L Is for Lover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[8]
Musician	(favourable)[9]

Richard S. Ginell of Allmusic gave L Is for Lover four out of five stars, calling it "a perhaps surprisingly scintillating collaboration with one of the leading dance-music producer/guitarists of the time, Nile Rodgers (late of Chic). Not only did Rodgers and Jarreau assemble some strong tunes from many sources, Rodgers took advantage of Jarreau's rhythmic capabilities, for some of the material is too deliciously complicated for any old R&B soulster to pull off." He added, "Hear the way Jarreau brilliantly threads his way through the rhythmically complex hornet's nest of 'Says' in English and French, or savor the sheer ecstatic energy of the chorus of 'Pleasure' and the rapid-fire list of cities in the title track; this is first-class pop recordmaking."[8]

J.D. Considine of Musician wrote, "It isn't simply that Rodgers reins in the singer's almost freakish virtuosity, although that helps; more to the point, the arrangements provide both focus and contrast for the singing, so that the flash bits truly excite. Best of all, from the EW&F swing of 'Golden Girl' to the Chic-style groove of the title tune, Rodgers ties the vocals so closely to the beat that it's impossible not to be captivated."[9]

• Al Jarreau – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 7, 10), vocoder (10)
• Nile Rodgers – guitar (1-10), keyboard bass (1, 2), keyboards (2), backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10), vocoder (10)
• Philippe Saisse – keyboards (1-10), keyboard bass (3, 4, 7, 9), acoustic piano solo (5), Synclavier horns (10)
• Kevin Jones – Synclavier programming (1-10)
• Peter Scherer – keyboards (9, 10), keyboard bass (10)
• Hiram Bullock – guitar (4, 8), guitar solo (8)
• Anthony Jackson – bass guitar (6, 8)
• Jimmy Bralower – drums (1, 2), percussion (1, 2)
• Steve Ferrone – second hi-hat cymbal (2), drums (3-10)
• Leonard Gibbs – percussion (1, 3, 5-10)
• Mac Gollehon – brass (1)
• Robert Aaron – reeds (2)
• Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (2, 3, 6, 7, 10)
• Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (2, 7, 10)
• Diane Garisto – backing vocals (2, 7, 10)
• Terri Gonzalez – backing vocals (2, 8)
• Brenda King – backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10)
• Curtis King – backing vocals (2-8, 10)
• Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals (3-6, 8)
• Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (3, 6)
• Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (4, 5, 8)

• Producer – Nile Rodgers
• Recorded and Mixed by James Farber at Skyline Studios (New York, NY).
• Second Engineer – Scott Ansell
• Additional Second Engineering – Tom Durack
• Digitally Edited by Barry Diament at Atlantic Studios (New York, NY).
• Digitally Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk (New York, NY).
• Production Managers – Kevin Jones and Budd Tunick
• Album Coordination – Shirley Klein
• Art Direction – Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff and Michael Hodgson
• Design – Michael Hodgson
• Photography – Paul Jasmin
• Styling – Maria Sarno/Dangerous Wardrobe
• Management – Patrick Raines & Associates (Los Angeles, CA).