The Woman I Am

For the album by Kellie Pickler, see The Woman I Am (Kellie Pickler album).
The Woman I Am
Studio album by Chaka Khan
Released April 14, 1992
Recorded 1991
Genre R&B, funk, soul
Length 64:14
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Chaka Khan (executive)
Benny Medina (executive)
Steve Margo (executive)
Marcus Miller
Jerry Barnes
Katreese Barnes
Ralf Zang
David Gamson
Wayne Braithwaite
Gary Haase
George Whitty
Arif Mardin
Joe Mardin
Chaka Khan chronology
Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project
(1989)		 The Woman I Am
(1992)		 Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]

The Woman I Am is the eighth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1992. It was Khan's first studio album since 1988's CK and due to artistic differences between Khan and Warner Bros. Records it was also to be her final full-length release for the label. The entire album is dedicated to her friend Miles Davis, who died the previous year.

Composition

The album mainly focuses on material from the contemporary R&B, soul and funk genres and was Khan's debut as executive producer in charge of production. The main producer on the album was the Grammy Award winning jazz multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller but it also includes Khan's first collaborations with Arif Mardin since 1986's Destiny; "This Time" and the closing track "Don't Look at Me That Way", both co-produced by Mardin's son Joe Mardin. "Love You All My Lifetime" saw Khan teaming up with Scritti Politti's David Gamson - who incidentally also had produced the opening track on Destiny with its confusingly similar title; "Love of a Lifetime". The single track "I Want" features a guest appearance by William Galison on harmonica and the suggestive ballad "You Can Make the Story Right" was recorded with bassist and producer Wayne Braithwaite, best known for his work with Will Downing and Kenny G.

Singles

The Woman I Am includes six single releases; "Love You All My Lifetime" written by German composer duo Klarmann/Weber which became a number one on Billboard's Dance Singles chart as well as #2 on R&B (Pop #68, UK #49), "You Can Make the Story Right" (US R&B #8), "I Want" (US R&B #62), "Give Me All", "Facts of Love" and the Diane Warren-penned ballad "Don't Look at Me That Way" (UK #73). Both lead single "Love You All My Lifetime" and "Give Me All" were issued in a wide variety of dance remixes by among others Frankie Knuckles.

Commercial success

The Woman I Am became Khan's highest-charting album on the US R&B Albums chart since 1984's I Feel for You, peaking at #9. The album won Khan a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female in 1993.

Since Khan's 1995 album Dare You to Love Me was shelved by the Warner Bros. Records label and instead only partly made available on greatest hits compilations and movie soundtracks, it was to be six years before she released another full-length album, the Prince co-produced Come 2 My House on his label NPG Records.

Critical reception

In his review of The Woman I Am, AllMusic's Alex Henderson describes the album as "high-tech, yet warm instead of mechanical. And on songs ranging from the melancholy "Telephone" to the introspective title song and the appealing single "Love You All My Lifetime," it's clear that Khan was given strong material to work with." [2]

Track listing

  1. "Everything Changes" (Khan, Ben Marguiles) - 4:38
  2. "Give Me All" (Jerry Barnes, Katreese Barnes) - 4:24
  3. "Telephone" (Hans Buchner, Khan) - 4:21
  4. "Keep Givin' Me Lovin'" (Camus Mare Celli, Khan, Andres Levin, Mica Paris) - 4:32
  5. "Facts of Love" (Werner Hammer, Khan, Harald Schneck, Ralf Zang) - 4:35
  6. "Love You All My Lifetime" (Irmgard Klarmann, Felix Weber) - 4:43
  7. "I Want" (Donald D. Bowden, Janice Dempsey, James McKinney) - 5:50
  8. "You Can Make the Story Right" (Wayne Braithwaite, Gabrielle Goodman) - 6:32
  9. "Be My Eyes" (Daryll Duncan, Khan) - 4:24
  10. "This Time" (David Lasley, Robin Lerner, Marsha Malamet) - 5:16
  11. "The Woman I Am" (Dyan Cannon, Khan, Brenda Russell) - 5:09
  12. "Love With No Strings" (Wesley Magoogan, Maggie Ryder) - 5:00
  13. "Don't Look at Me That Way" (Diane Warren) - 4:50

Personnel

Production

Other notable personnel

Non-album tracks and remixes

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000275934
  2. ↑ AllMusic review, Alex Henderson

External links

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