Soul Provider
| Soul Provider | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Michael Bolton | ||||
| Released | June 19, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988-89 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 42:41 | |||
| Label |
Columbia 45012 | |||
| Producer | Peter Bunetta & Rick Chudacoff (tracks 1 & 9), Michael Bolton (tracks 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10) , Desmond Child (track 5), Barry Mann (track 10), Guy Roche (track 7), & Michael Omartian (tracks 3, 4, 10), Susan Hamilton (track 2), Walter Afanasieff (track 7) | |||
| Michael Bolton chronology | ||||
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Soul Provider is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Bolton. The album was released on June 19, 1989 by Columbia Records. This was the album that turned Bolton into a superstar.
Supported by five top 40 hits (including three that reached the top 10), the album achieved longevity on the Billboard Top 200. It went to #3 in the US, was awarded 6x Platinum and sold over 12,500,000 million copies worldwide.
For the single version of "Georgia on My Mind" CBS edited out Michael Brecker's saxophone solo and replaced it with one by Kenny G. [1]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C−[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Soul Provider has received generally mixed reviews from critics. Allmusic described it as "more of the same", but noted that due to this album, Bolton "was now stoking the romantic fires in bedrooms across America".[2] Robert Christgau gave the album a negative review, declaring Bolton to be "indistinguishable from pop metal except in the wattage of his guitar parts and the shamelessness of his song doctors."[3] The Rolling Stone Album Guide described the album as the beginning of Bolton's descent into overdone and disrespectful covers, though they added that some of the self-penned performances on the album showed potential.[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soul Provider" | Michael Bolton, Andrew Goldmark | 4:28 | |
| 2. | "Georgia on My Mind" (Originally recorded by Hoagy Carmichael) | Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell | 4:58 | |
| 3. | "It's Only My Heart" | Bolton, Diane Warren | 4:33 | |
| 4. | "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (Originally recorded by Laura Branigan) | Bolton, Doug James | 4:13 | |
| 5. | "How Can We Be Lovers?" | Bolton, Warren, Desmond Child | 3:55 | |
| 6. | "You Wouldn't Know Love" | Bolton, Warren | 3:54 | |
| 7. | "When I'm Back on My Feet Again" | Warren | 3:47 | |
| 8. | "From Now On" (Duet with Suzie Benson) | Bolton, Eric Kaz | 4:07 | |
| 9. | "Love Cuts Deep" | Bolton, Warren, Child | 3:49 | |
| 10. | "Stand Up for Love" | Bolton, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil | 4:44 | |
Total length: |
42:41 | |||
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 1 |
| 1990 | US Albums Chart | 3 |
| 1990 | UK Albums Chart[5] | 4 |
| 1990 | New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart | 6 |
| 1990 | Finnish Albums Chart[6] | 32 |
Singles
| Release Date | Title | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. AC |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 1989 | "Soul Provider" | 17 | 3 |
| October 1989 | "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" | 1 | 1 |
| March 1990 | "How Can We Be Lovers" | 3 | 3 |
| May 1990 | "When I'm Back on My Feet Again" | 7 | 1 |
| August 1990 | "Georgia on My Mind" | 36 | 6 |
Personnel
- Kyf Brewer, Jocelyn Brown, Joe Cerisano, Desmond Child, Robin Clark, Patricia Darcy, John Fiore, Milt Grayson, Jeanette Hawes, Richard Marx, Kate McGunnigle, Lou Merlino, Jeff Pescetto, Sharon Robinson, Vicki Sue Robinson, Leslie Smith, Fonzi Thornton, Joe Turano, Myriam Naomi Valle, Wanda Vaughn, Syreeta Wright: Vocal Backing
- Dann Huff, Mike Landau, Steve Lukather, John McCurry: Guitars
- Walter Afanasieff: Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Percussion
- Michael Omartian: Keyboards, Drums, Percussion
- Phillip Ashley, Robbie Buchanan, Brad Cole, Gregg Mangiafico, Barry Mann, Richard Tee, Diane Warren: Keyboards
- Eric Rehl: Synthesizers
- Schyuler Deale, Hugh McDonald, Neil Stubenhaus: Bass
- Bobby Chouinard, John Keane, Chris Parker, John "J.R." Robinson: Drums
- Paulinho da Costa: Percussion
- Michael Brecker, Kenny G., Jerry Peterson: Saxophone
Covers
Cher covered "You Wouldn't Know Love" on her 1989 album Heart of Stone. Sunstorm also did a cover of the song for their 2012 album Emotional Fire.
| Preceded by All or Nothing by Milli Vanilli |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album May 6–12, 1990 May 20 - June 2, 1990 |
Succeeded by Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul |
References
- ↑ "The Case of the Disappearing Solo". Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 AllMusic review
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 90. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ EveryHit.com
- ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 105. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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