Lionel Richie Albums (12)
What The Critics Say
2006's Coming Home was Lionel Richie's most commercially successful release since 1986's Dancing on the Ceiling. It was the first time since then that one of the singer's albums peaked within the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Much of its success could be attributed to "I Call It Love," a collaboration with StarGate. So, on Just Go, Richie's fourth studio set of the 2000s, he continues to work with StarGate and adds some of their hitmaking contemporaries, namely Akon and the duo of Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart (Rihanna's "Umbrella," Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," the-Dream's own hits). The two Akon collaborations are dominated by Akon, who co-writes, co-produces, and gets co-performance credits on both. Even on "Nothing Left to Give," the album's festive, anthemic, percussion-stuffed song à la "All Night Long" -- there has been one on nearly every Richie album since Can't Slow Down on -- Akon unsurprisingly writes a lead that could have been voiced by him, from its cadence to the melodically restricted hook. Nash and Stewart are less heavy-handed on their four songs, tending to meet Richie half way with a soothing, modern frame work. In these songs, as well as the five featuring StarGate's input, Richie is much more at home. Introducing a 60-year-old artist to a younger audience with new material is asking for a lot, but Richie's devoted fanbase will find plenty to like. Just Go, slightly more so than Coming Home, tends to be a happy (and comforting) medium between Richie's familiar approach and contemporary R&B. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Live in Paris is a DVD/CD package (also available as a separate DVD) that captures a May 2007 concert Lionel Richie gave at Bercy Arena in Paris. Given that this is an arena concert, it shouldn't come as a great surprise that this is a big, splashy production, designed for the eyes as much as it is for the ears, and for that reason the DVD is a bit preferable to the CD -- particularly because the DVD has the full show and the CD contains a ten-song sampling of the show, relying heavily on recent songs (although it must be said that the concert's set list in general does lean on these new tunes as well). As a CD, this isn't an especially kinetic live performance -- and his stage patter turns irritating on disc, especially his incessant repetition of "either you're gonna dance on the floor" on the intro to "Dancing on the Ceiling" -- but it's pleasant enough and will be a nice souvenir for those fans who care about a latter-day live performance from Lionel, although they'll like be more satisfied by the DVD of this show. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lionel Richie's eighth studio album as a solo artist is led by "I Call It Love," a lightly buoyant and bittersweet single produced by Swedish hitmakers Stargate, the same team that helped boost Ne-Yo's In My Own Words. It's an ideal match, one that should've been made more than once. Too much of Coming Home is merely pleasant -- particularly the adult contemporary fare, with the exception of "I Love You" -- or too conscious of remaining with the times. While the likes of "Why" and "Up All Night" involved Richie's songwriting in some capacity, just about any twentysomething vocalist could be fronting them; the same goes for the Jermaine Dupri-produced "What You Are." The stab at emotionally cleansing reggae of the Bob Marley variety, "Stand Down," comes up short as well. That said, at least half the album should satisfy Richie's longtime followers. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lionel Richie spent much of the '90s relatively quiet, and when he attempted a comeback toward the end of the decade, it didn't make many waves. It wasn't until the early part of the 2000s that his profile increased considerably as his greatest-hits disc The Definitive Collection cracked the Top 20, he guest-judged on American Idol, and his daughter Nicole tramped around on the Fox reality show The Simple Life. All of this set the stage for Just for You, his 2004 return to adult contemporary soft rock. There are still gentle quiet storm overtones and subdued R&B beats on a few tracks, such as his duet with Daniel Bedingfield, "Do Ya," but the overall approach on this record is firmly within the polished, melodic soft rock that brought Richie to a massive crossover audience in the early '80s, only updated for contemporary radio. Just for You is a well-crafted record; if anything, it's a little too well crafted, sailing by on its sleek surfaces and carefully constructed songs, leaving it as nothing much more than a collection of romantic, mature mood music. It's effective romantic mood music, though, and after a few plays, a handful of the hooks begin to sink in, even if the songs themselves are never quite as memorable as his hits from the '80s. Nevertheless, this is one of the more appealing records Richie had made in quite some time, as it's both assured and unassuming, relaxed and tuneful. Unlike his '90s records, it's consistent, both in its quality of songs and its cohesive sound, and even if it's not a full-fledged comeback, it's a solid latter-day record that lives up to his legacy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Two years after its release outside the U.S. and five months after the appearance of Lionel Richie's modestly selling seventh studio album, Just for You, Island Records belatedly presents an abridged domestic version of Richie's 2002 live album, Encore, recorded in May 2001 at Wembley Arena in England. The international version of the disc had 16 tracks, among them "Tender Heart" and "Don't Stop the Music," both from Renaissance, Richie's sixth studio album, which he was promoting at the time. They have been excised from the American version of Encore, as have the international version's final two tracks, "Goodbye" and "To Love a Woman," both duets with Enrique Iglesias. Remaining are 12 performances of Richie hits from the 1980s along with two Commodores hits of the '70s, "Brick House" and "Three Times a Lady." Richie is an engaging cheerleader of a frontman, endlessly encouraging his already enthusiastic listeners with such interjections as "C'mon!," "Yeah!," and "Let's go!" The audience is content to sing along on the familiar material, with or without Richie to join them. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lionel Richie, barring his success in the '80s with such hits as "Hello," "Running With the Night," and "All Night Long," has struggled to find his place in music after life with the Commodores. Renaissance, Richie's 2001 release, is another post-Commodores album that misses the mark. Most of the songs don't particularly fit any radio format, with the exception of adult contemporary, but that's not the problem. Lacking a radio home doesn't make for a bad recording. It's the material on Renaissance, which is uninteresting, and Richie's voice is often out of place with the music, as illustrated on "Angel." This song features a mild dance beat but Richie's voice is sorely incompatible with it. Elsewhere, there are nice Latin-flavored arrangements, such as on "Cinderella" and "Dance the Night Away." But, again, Richie's vocal delivery doesn't work with such musical styling. This clash between music and voice is a running theme on Renaissance. Lyrically, the album fails as well, and is rife with juvenile wordplay: "I held you close to me/Girl, you are my ecstasy/Your lips, and your hair/The way you touch me, girl I swear/Only you could take me there" -- from "Dance the Night Away." There are, however, some redeeming performances on Renaissance. "It May Be the Water" is the album's first of two winning moments where music, lyrics, and vocal delivery all meet to create successful synergy. The song is similar to a Boyz II Men track and should work on the radio. Richie should have applied whatever techniques he used on this track to the rest of this album, because all the pieces fit perfectly here. "Don't Stop the Music" is the other exception on Renaissance, and recalls the "All Night Long" party vibe. This song, similar to a Luther Vandross R&B jam, successfully captures a modern R&B/dance groove, unlike other tracks on this album that attempt to do the same. It really is sad because Lionel Richie has exhibited such talent in the past. It's painful to hear such floundering work by a performer who listeners know can do better. ~ Liana Jonas, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Louder Than Words was the official comeback, the long-awaited return to recording from Lionel Richie, one of the most successful pop stars of the '80s. Perhaps it was inevitable that returning to recording would be difficult -- after all, it had been 10 years since he had released an album of original material -- but Louder Than Words turned out to be a bigger disappointment than anyone expected, failing to deliver either musically or commercially. Its failure helped clear the decks for Time, Richie's true musical comeback. Time doesn't quite match the heights of Lionel Richie or Can't Slow Down, but it successfully updates his familiar concoction of sweet, seductive ballads and light funk for the late '90s. Whenever he incorporates light hip-hop rhythms here, it sounds less forced, and the dance numbers are often infectious. Similarly, the ballads have strong (albeit sappy) hooks that make them memorable. Don't take Richie's belated version of "Lady," the hit he gave Kenny Rogers, as a bad sign -- Time is the most satisfying effort he has released in quite some time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After the greatest-hits collection Back to Front disappeared without a trace in 1992, Lionel Richie spent four years making Louder Than Words, his first album for Mercury Records. Although there are some slight attempts to incorporate new jack and hip-hop influences into Richie's sound, Louder Than Words relies on his trademark balladeering, which remains his forte. All of the weak moments on Louder Than Words are ill-advised forays into rap -- to put it bluntly, he can rap about as well as Snoop Dogg can sing. Although the ballads aren't as strong as his late-'70s and early-'80s standards, they are nevertheless pleasant, which makes the record a worthwhile purchase for fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lionel Richie wasn't necessarily emboldened by the success of Can't Slow Down -- after all, he had experienced huge success since the Commodores -- but there is nevertheless a sense of swagger on its 1986 successor, Dancing on the Ceiling. This isn't entirely a good thing, since it means he indulges in silliness (the title track) and sappiness ("Ballerina Girl") in equal measure, seemingly without quite realizing how ridiculous either extreme is. Maybe that's because he still has a strong sense of popcraft, something that makes "Dancing in the Ceiling" stick in the head even if its lyrics are awful, something that makes "Ballerina Girl" work for a slow dance even if it is awfully sugary. This dichotomy is evident throughout the record, as Richie pulls out good music even if he indulges all of his worst impulses a little bit too much. He adds a bit more dance to this album, and while the grooves are funkier than anything since the Commodores, they run on too long -- at eight minutes, "Don't Stop" takes its title command far too seriously. This same tendency is apparent on the ballads and slower songs, which all stay around a little longer than they should, something that gives the impression that this record is a little less focused or consistent than the two blockbusters that preceded it. While it is true that there is nothing here nearly as good as the hits on Lionel Richie and Can't Slow Down, it also is true that on a track-by-track level, it's more consistent, never having resorting to the formless filler that peppered those two otherwise excellent records. This is a good thing, but it would have been better if the record had boasted one or two undeniable singles, or, if it didn't, would at least have been a little tighter. That said, Dancing on the Ceiling is a solid, enjoyable affair -- a comedown after the peaks of Lionel Richie and Can't Slow Down, and one that suggests that Richie needed the extended break he took after its release, but a good record all the same. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
