''Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' is the soundtrack album for the 2012

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TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The compan ...

film '' Sparkle'', a remake of the 1976 film of the same name. The album was released through

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

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on July 31, 2012. The film's soundtrack includes new recordings of four songs from the original film's soundtrack as well as new original music by

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

and Cee Lo Green. The soundtrack's first official lead single is the last song recorded by Whitney Houston before she died on February 11, 2012, a duet with R&B/pop singer and ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' winner

on a song called " Celebrate". The song premiered on ''

On Air with Ryan Seacrest ''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday radio syndication, syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles contemporary hit radio, Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM a ...

'' on May 21, 2012 and was made available for digital download on iTunes on June 5. Whitney Houston's other track, " His Eye is On the Sparrow", debuted only one day after the premiere of "Celebrate". The official music video for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012. It made its world premiere on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'' on June 27, 2012.

Background

The songs on the soundtrack are performed by the actors in the film, including

, Cee Lo Green,

Carmen Ejogo Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo (; born 22 October 1973)

Tika Sumpter Euphemia LatiQue "Tika" Sumpter (born June 20, 1980) is an American actress and producer. Sumpter began her career as the host of '' Best Friend's Date''. From 2005 to 2010, she appeared in the daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live''. In 2010, ...

, and others. ''Sparkle'' features songs from the original film written by soul musician

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...

as well as new compositions by R&B artist

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known as R. Kelly, is an American former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with prolific commercial success in R&B, hip hop, and pop music recordings, earning nicknames suc ...

and others. The soundtrack includes new songs not present in the 1976 version of ''Sparkle'': " Celebrate", " His Eye is On the Sparrow", among others. "Celebrate" was sent to radio the week of May 21, 2012 as the first official from the ''Sparkle'' soundtrack. The song premiered on ''

'' on May 21. and was made available for digital download on iTunes on June 5. Houston's other track, "His Eye is On the Sparrow", debuted only one day after the premiere of "Celebrate".

Composition

Music and themes

''Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' takes on matters of the celebration, heartache, heartbreak and seduction with a mixture of ballads, mid- and up-tempos.

Release

The ''Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' was released on July 31, 2012; though announced with 13 tracks, it was released with only 11 tracks. The entire soundtrack was made available to stream exclusively through Jordin Sparks' Official store and Essence.com five days prior to its official release. Jordin Sparks, who worked closely with Houston throughout the making of ''Sparkle'', finds the release of the soundtrack to be "bittersweet." Sparks states, "I worked with my idol and that was a dream come true. I used to watch the ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' adaptation with her and

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

every day after school. But she should really be here promoting it with me and t'sreally hard for me to be doing it alone."

Reception

Critical response

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

writer Andy Kellman gave it three and a half out of five stars and called the soundtrack "an enjoyable if muddled affair" and commended the four songs covered on the new soundtrack stating "the 2012 soundtrack features faithful and decent covers of four songs from the original. When it comes to "Something He Can Feel," it would be an understatement to say that the deck is stacked against Sparks and her vocal partners, Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter." ''

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

'''s Melissa Maerz gave ''Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' a B rating and praised Sparks version of "Look Into Your Heart" stating "Sparks bellows Mayfield's power ballad ''Look Into Your Heart'' with absolute conviction. Jody Rosen of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' gave the soundtrack 3½ of 5 stars, commenting that "Sparkle revives four soul chestnuts and includes three originals written and produced by

. It's the second-most-satisfying retro-soul album of the year – after Kelly's ''

Write Me Back ''Write Me Back'' is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer, songwriter, and producer R. Kelly. Released on June 25, 2012, by RCA Records, it was written and produced primarily by Kelly as the follow-up to his 2010 album ''Love Lette ...

''"; however, he was ambivalent towards Houston's last two recordings before her passing, saying that, " Celebrate is forgettable

disco-pop Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describes ...

, and on the gospel standard " His Eye Is on the Sparrow" Houston sings – and croaks – in a voice octaves lower than in her prime. At times the song has a ravaged magnificence, but mostly it's painful."

Chart performance

* For the week ending August 18, 2012 the soundtrack debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at # 26, # 7 on the ''Billboard''

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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

and # 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Soundtracks Albums, selling 12,000 copies in its first week. To date, the soundtrack has sold 86,000 copies.

Singles

" Celebrate" is the first official single from the soundtrack. It is the last song recorded by Whitney Houston before she died on February 11, 2012, a duet featuring her and R&B/pop singer

. It was officially released on June 5, 2012 for digital download and it was written by

who also produced the track. For the week June 16, 2012, "Celebrate" debuted at number 34 on the US

Adult R&B Airplay The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

chart, having amassed 45 spins for that week ending. During that same week, "Celebrate" also debuted at number 84 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, and has since peaked at number 54. The music video for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012. A preview of the video premiered on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'' on June 4, 2012. The music video made its world premiere on

's ''

'' on June 27, 2012. " His Eye Is on the Sparrow" is the second official single from the soundtrack. The song is a gospel hymn performed by Whitney Houston. Houston is seen performing the song in a church scene in the

film trailer A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

. The song was officially released on June 8, 2012 for digital download from Amazon and iTunes. The song was originally written in 1905 by lyricist Civilla D. Martin and composer

Charles H. Gabriel Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (August 18, 1856 – September 14, 1932) was an American composer and lyricist of gospel songs and gospel tunes. He is said to have written and/or composed between 7,000 and 8,000 songs, many of which are available in 2 ...

. The song is most associated with actress-singer

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...

who used the title for her autobiography.Waters, Ethel, with Charles Samuels, ''His Eye Is on the Sparrow: An Autobiography'', New York, 1951, reprinted by Da Capo Press, 1992

Track listing

See "

Performers The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Pe ...

" section below for credited singers on each track. Credits adapted from ''Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' liner notes. ;Notes (*) donates as co-producer

Charts

Credits and personnel

*Adapted from allmusic.com. ;Creativity and management *

Debra Martin Chase Debra Martin Chase (born October 11, 1956) is an American film, television, and theater producer. Chase was the first Black female producer to have a deal at any major studio. She is also one of the first Black filmmakers to produce a film tha ...

– Executive Producer *

T.D. Jakes Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr. (born June 9, 1957) is an American non-denominational Christian evangelical pastor and motivational speaker. He was the senior pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch in Dallas, Texas, from ...

– Executive Producer *Erwin Gorostiza – Art Direction, Design *Donnie Meadows – Production Coordination *Carlos Taylor – Production Coordination *

Mara Brock Akil Mara Brock Akil (born May 27, 1970) is an American television writer and producer. She began her screenwriting career at age 23 on '' South Central'' (1994) on Fox. At age 30, she became the youngest African American showrunner on broadcast net ...

– Executive Producer * Salim Akil – Executive Producer *Trina Bowman – Production Coordination *Tanisha Broadwater – Production Coordination ;Performances *

– Primary Artist *

– Primary Artist * Cee Lo Green – Primary Artist *Olga Konospelsky –

Background Vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

*Emma Kummrow –

*Charles Parker –

– Primary Artist *

Carmen Ejogo Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo (; born 22 October 1973)

– Primary Artist *

Goapele Goapele Mohlabane ( ; born July 11, 1977) is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. Her name means ''to move forward'' in Setswana, a Southern African language. Early life Goapele's South African father Douglas Mohlabane was an exiled pol ...

– Primary Artist *R. Kelly –

Additional Vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

*The Rumor –

*Voices of Praise –

*Eliza Cho –

;Technical *Bigg Makk – Arranger, Bass, Keyboards, producer *R. Kelly – Arranger, composer, Keyboards, Mixing, producer *David Boyd – Assistant *Michael Daley – Assistant *Trehy Harris – Assistant *Dabling Harward – Assistant *James Jones III – Bass *Ray Nesmith – Bass *Matt Taylor – Bass *Maria C. Ward – Cello *Joan Collaso –

Choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

Chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

Yvonne Gage Yvonne Gage (born December 20, 1959) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois. Active since the late 1970s, she has done backing vocalist, background vocals for artists prior to and after her own solo success. As a session musician, she has p ...

–

*Pastor Chris Harris –

*Mike Harvey –

*Jeff Morrow –

*Lauren Pilot Morrow –

*Robin Robinson –

Claude Kelly Claude Kelly (born December 27, 1980)Shirley Halperin and Bob Love"THR Names Music's 35 Top Hitmakers,"''The Hollywood Reporter'', February 6, 2013. is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer. A four-time Grammy Award nominee, and h ...

– Composer, producer, Vocal Producer *Guordan Banks – Composer, Vocals *Thomas DeCarlo Callaway – Composer *Warren Felder – Composer *Charles Gabriel – Composer *Charlie Gambetta – Composer *Charles Harmon – Composer *

– Composer *Waynne Nugent – Composer *Kevin Risto – Composer *Andrew Wansel – Composer *Autoro "Toro" Whitfield – Drums,

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, Piano *Margis Miles – Drums *Abel Garibaldi –

Programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

*Andrew Hey –

, Vocal Engineer *The MIDI Mafia –

, producer *Ian Mereness –

*Benjamin Adamson –

*Mike "TrakGuru" Johnson –

*Craig White –

*Joel Geddis – Guitar *Donnie Lyle – Guitar *Andrew Meixner – Guitar *Ben Oniel – Guitar *Mark Strowbridge – Guitar *Harry Wilson – Guitar *Dexter Wansel – Horn Arrangements, String Arrangements *The Regiment – Horn *Kenneth Crouch – Keyboards, Organ *Rodney East – Keyboards *Herb Powers Jr. – Mastering *Phil Seaford – Mixing Assistant *Dirty Swift – Mixing,

* Harvey Mason Jr. – Mixing, Vocal Producer *Kevin "KD" Davis – Mixing *Serban Ghenea – Mixing *John Hanes – Mixing *Jaycen Joshua – Mixing *Spring Aspers – Music Supervisor *Kier Lehman – Music Supervisor *Chuck Harmony – Musician, producer, Vocal Producer * The Underdogs – Musician, producer *Jameel Roberts – Organ, producer *Ronald "Flippa" Colson @Flippa123 – Producer *Pop Wansel – Producer *Bruce Waynne – Programming *Ron Kerber – Saxophone *Hitomi Oba – Saxophone *Paul Arbogast – Trombone *Michael Jorosz – Trumpet *Tom Terrell – Trumpet *Nina Cottman – Viola *Ruth S. Fraizier – Viola

Release history

References

{{Authority control Pop soundtracks Rhythm and blues soundtracks Soul soundtracks 2012 soundtrack albums Albums produced by R. Kelly Musical film soundtracks