''Heroes'' is the eighth studio album by the
Commodores, released in June 1980 by
Motown Records. This album has been certified platinum in the US by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
Critical reception
With a 9 out of 10 rating, Bev Hillier of ''
Smash Hits'' called ''Heroes'' "a highly polished, versatile album."
of ''
Stereo Review'' praised the album, writing: "On it they explore a broad range of subjects and show a willingness to tackle material that is not so obviously tailored to ride the charts. Furthermore, they have gone beyond the simplistic boy -loves -girl and dance -dance -dance lyrics that are the formula staples of contemporary soul music. The album offers plenty of the kind of soul funk we have come to expect of the Commodores, performed with stunning precision, but there are also some interesting variations."
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' gave a B, describing ''Heroes'' as "an improvement. For one thing, most of the brotherhood anthems--which avoid the gender-specific, actually, with lots of "people," "folks," and "y'all"—have a somewhat more rousing beat than "
Three Times a Lady." And on the fond "Old-Fashion Love" and the cold-hearted "Sorry to Say," the brothers remind
Lionel that this is still supposed to be a funk band."
Accolades
''Heroes'' was nominated for a
Grammy award in the category of
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Songs
''
Record World'' said of the title track that "Lionel Ritchie sings with loving sincerity."
''
Record World'' said of "Old-Fashion Love" that "Multi-octave vocal carousing and a funky percussion backdrop provide the setting on this plea for some premium love."
''
Record World'' called the single "Jesus Is Love" an "inspirational ballad."
Track listing
#"Got to Be Together" (
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...
,
Thomas McClary) – 5:44
#"Celebrate" (Harold Hudson, Larry Davis, Thomas McClary) – 5:03
#"Old-Fashion Love" (
Milan Williams) – 4:56
#"Heroes" (Darrell Jones, Lionel Richie) – 5:24
#"All The Way Down" (David Cochrane, Walter Orange) – 3:35
#"Sorry to Say" (Darrell Jones, Ronald LaPread) – 4:01
#"Wake Up Children" (Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary) – 4:33
#"Mighty Spirit" (Harold Hudson,
William King) – 4:06
#"Jesus is Love" (Lionel Richie) – 6:04
Personnel
Commodores
*
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...
– vocals, saxophones, acoustic piano, keyboards
*
Milan Williams – keyboards
*
Thomas McClary – vocals, guitars
* Ronald LaPread – bass
*
Walter Orange – vocals, drums, percussion
*
William King – trumpet
Additional personnel
* David Cochrane – keyboards, guitars, saxophones
* Harold Hudson – keyboards, trumpet
* Darrell Jones – guitars
*
Ollie E. Brown – drums
*
Eddie "Bongo" Brown – percussion
*
James Anthony Carmichael – horn and string arrangements
Production
* Commodores – producers, arrangements
* James Anthony Carmichael – producer, arrangements
*
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris (and sometimes under the stage name Love Regenerator), is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'' (2007 ...
– engineer, mixing
* Jane Clark – engineer, mixing
* Chris Bellman – mastering
*
Suzee Ikeda – production manager
Charts
Album
Singles
References
External links
The Commodores-Heroes at Discogs
{{Authority control
Heroes (Commodores album))
Commodores albums
Albums produced by James Anthony Carmichael
Albums produced by Lionel Richie
Motown albums