Powerlight

Powerlight was produced by EWF leader Maurice White. According to White the LP's title has to do with "the chakras -- the centers of the body that connect us with cosmic power." Artists such as Robert Greenidge, Maxayn Lewis and Zakir Hussain also appeared on the album.[1][5]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
Village Voice	(A-)[7]
Vanity Fair	(favourable)[8]
Stereo Review	(favourable)[9]
New York Times	(favourable)[10]
Musician	(favourable)[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Daily Mirror	(favourable)[13]
Los Angeles Times	(favourable)[14][15]
Smash Hits	(8/10)[16]
Philadelphia Inquirer	[17]
New York Daily News	(favourable)[18]

Robert Palmer of The New York Times noted "Mr. (Milton) Nascimento, and Brazilian pop in general, combine African-derived rhythms that tend to be more flowing and buoyant than their North American funk counterparts with a melodious pop lyricism based on relatively complex, jazzy harmonies, and Maurice White has done something very similar on Earth, Wind and Fire's Powerlight album."[10] Vanity Fair found that "Earth, Wind & Fire's oddysey of uplift, Powerlight is, impossible as it may seem, even more relentlessly cheerful than its predecessor Raise!, a concoction designed to do precisely that to listeners' spirit".[8] Tony Price of the Daily Mirror called Powerlight the LP of the Week exclaiming "The worst you can say about Earth, Wind & Fire are their high standards of arrangements are predictable. They just can't get any better!"[13] Robert Christgau of the Village Voice proclaimed with an A- grade that "Their sonic affluence and showtime groove encompass whispering strings no less perfect than their JB guitar beats, Funkafunnies harmonies no less schmaltzy than their Lionel Richie homages, and when the synthesis is this catchy it's the best argument for universalism they'll ever make."[7] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote Powerlight "does show why EWF is one of the masters of studio pop." Johnson added "EWF mostly keeps the rhetoric in check focusing instead on assertive rockers that give everyone in this nine-member unit a chance to flex his muscles There is less cosmic emphasis but the EWF formula—heavy on the richly textured vocals horns and rhythm—is still intact. And surprisingly still fresh."[14] With a 3 out of 5 stars rating, Ken Tucker of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote "Earth, Wind and Fire's new collection of Utopian funk, "Powerlight" (Columbia), has a glossy sheen that manages to coat even the banal songs with a pretty surface that's pleasing."[17] Chip Stern of Musician claimed "Powerlight stands both as a testament to White's absolute mastery of production and EW&F's renewed vigour as a band."[11] Charles McCollum of the Hartford Courant said Powerlight "is the best set the group has produced in some time, with an often heady mixture of American pop stylings and in something new from (Maurice) White Brazilian textures."[19] David Hepworth of Smash Hits gave the album an 8/10 rating and declared EWF are "firing on all cylinders." Hepworth added "They weld their massive sound together with such precision that their whole ensemble can provide a rhythm as spare and compulsive as a snapping finger, they write production numbers instead of songs and never allow the momentum to flag for a second, they're soppy as hell and, when they produce records like 'Powerlight', there's absolutely nothing wrong with that".[16] Hugh Wyatt of the New York Daily News found "Earth, Wind & Fire gives new meaning to the word classy, and I like it".[18]

Issac Hayes called Powerlight one of Earth, Wind & Fire's five essential recordings.[20] Powerlight was also placed by music critic Robert Christgau of the Village Voice at No. 36 on his dean's list of 1983.[21]

The album cut "Fall in Love with Me" rose to No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. "Fall in Love with Me" was also Grammy nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[22]

As well another single entitled "Side by Side" got to No. 15 upon the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.[23] "Straight From The Heart" was released as a single in the Netherlands.[24]

[1]

• Additional backing vocals - Ms. Pluto
• Additional backing vocals, guitar - Beloyd Taylor
• Bass Guitar - Verdine White
• Cello - Douglas Davis, Earl Madison, Frederick Seykora, Larry Corbett, Ronald Cooper, Suzie Katayama
• Double bass - Arni Egilsson
• Drums, percussion - Fred White
• Rhythm Guitar - Roland Bautista
• Harp - Dorothy Remsen
• Keyboards - Eduardo Del Barrio, Rick Kelly, Skip Scarborough, Wayne Vaughn, George Del Barrio
• Lead & backing vocals, percussion - Philip Bailey
• Lead & backing vocals, drums, kalimba - Maurice White
• Percussion - Paulinho Da Costa, Ralph Johnson
• Piano - Maxanne Lewis
• Prophet-5 synthesizer - Azar Lawrence
• Saxophone - Donald Myrick
• Steel drums - Robert Greenidge
• Synthesizer programming - Larry Dunn
• Tabla - Zakir Hussain
• Tenor saxophone - Andrew Woolfolk
• Trombone - Bill Reichenbach Jr., Charles Loper, George Bohanon, Lew McCreary, Louis Satterfield
• Trumpet - Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Michael Harris, Oscar Brashear, Rahmlee Michael Davis, Jerry Hey
• Viola - Alan Deveritch, Allan Harshman, Carole Mukogawa, David Schwartz, Joel Soultanian, Linn Subotnick, Milton Kestenbaum, Pamela Goldsmith, Roland Karo, Rollice Dale
• Violin - Anatol Kaminsky, Arnold Belnick, Bill Hybel, Bob Sanov, Brenton Banks, George Kast, Haim Shtrum, Harry Bluestone, Janet Lakatos, Karen Jones, Marshall Sosson, Miwako Watanabe, Myer Bello, Nathan Ross, Nicole Bush, Pam Tompkins, Robert Lipsett, Robert Sushel, Ron Clark, Shari Zippert, Sheldon Sanov, Stanley Plummer[25]