Madam Butterfly (album)
Encyclopedia
Madam Butterfly is the seventh album by American
soul
/R&B group Tavares
, produced by Bobby Martin and released in 1979 on the Capitol
label. By this stage in the group's career, they had become known as a disco act due to successful singles such as "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel
", "Whodunit
" and "More Than a Woman
. Madam Butterfly is however noted for its lack of anything approaching disco material, and as such is considered to be more akin in style to the group's 1973-1975 albums than to their 1976-1978 Freddie Perren
-produced output.
"Never Had a Love Like This Before", one of several slow jam
s on the album, became a top 5 R&B hit and has subsequently become a quiet storm
classic, while tracks such as "I'm Back for More" are more funk
-based than listeners had come to expect from Tavares. Madam Butterfly performed respectably on the R&B chart, peaking at #13, but failed to achieve substantial sales in the crossover market. Its reputation has grown over the years and it is now considered among the group's best.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
/R&B group Tavares
Tavares (band)
Tavares are a successful American R&B, funk and soul music group, composed of five Cape Verdean-American brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts.-Band members:...
, produced by Bobby Martin and released in 1979 on the Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
label. By this stage in the group's career, they had become known as a disco act due to successful singles such as "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel
Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel
"Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" is a disco song written by Freddie Perren and Keni St. Lewis. It was recorded by the New England band Tavares in 1976. The song was released as a single from the album Sky High! and was split into two parts. The first part was 3 minutes and 28 seconds in length,...
", "Whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
" and "More Than a Woman
More Than a Woman (Bee Gees song)
"More Than a Woman" is a disco song written by the Bee Gees for the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever....
. Madam Butterfly is however noted for its lack of anything approaching disco material, and as such is considered to be more akin in style to the group's 1973-1975 albums than to their 1976-1978 Freddie Perren
Freddie Perren
Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...
-produced output.
"Never Had a Love Like This Before", one of several slow jam
Slow jam
A slow jam an umbrella term for music with R&B and Soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or down tempo songs. The term is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding songs with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. This definition has led to intense debate over whether...
s on the album, became a top 5 R&B hit and has subsequently become a quiet storm
Quiet storm
Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid-1970s by then-station-intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third solo album, lent its name to the format...
classic, while tracks such as "I'm Back for More" are more funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
-based than listeners had come to expect from Tavares. Madam Butterfly performed respectably on the R&B chart, peaking at #13, but failed to achieve substantial sales in the crossover market. Its reputation has grown over the years and it is now considered among the group's best.
Track listing
- "Straight From Your Heart" - 4:23
- "Games, Games" - 4:30
- "Madam Butterfly" - 4:29
- "Let Me Heal the Bruises" - 4:24
- "Never Had a Love Like This Before" - 4:32
- "One Telephone Call Away" - 4:22
- "My Love Calls" - 5:05
- "Positive Forces" - 2:56
- "I'm Back for More" - 2:58
Singles
- "Never Had a Love Like This Before" (US R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
#5) - "Straight From Your Heart" (US R&B #77)