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On Can't Slow Down, his second solo album, Lionel Richie ran with the sound and success of his eponymous debut, creating an album that was designed to be bigger and better. It's entirely possible that he took a cue from Michael Jackson's Thriller, which set out to win over listeners of every corner of the mainstream pop audience, because Richie does a similar thing with Can't Slow Down -- he plays to the MOR adult contemporary audience, to be sure, but he ups the ante on his dance numbers, creating grooves that are funkier, and he even adds a bit of rock with the sleek nocturnal menace of "Running With the Night," one of the best songs here. He doesn't swing for the fences like Michael did in 1982; he makes safe bets, which is more in his character. But safe bets do pay off, and with Can't Slow Down Richie reaped enormous dividends, earning not just his biggest hit, but his best album. He has less compunction about appearing as a pop singer this time around, which gives the preponderance of smooth ballads -- particularly "Penny Lover," "Hello," and the country-ish "Stuck on You" -- conviction, and the dance songs roll smooth and easy, never pushing the beats too hard and relying more on Richie's melodic hooks than the grooves, which is what helped make "All Night Long (All Night)" a massive hit. Indeed, five of these songs (all the aforementioned tunes) were huge hits, and since the record ran only eight songs, that's an astonishing ration. The short running time does suggest the record's main weakness, one that it shares with many early-'80s LPs -- the songs themselves run on a bit too long, padding out the running length of the entire album. This is only a problem on album tracks like "Love Will Find a Way," which are pleasant but a little tedious at their length, but since there are only three songs that aren't hits, it's a minor problem. All the hits showcase Lionel Richie at his best, as does Can't Slow Down as a whole.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocal Arranger, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - David Cochrane, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Phillinganes, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer - John "J.R." Robinson, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Abraham Laboriel, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Paulinho Da Costa, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Richard Marx, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocals, Vocal Arranger, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Tim May, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Carlos Rios, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Mark Ettel, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David Egerton, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Darrell Jones, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Crimmel, Additional Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocal Arranger, Rhythm Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer, String Arranger, Rhythm Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Brenda Harvey-Richie, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Calvin Harris, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocal Arranger, Rhythm Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Phillinganes, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocals, Vocal Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jeremy Lubbock, String Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Humberto Gatica, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - John Robinson, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - DAVID FOSTER, Producer, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocal Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Larry Fergusson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David W. Foster, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Cynthia Weil, ComposerLyricist - STEVE LUKATHER, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Vocals, Vocal Arranger, Rhythm Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, Piano, Vocals, Vocal Arranger, Recording Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer, String Arranger, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 1983 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer - Brenda Harvey-Richie, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Cynthia Weil, ComposerLyricist - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 1983 UMG Recordings, Inc.
DISC 2
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer - David Cochrane, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Phillinganes, ComposerLyricist - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer - Mark Ettel, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David Egerton, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
DAVID FOSTER, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Larry Fergusson, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer - Brenda Harvey-Richie, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Paul Leim, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer - Mark Ettel, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Phillinganes, ComposerLyricist - Johann Sebastian Bach, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
DAVID FOSTER, Producer - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - David W. Foster, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Cynthia Weil, ComposerLyricist - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Greg Phillinganes, ComposerLyricist - Johann Sebastian Bach, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Calvin Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lionel Richie, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - James Anthony Carmichael, Producer
℗ 2003 Universal Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
On Can't Slow Down, his second solo album, Lionel Richie ran with the sound and success of his eponymous debut, creating an album that was designed to be bigger and better. It's entirely possible that he took a cue from Michael Jackson's Thriller, which set out to win over listeners of every corner of the mainstream pop audience, because Richie does a similar thing with Can't Slow Down -- he plays to the MOR adult contemporary audience, to be sure, but he ups the ante on his dance numbers, creating grooves that are funkier, and he even adds a bit of rock with the sleek nocturnal menace of "Running With the Night," one of the best songs here. He doesn't swing for the fences like Michael did in 1982; he makes safe bets, which is more in his character. But safe bets do pay off, and with Can't Slow Down Richie reaped enormous dividends, earning not just his biggest hit, but his best album. He has less compunction about appearing as a pop singer this time around, which gives the preponderance of smooth ballads -- particularly "Penny Lover," "Hello," and the country-ish "Stuck on You" -- conviction, and the dance songs roll smooth and easy, never pushing the beats too hard and relying more on Richie's melodic hooks than the grooves, which is what helped make "All Night Long (All Night)" a massive hit. Indeed, five of these songs (all the aforementioned tunes) were huge hits, and since the record ran only eight songs, that's an astonishing ration. The short running time does suggest the record's main weakness, one that it shares with many early-'80s LPs -- the songs themselves run on a bit too long, padding out the running length of the entire album. This is only a problem on album tracks like "Love Will Find a Way," which are pleasant but a little tedious at their length, but since there are only three songs that aren't hits, it's a minor problem. All the hits showcase Lionel Richie at his best, as does Can't Slow Down as a whole.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 25 track(s)
- Total length: 02:05:34
- Main artists: Lionel Richie
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Motown
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 2003 Motown Records ℗ 2003 Motown Records
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