El DeBarge (album)
El DeBarge is the self-titled debut album by El DeBarge. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records (a sub-label of Motown) and featured the hit singles, "Who's Johnny" and "Love Always". Singer/actress Vanity featured on backing vocals on the track, "Secrets Of The Night". This album went gold.
Track listing
- "Who's Johnny" (Peter Wolf, Ina Wolf) – 4:11
- "Secrets Of The Night" (Albert Hammond, Diane Warren) – 4:20
- "I Wanna Hear It From My Heart" (Warren) – 4:25
- "Someone" (Jay Graydon, Mark Mueller, Robbie Nevil) – 4:45
- "When Love Has Gone Away" (Jack Conrad, Larry Henley) – 3:08
- "Private Line" (Diane Warren) – 3:48
- "Love Always" (Burt Bacharach, Bruce Roberts, Carole Bayer-Sager) – 5:32
- "Lost Without Her Love" (Randy Goodrum, Graydon) – 4:35
- "Thrill Of The Chase" (Alan Roy Scott, Roy Freeland, Gary Pickus) – 3:47
- "Don't Say It's Over" (Diane Warren) – 4:32
Reception
| Professional ratings |
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| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| Allmusic |    [1] |
Jason Elias of Allmusic rated El DeBarge two-and-a-half out of five stars. He stated: "While the setup and idea are still exciting on paper, [the album] is a disappointment." He also stated that "the majority of the [...] tracks just don't do anything to enliven the product or accentuate his voice", and concluded by saying: "The fact that DeBarge didn't have a hand in producing or writing the songs all but made this ho-hum from the start."
Personnel
- El DeBarge – vocals
- Vanity - background vocals ("Secrets Of The Night")
- Jay Graydon – synthesizer, guitar, songwriter, arranger, producer, engineer
- Peter Wolf – keyboards, producer
Chart performance
References
