Straight from the Heart is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson. It was released in 1984 on Elektra Records, his first of four projects for the label. The album peaked at number 44 on the US Billboard 200 and produced three singles, including his first pop top ten hit "If Ever You're in My Arms Again", which also topped the Adult contemporary chart. Bryson co-produced the record as well as writing five of the eight songs himself and playing keyboards throughout the album.
Critical reception
In a retrospective review, William Ruhlmann of AllMusic called Straight from the Heart "a good mix of slow and uptempo tunes."
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
Peabo Bryson – lead vocals, Memorymoog (1, 3, 7, 8), percussion solo (1), Memorymoog solo (3), backing vocals (3, 7), Yamaha DX7 (4, 7), Oberheim DX (7) Myra Walker – acoustic piano (1, 3, 7, 8), Fender Rhodes (1, 3, 7, 8), Oberheim DX (3, 7), backing vocals (3, 7), Yamaha DX7 (4) Mark Parrish – Memorymoog (1, 8), Prophet-5 (7) Trammell Starks – Memorymoog (1, 3, 4, 7, 8), Yamaha DX7 (4, 7) Randy Kerber – acoustic piano (2, 6), Yamaha DX7 (2, 6) Tom Snow – Fender Rhodes (2) Rick Kelly – keyboards (5) John Hauser – electric guitar (1, 3) Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (2, 6) Richard Horton – electric guitar (3, 7), acoustic guitar (8) Richard Feldman – guitars (5) Dwight W. Watkins – Alenbic bass (1, 8), bass (3), Oberheim DX (3), backing vocals (3), flugelhorn (8) Neil Stubenhaus – bass (2, 6) Louis Johnson – bass (5) Andre Robinson – Simmons drums (1, 3, 7, 8) Carlos Vega – drums (2, 6) John Robinson – drums (5) Charles Bryson – percussion (1) Michael Fisher – percussion (5) Ron Dover – tenor saxophone (3, 8), soprano saxophone (8), flute (8) James Bowling – flute (8) Richard Marx – backing vocals (2, 6) Deborah Thomas – backing vocals (2, 6) Lynn Davis – backing vocals (5) Josie James – backing vocals (5) Marcy Levy – backing vocals (5) Samuel T. Dukes – backing vocals (7) Music arrangements Peabo Bryson – arrangements (1, 3, 4, 7, 8) Michael Masser – rhythm track arrangements (2, 6) Gene Page – rhythm track arrangements (2, 6) Lee Holdridge – string arrangements and conductor (2, 6)
Production
Peabo Bryson – producer (1, 3, 4, 7, 8) Dwight W. Watkins – assistant producer (1, 3, 4, 7, 8) Michael Masser – producer (2, 6) Richard Feldman – producer (5) Rick Kelly – producer (5) Bobby Sanders – session coordinator (1, 3, 4, 7, 8) HSU – art direction Beverly Parker – photography David Franklin & Associates – management Ed Howard – management Skip Williams – management Technical credits Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California) Russ Fowler – engineer (1, 3, 4, 7, 8), mixing (1, 3, 4, 7, 8), remixing (5) Peabo Bryson – mixing (1, 3, 4, 7, 8), remixing (5) Dwight W. Watkins – mixing (1, 3, 4, 7, 8), remixing (5) Michael Mancini – engineer (2, 6) Rick Ricco – string engineer (2, 6) Bill Schnee – mixing (2, 6) Richard Feldman – engineer (5) Kevin Reach – engineer (5) Don M. Radick – assistant engineer (1, 3, 4, 7, 8) Dean – assistant engineer (2, 6)
Charts Chart (1984) Peakposition
In popular culture "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" was used as a love theme for the Kelly Capwell and Joe Perkins characters on the daytime serial Santa Barbara.Roos, Henrietta. Soap Opera Super Couples: The Great Romances of Daytime Drama. Jefferson: McFarland, 2017. Amazon Kindle. 15 Dec. 2016.https://www.newspapers.com/article/usa-today-location-shooting-and-lavish-s/174869159/https://www.newspapers.com/article/jacksonville-journal-1984-article-about/199019909/ "Learning the Ways of Love" was used for various characters on the daytime serial Days of Our Lives in the mid-1980s.https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-april-1985-arti/199020013/https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-september-1985-article-b/199020028/
References