"Love Ballad" is a song by R&B/Funk band L.T.D. Jeffrey Osborne is the lead singer.
Released from their album Love to the World, it spent two weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart in November 1976, and peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Weekly charts
Chart (1976)PeakpositionCanada RPM Top Singles38US Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - 20US Billboard R&B1US Cash Box Top 10022
George Benson version
George Benson released an up-tempo rendition of "Love Ballad" in 1979. It peaked at number three on the R&B charts and number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 12 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Benson's cover is the most successful version of the song.
Weekly charts Chart (1979)PeakpositionCanada RPM Top Singles29Canada RPM Adult Contemporary25Canada RPM Dance/Urban22UK Singles Chart (OCC) 29US Billboard Hot 10018US Billboard Adult Contemporary12US Billboard R&B Singles3US Cash Box Top 100Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 7, 197914
Later versions Tanya Blount did a well-received cover of the song on her debut album in 1993. K-Ci & JoJo covered this song on their 1997 album Love Always. Covered by Jeffrey Osborne and is on his 2001 Love Songs compilation album, as did with Osborne's then-drummer and frontman L.T.D.'s first Greatest Hits album in 1996 as well as the live version as the closing track from Osborne's 2000 studio album That's for Sure. J Dilla sampled this song for De La Soul in 2004 on their LP The Grind Date. R&B singer Ciara sampled the song on her 2004 debut album Goodies. Patti LaBelle covered the song on her 2005 album of covers, Classic Moments. Kenny Lattimore and Chanté Moore covered the song on their 2006 album Uncovered. The Temptations covered "Love Ballad" on their 2007 album Back to Front. Drum and Bass producer Netsky sampled the song on his single "Love Has Gone" from his second album 2 released in 2012. Osborne's longtime collaborator George Duke made a version of the song 1989 on his album Night After Night. August Alsina sampled the song for the track "You Deserve" from his debut album Testimony which was released in 2014. Gary Bartz covered the song on his 1977 album, Music is My Sanctuary.
References
External links [ Song Review] on the Allmusic website