Straight from the Heart (Peabo Bryson album)

Straight from the Heart
Studio album by Peabo Bryson
Released	May 1984
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	35:05
Label	Elektra
Producer	Peabo Bryson, Richard Feldman, Rick Kelly, Michael Masser
Peabo Bryson chronology
Don't Play with Fire (1982) Straight from the Heart (1984) Take No Prisoners (1985)

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Straight from the Heart is the tenth full-length album by R&B/soul singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson. It was released in 1984 on Elektra Records, his first of four discs for the label. The album peaked at #44 on the US Billboard 200, and featured three singles: his first top ten pop hit "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (also #6 R&B, and #1 Adult contemporary), "Slow Dancin" (#82 pop, #35 R&B), and "Learning the Ways of Love", which failed to chart. Bryson himself co-produced the record, as well as writing five of the eight songs himself and playing keyboards throughout the album.

Track listing

1. "Slow Dancin'" (Peabo Bryson) - 3:55
2. "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (Michael Masser, Cynthia Weil, Tom Snow) - 4:14
3. "Straight from the Heart" (Bryson) - 4:35
4. "There's No Getting Over You (La Theme De Sharon)" (Bryson) - 4:02
5. "I Get Nervous" (Richard Feldman, Larry John McNally, Rick Kelly) - 4:10
6. "Learning the Ways of Love" (Gerry Goffin, Masser) - 3:12
7. "Real Deal" (Bryson) - 4:32
8. "Love Means Forever" (Bryson) - 4:21

Personnel

• Acoustic drums: John "J.R" Robinson, Carlos Vega
• Electronic drums: Andre Robinson
• Percussion: Charles Bryson, Michael Fisher
• Bass guitar: Louis Johnson, Neil Stubenhaus, Dwight Watkins
• Keyboards, synthesizers: Peabo Bryson, Rick Kelly, Randy Kerber, Mark Parrish, Tom Snow, Trammell Starks, Myra Walker, Dwight Watkins
• Guitars: Richard Feldman, John Hauser, Richard Horton, Paul Jackson, Jr.
• Flute: James Bowling, Ron Dover
• Soprano and Tenor saxophone: Ron Dover
• Flugelhorn: Dwight Watkins
• Arranged by Peabo Bryson, Michael Masser and Gene Page
• Strings arranged by Lee Holdridge

Production

• Produced by Peabo Bryson, Richard Feldman, Rick Kelly and Michael Masser
• Assistant producer: Dwight Watkins
• Engineers: Richard Feldman, Russ Fowler, Michael Mancini
• Mixing: Peabo Bryson, Russ Fowler, Dwight Watkins

In popular culture

The song "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" was utilized as a love theme for Joe and Kelly on the American daytime drama Santa Barbara.^[1]

References

• Peabo Bryson, "Straight From The Heart" CD Liner Notes. Elektra Records, 1984

Peabo Bryson
Studio albums	Peabo (1976) Reaching for the Sky (1977) Crosswinds (1978) We're the Best of Friends (1979) Paradise (1980) I Am Love (1981) Born to Love (1983) Straight from the Heart (1984)
Live album	Live & More (1980) with Roberta Flack
Singles	"What You Won't Do for Love" (1979) "Let the Feeling Flow" (1981) "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" (1983) "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (1984) "Without You" (1987) "Show & Tell" (1989) "Can You Stop the Rain" (1991) "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) "A Whole New World" (1992) "By the Time This Night Is Over" (1993)
Related articles	Discography
Book:Peabo Bryson