Millennium (Earth, Wind & Fire album)

Millennium is the sixteenth studio album of the band Earth, Wind & Fire released in September 1993 on Warner Bros. Records.[1] The album reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, No. 39 on the US Billboard 200, No. 18 on the Japanese Pop Albums chart and No. 29 on the Dutch Album Top 100.[2][3][4][5] Millennium has also been certified Gold in Japan by the RIAJ.[2]

Millennium
Studio album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1993
Recorded1992-1993
StudioSonic Lab, Capitol Studios, Andora Studios, Devonshire Studios
Genre
Length63:55
LabelReprise
Warner Bros.
ProducerMaurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
The Very Best of Earth, Wind & Fire
(1992)		 Millennium
(1993)		 The Very Best
(1994)
Singles from Heritage
  1. "Spend The Night"
    Released: 1993
  2. "Sunday Morning"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Two Hearts"
    Released: 1993

Overview

Millennium marked the band's return after 21 years to Warner Bros. Records. The album was also produced by EWF's founder and leader Maurice White.[1]

Artists such as Prince and Ronnie Laws appeared on the LP.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Vibe(favourable)[7]
Morning Call(favourable)[8]
Boston Globe(favourable)[9]
Dayton Daily News[10]
Associated Press(favourable)[11]
USA Today[12]
Detroit Free Press(favourable)[13]
The Independent(favourable)[14]
Buffalo News[15]

Tom Sinclair of Vibe proclaimed that EWF "demonstrate they still have the knack for constructing mellifluous R&B on the visonary/romantic tip."[7] With a 4 out of 5 stars rating the Buffalo News commented "EW&F, one of the few groups that kept black popular music alive when disco ruled, has poured new life into a proven musical formula. Its latest project contains a plethora of kalimbas, blaring horns, and converging Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms. Add the stratospheric voices of EW&F founder Maurice White, and star-lead vocalist Philip Bailey, and behold: a revamped re-creation of the message-laden, massaging tunes the band was known for in its heyday."[15] Paul Willistein of The Morning Call wrote "There are more than half a dozen standouts among the disc's 16 tracks, making this a must have for longtime fans."[8] Renee Graham of The Boston Globe noted that Millennium "returns the band to its funk/r&b roots" with a "tasty bit of Minneapolis funk".[9] With a three out of four star rating James T. Jones IV of USA Today found that the band "returned to their trademark sound: snappy horns, kalimba (thumb piano), falsetto harmonies, Afro-Cuban influences, instrumental interludes and philosophical lyrics."[12] Derek Ali of the Dayton Daily News gave a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating saying "With its Millennium album, Earth, Wind & Fire proves its one of those rare groups that can maintain a musical style for several decades while keeping pace with today's sounds".[10] Gary Graff of the Detroit Free Press wrote "EWF returns to the joyous R&B that made it famous, landing smooth if not exactly landmark results."[13] Andy Gill of The Independent stated "if it's an old-style R&B sensibility you're after, the new Earth, Wind & Fire album may be just the ticket."[14]

The Buffalo News placed the album on its list of the best R&B/Hip-Hop albums of 1993.[16] Millennium was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award within the category of Best R&B/Soul Album - Group, Band or Duo.[17]

Singles

The track "Sunday Morning", earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.[18] Released as a single, it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, No. 20 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 35 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[19][20][21]

The album cut "Spend the Night" reached Nos. 36 and 42 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively.[22][23]

Covers

The Prince-penned track, "Super Hero", was covered by the New Power Generation featuring the Steeles for the soundtrack to the film Blankman.[24][25]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Even If You Wonder"Nicky Brown, Jeffrey Cohen, Jon Lind, Maurice White4:38
2."Sunday Morning"Sheldon Reynolds, Maurice White, Allee Willis4:39
3."Blood Brothers"Nicky Brown, Jon Lind, Brock Walsh, Maurice White5:23
4."Kalimba Interlude"Maurice White0:31
5."Spend The Night"Dawn Thomas4:24
6."Divine"Philip Bailey, Ken Barken, Roxanne Seeman4:33
7."Two Hearts"Burt Bacharach, Philip Bailey, Maurice White5:06
8."Honor The Magic"Freddie Ravel, Maurice White3:05
9."Love Is The Greatest Story"Faye Freenberg, David Lawrence, Maurice White4:38
10."The "L" Word""Nicky Brown, Jon Lind, Maurice White, Allee Willis4:34
11."Just Another Lonely Night"Linda Stokes, Michael Stokes4:38
12."Super Hero"Prince4:10
13."Wouldn't Change A Thing About You"Philip Bailey, Frankie Blue4:47
14."Love Across The Wire"Philip Bailey, Thom Bell, Maurice White3:34
15."Chicago (Chi-Town) Blues"Nicky Brown, Jon Lind, Brock Walsh, Maurice White4:58
16."Kalimba Blues"Maurice White0:35

Charts
Album
Year Chart Position
1993 U.S. Billboard 200 39
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums 8
Japanese Albums (Oricon) 18[2]
Dutch Albums (Dutch Album Top 100) 29[3]
Sweden Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 50[26]
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1993 "Spend the Night" U.S. Billboard Adult R&B Airplay 36
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles 42
"Sunday Morning" U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles 20[21]
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 31[27]
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs 35[19]
U.S. Billboard Adult R&B Songs 10[28]
Canada RPM Top Singles 33[29]
Dutch Singles (Dutch Single Top 100) 26[30]
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 34[31]
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 53
"Two Hearts" U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles 88

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[32] Gold 100,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium. Warner Bros. Records. September 1993.
  2. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium". dutchcharts.nl.
  4. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.com.
  5. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium (Billboard 200)". Billboard.com.
  6. Henderson, Alex. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  7. Sinclair, Tom (September 1993). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium". Vol. 1 no. 1. Vibe Magazine. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. Willistein, Paul (December 4, 1993). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium". The Morning Call. p. 77.
  9. Graham, Renee (October 21, 1993). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium (Reprise)". Boston Globe. p. 108 – via newspapers.com.
  10. Ali, Derek (October 8, 1993). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium". Dayton Daily News. p. 72 – via newspapers.com.
  11. Wine, Steven (December 25, 1993). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium (Reprise)". Associated Press. p. 25 – via newspapers.com.
  12. Jones, James T. IV. (October 4, 1993). "Three '70s R&B acts bring grooves to '90s". USA Today. p. 04D. ProQuest 306599814.
  13. Graff, Gary (October 11, 1993). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Millennium". Detroit Free Press. p. 43 – via newspapers.com.
  14. Gill, Andy (September 16, 1993). "ALBUMS / Return of the vox Pop: Andy Gill on Iggy Pop and the week's new releases". newsbank.com. The Independent. p. 31.
  15. "In Brief". buffalonews.com. The Buffalo News. November 5, 1993.
  16. Simon, Jeff (December 13, 1993). "FROM OUR CRITICS -- FROM YOUR HOLIDAY GIFT LISTS". The Buffalo News. p. 81.
  17. Sandler, Adam (February 1, 1994). "Jackson, Braxton top Soul Train nominees". variety.com. Variety.
  18. "Earth, Wind & Fire". Grammy.com.
  19. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sunday Morning (Adult Contemporary Songs)". Billboard.com.
  20. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sunday Morning (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  21. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sunday Morning (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  22. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Spend The Night (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  23. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Spend The Night (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  24. "How Prince Became a 'Super Hero'". diffuser.fm.
  25. "Blankman: Original Soundtrack". allmusic.com.
  26. "Earth, Wind & Fire". sverigetopplistan.se.
  27. "Earth, Wind & Fire: (Rhythmic Songs)". Billboard.com.
  28. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sunday Morning (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.com.
  29. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sunday Morning (RPM Top Singles)". Bac-lac.gc.ca.
  30. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Sunday Morning". dutchcharts.nl. Dutch Charts.
  31. "Earth, Wind & Fire: (Mainstream Top 40)". Billboard.com.
  32. "Japanese album certifications – Earth, Wind and Fire – Millennium" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 2, 2020. Select 1995年4月 on the drop-down menu
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