''The Day'' is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

. It was released by Epic Records on October 22, 1996, in the United States. The album peaked at number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number 4 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

, also reaching the top ten on the Dutch Albums Chart. ''The Day'' was certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nominations for Album of the Year and

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

respectively. From the album, the track " Every Time I Close My Eyes" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. A duet with Stevie Wonder, titled "

How Come, How Long "How Come, How Long" is a song written, produced and performed by Babyface (Kenneth Edmonds). It was released as the third single from his fourth album, ''The Day'' (1996). It is a duet with American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. The lyrics d ...

", was also Grammy nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Additionally, the singles "

This Is for the Lover in You "This Is for the Lover in You" is a song written by Howard Hewett, member of the trio Shalamar, and songwriter Dana Meyers. The track was originally recorded by Shalamar and appeared on their 1980 Platinum album, '' Three for Love''. The song wa ...

" and "Every Time I Close My Eyes" both reached number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

editor Leo Stanley found that ''The Day'' "confirms his skill for subtle, inventive songwriting and accessible, polished yet soulful production ..He is still compelling – his voice is as smooth as silk, and nearly as seductive – but it doesn't quite have the force of personality as his greatest productions. Nevertheless, ''The Day'' qualifies as state-of-the-art mid-'90s soul, featuring a handful of terrific songs, and a lot of extremely pleasurable filler." David Browne from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' wrote that on the album, Babyface "immerses himself in the same hot-tub soul he's applied to everyone from

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

to Eric Clapton. All the Babyface trademarks — the crisp, unobtrusive percussion, the silky guitars, the harmonies that blanket the melodies like a quilt — are laid out like a three-piece suit. But more so than any previous album he’s made, ''The Day'' is chockful of luscious, gently persuasive songs, from doe-eyed testimonials to his devotion to misty childhood reminiscences.

Track listing

Notes * denotes a co-producer * denotes an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. * Engineered by Brad Gilderman and Thom Russo * Mixed by Jon Gass, Mick Guzauski and Bob Brockmann * Strings on "The Day" engineered by Humberto Gatica * Background vocals on " Every Time I Close My Eyes" engineered by Mike Scott * Mastered by Eddy Schreyer at Oasis Mastering * MIDI Programmer: Randy Walker * Production coordinator: Ivy Skoff * Art direction: Bennet/Novak and company * Design: Vincent Oto * Booklet and Spike Photography: Anton Corbijn * Cover photography: Beisig and Taylor * Styling: Bernard C. Jacobs * Grooming: Melvonne * Hair: Tim Carter

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, The Babyface (musician) albums 1996 albums Albums produced by Babyface (musician)