Sunbeam is the fifth studio album by the girl group the Emotions issued in April 1978 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 12 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.[1][2] Sunbeam has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[3]
| Sunbeam | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 7, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–78 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | R&B, soul | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Maurice White | |||
| The Emotions chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Kansas City Star | (favourable)[5] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [6] |
John Storm Roberts of High Fidelity stated that "Sunbeam sparkles with good tracks."[7][8] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote that "Sunbeam is from the same mold as 'Rejoice'—and a very good mold it is—though the outcome here falls just a bit short of the previous opus." Garland also called Sunbeam a "very good" recording with a "polished, but not slick" performance by the Emotions.[9] Glenn Clark of The Morning Call wrote: "The best thing I can say about this LP is that I like it. The Emotions' brand of snappy and upbeat soul is good for my soul. Maurice White, guru of Earth, Wind & Fire, produced this album, and I think he has blended well the talent he has brought together."[10]
Craig Lytle of AllMusic found that, "as White's signature can be detected throughout most of the compositions, he is humble enough to leave room for the Emotions to flourish vocally."[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smile" | Maurice White, Al McKay | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Love Is Right On" | Joseph Hutchinson, Jr., Keith Henderson | 4:19 |
| 3. | "Time Is Passing By" | Joseph Hutchinson | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Walking the Line" | Maurice White, Skip Scarborough | 5:21 |
| 5. | "Ain't No Doubt About It" | Sheila Hutchinson Whitt | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Love Vibes" | Jeanette Hawes, Lonnie Reaves | 3:12 |
| 7. | "I Wouldn't Lie" | Jon Lind, Fred Tacker | 4:33 |
| 8. | "My Everything" | Pamela Hutchinson, Wanda Hutchinson, Thomas McClary | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Spirit of Summer" | Eumir Deodato | 2:23 |
| 10. | "Whole Lot of Shakin'" | Maurice White, Al McKay | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Music Box" | Maurice White | 0:40 |
Personnel
edit- The Emotions
- Wanda Hutchinson – vocals
- Sheila Hutchinson Whitt – vocals
- Jeanette Hawes – vocals
- Musicians
- Terry L. Mashall, Skip Scarborough – keyboards
- Charles "Chuck-A-Luck" Hosch, Gary Grainger, Verdine White – bass
- Keith Henderson, Marlo Henderson, Jon Lind, Al McKay – guitars
- Donzell Davis, Fred White, Maurice White – drums
- Paulinho da Costa, Earl DeRouen – percussion
- Victor Feldman – vibes
- Oscar Brashear, Rahm Lee Davis, Chuck Findley, Michael Harris – trumpets
- George Bohanon, Louis Satterfield, Maurice Spears – trombones
- Barbara Korn, Sidney Muldrow, Alan Robinson, Gale Robinson, Marilyn Robinson – French horns
- Donald Myrick, George Patterson, Jr. – saxophones
- Murray Adler, Harry Bluestone, Ron Clark, Assa Drori, Ronald Folsom, Frank Foster, Janice Gower, Endre Granat, William Henderson, Davida Lou Johnson, Bernard Kundrell, Joseph Livoti, Joy Lyle, Stanley Plummer, Nathan Ross, Sheldon Sanov, Ilkka Talvi – violins
- Samuel Boghossian, Denyce Buffum, Gareth Nuttycombe – violas
- Armand Kaproff, Dennis Karmazyn, Raymond Kelley – cellos
- Tom Tom 84 (Thomas Washington) - horn and string arrangements
- Technical
- Tom Perry - engineer
- Andy Engel - album design
- Jürgen Reisch - photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1978) | Peak [11] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 40 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 12 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US R&B [12] | ||
| 1978 | "Smile" | 6 |
| "Whole Lot of Shakin'" | 44 | |
| 1979 | "Walking the Line" | 58 |
References
edit- ^ "The Emotions: Sunbeam (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com.
- ^ "The Emotions: Sunbeam (Billboard 200)". billboard.com.
- ^ "The Emotions: Sunbeam". RIAA.com.
- ^ a b Lytle, Craig. Sunbeam > review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
- ^ Fox, Jeanne (August 2, 1978). "Trio's Music Sweetly Fulfilling, Yet Full of Spirited Harmony". newsbank.com. Kansas City Star. p. 11.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 110.
- ^ Storm Roberts, John (November 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 28, no. 11. High Fidelity Magazine. p. 158.
- ^ Storm Roberts, John (November 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 28, no. 11. High Fidelity Magazine. p. 159.
- ^ Garland, Phyl (December 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 41, no. 6. Stereo Review. p. 127.
- ^ Clark, Glenn (September 30, 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam". The Morning Call. p. 52 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "US Charts > The Emotions". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- ^ "The Emotions: Smile (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com.