart (1979)

!Peak
position

U.S. Billboard Top LPs{{Cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5307/charts-awards/billboard-albums|pure_url=yes}}|title=US Charts > Rose Royce|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=2012-11-23}}

|align="center"|74

U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs

|align="center"|22

UK Albums Chart{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/rose%20royce/|title=UK Charts > Rose Royce|publisher=Official Charts Company|accessdate=2012-11-23}}

|align="center"|72

;Singles

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2"\| Single ! colspan="3"\| Peak chart positions
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="40"\| US ! width="40"\| US R&B ! width="40"\| UK
rowspan="2"\|1979 \| align="left"\| "Is It Love You're After" \| 105 \| 31 \| 13
align="left"\| "What You Waitin' For" \| — \| — \| —

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

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="40"| US

! width="40"| US
R&B

! width="40"| UK

rowspan="2"|1979

| align="left"| "Is It Love You're After"

| 105

| 31