One To One (Syreeta album)
Encyclopedia
One To One is the third studio album released by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright
in 1977. It was the first album Wright released where former husband Stevie Wonder
didn't overlook most of its production with the exception of one song.
and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
, she also had gained recognition in the music industry for co-writing several of the label's hit singles including The Spinners' "It's a Shame
" and her first husband Stevie Wonder
's hits, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" and "If You Really Love Me
", and also writing the lyrics to most of Wonder's compositions for his albums, Where I'm Coming From
, Music of My Mind
, and Talking Book
. Wright's first two albums of her own merit, Syreeta
and Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta
, were critically acclaimed releases but didn't gain any commercial success, though the latter album found success with several of its numbers becoming hits in the United Kingdom. In 1975, Wright and Wonder wrote and produced a reggae
-flavored love song titled "Harmour Love". Because Wonder was busy working on his own ambitious project, Songs in the Key of Life
, Wright decided to work on most of the material of her third album without him.
, with whom she had worked with in the past, and her then-second husband bassist Curtis Robertson Jr, to help collaborate on her next album, Wright decided to take production duties herself for the first time in her career. Most of the material was recorded at Motown's recording studios in Los Angeles, California
and was inspired by a 1975 trip to Ethiopia
where Wright served three months as a "transcedental meditation" teacher. Upon her return, Wright began to wear braids and was emotionally inspired by her three-week stay. Wright and Robertson wrote most of the songs with Ware arranging the music and production. Wright also sung her own background vocals with the only other vocal assistances being longtime Motown background vocalist Jim Gilstrap and Ware himself.
Ware, who was then known for his work with Quincy Jones
and his composition, "I Wanna Be Where You Are
", which became one of the first solo hits for Michael Jackson
, had also been noted for his work with Marvin Gaye
on his album, I Want You, as well as songs with Minnie Riperton
on her album, Adventures in Paradise
. Ware's productions were noted for its sensuality and he touched on some of the songs with Wright, including songs where the singer used her whistle register
notes. The only song Wright didn't compose was the African-inspired "Tiki Tiki Donga", which was written by Robertson and Ware, with Wright reaching high notes in her vibrato
. Other songs, such as the title track, "Rest Yourself", and "Don't Cry" were compositions solely by Wright and Robertson. Ware co-wrote music for the sexy ballad "I Too Am Waiting" and Ware and Wright co-wrote the funky "I Don't Know". The sole Wonder production, "Harmour Love", was included in the last minute. A planned photo shoot for the album cover was delayed due to Wright's work on her braids so to compensate, Motown hired a graphic artist to paint an image of the braided singer with her braids flying around her face. Wright was reassigned before the album's release to Tamla Records, which overlook many of her former husband's music.
and also was released in the United Kingdom where fresh off the success of a similar song, "Your Kiss is Sweet" (from Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta), the song reached number 32 there. Wright produced a video for the song which featured the singer performing the song in a recording studio. The album was critically well-received upon its release. Later that year, Wright focused on duet work with singer G.C. Cameron on the album, Rich Love, Poor Love.
and Curtis Robertson Jr unless otherwise noted.
Syreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright , who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston.-Early life and career:...
in 1977. It was the first album Wright released where former husband Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
didn't overlook most of its production with the exception of one song.
Background
By the time of its release, Wright was a noted yet overlooked artist on the Motown label. Initially established as a session backing vocalist for such Motown stars such as Diana Ross and the SupremesThe Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
, she also had gained recognition in the music industry for co-writing several of the label's hit singles including The Spinners' "It's a Shame
It's a Shame (The Spinners song)
"It's a Shame" is a song co-written by Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett and produced by Wonder as a single for The Spinners on Motown's V.I.P. Records label. The single became the Detroit-reared group's biggest single on the Motown Records company since they had signed with the company...
" and her first husband Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's hits, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" and "If You Really Love Me
If You Really Love Me
"If You Really Love Me" is the title of a song written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright. Wonder recorded the song and released his version as a single from his 1971 album Where I'm Coming From. The single proved very successful, peaking in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 , Billboard's R&B...
", and also writing the lyrics to most of Wonder's compositions for his albums, Where I'm Coming From
Where I'm Coming From
Where I'm Coming From is the thirteenth studio album released by Grammy Award-winning American singer Stevie Wonder on the Motown label on April 12, 1971....
, Music of My Mind
Music of My Mind
- Side One :# "Love Having You Around" – 7:21#* Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, talk box, drums, Moog bass#* Art Baron – trombone#* Background Singers – uncredited...
, and Talking Book
Talking Book
Talking Book is the fifteenth album by Stevie Wonder, released on October 28, 1972. A signal recording of his "classic period", in this one he "hit his stride"...
. Wright's first two albums of her own merit, Syreeta
Syreeta (1972 album)
Syreeta is the debut solo album by Motown singer Syreeta Wright, released in 1972 on Motown's MoWest subsidiary. Produced by Wright's ex-husband Stevie Wonder, it was released following the former couple's separation and subsequent divorce...
and Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta
Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta
Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta is the second full-length release by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright, issued on the Motown label, in June 1974.-Reception:...
, were critically acclaimed releases but didn't gain any commercial success, though the latter album found success with several of its numbers becoming hits in the United Kingdom. In 1975, Wright and Wonder wrote and produced a reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-flavored love song titled "Harmour Love". Because Wonder was busy working on his own ambitious project, Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
, Wright decided to work on most of the material of her third album without him.
Recording
Hiring Leon WareLeon Ware
Leon Ware is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer. Best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You, originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976...
, with whom she had worked with in the past, and her then-second husband bassist Curtis Robertson Jr, to help collaborate on her next album, Wright decided to take production duties herself for the first time in her career. Most of the material was recorded at Motown's recording studios in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and was inspired by a 1975 trip to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
where Wright served three months as a "transcedental meditation" teacher. Upon her return, Wright began to wear braids and was emotionally inspired by her three-week stay. Wright and Robertson wrote most of the songs with Ware arranging the music and production. Wright also sung her own background vocals with the only other vocal assistances being longtime Motown background vocalist Jim Gilstrap and Ware himself.
Ware, who was then known for his work with Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and his composition, "I Wanna Be Where You Are
I Wanna Be Where You Are
"I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a song written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and Leon Ware for Michael Jackson, who took the song to number sixteen on the U.S. pop singles chart and number two on the U.S. R&B singles chart in 1972...
", which became one of the first solo hits for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, had also been noted for his work with Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
on his album, I Want You, as well as songs with Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
on her album, Adventures in Paradise
Adventures in Paradise
Adventures in Paradise is an American television series which ran on ABC from 1959 until 1962. It starred Gardner McKay as Adam Troy, the captain of the schooner Tiki III which sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The show was created by James Michener...
. Ware's productions were noted for its sensuality and he touched on some of the songs with Wright, including songs where the singer used her whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...
notes. The only song Wright didn't compose was the African-inspired "Tiki Tiki Donga", which was written by Robertson and Ware, with Wright reaching high notes in her vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
. Other songs, such as the title track, "Rest Yourself", and "Don't Cry" were compositions solely by Wright and Robertson. Ware co-wrote music for the sexy ballad "I Too Am Waiting" and Ware and Wright co-wrote the funky "I Don't Know". The sole Wonder production, "Harmour Love", was included in the last minute. A planned photo shoot for the album cover was delayed due to Wright's work on her braids so to compensate, Motown hired a graphic artist to paint an image of the braided singer with her braids flying around her face. Wright was reassigned before the album's release to Tamla Records, which overlook many of her former husband's music.
Reception
The album was released on February 9, 1977. Like Wright's previous two albums, the album didn't produce any commercial hits for her in the United States though Wright did find some chart action with "Harmour Love", which reached number 75 on the R&B chartHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot 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,...
and also was released in the United Kingdom where fresh off the success of a similar song, "Your Kiss is Sweet" (from Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta), the song reached number 32 there. Wright produced a video for the song which featured the singer performing the song in a recording studio. The album was critically well-received upon its release. Later that year, Wright focused on duet work with singer G.C. Cameron on the album, Rich Love, Poor Love.
Track listing
All songs by Syreeta WrightSyreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright , who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston.-Early life and career:...
and Curtis Robertson Jr unless otherwise noted.
- "One to One" (4:50)
- "I Don't Know" (WareLeon WareLeon Ware is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer. Best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You, originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976...
, Wright) (4:22) - "Rest Yourself" (4:39)
- "I Too Am Waiting" (Robertson, Wright, Ware) (5:38)
- "Tiki Tiki Donga" (Robertson, Ware) (5:05)
- "Don't Cry" (7:10)
- "Harmour Love" (Wonder) (3:36)
- "One to One" (reprise) (4:50)
Personnel
- Produced by Leon Ware, Syreeta Wright, Stevie Wonder and Curtis Robertson Jr
- Lead vocals by Syreeta Wright
- Background vocals by Syreeta Wright, Leon Ware, Jim GilstrapJim GilstrapJim Gilstrap is an American singer best known for his work as a session musician and his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.-Career:...
, Marietta Araiza and Stevie Wonder - Bass guitar by Chuck RaineyChuck RaineyChuck Rainey, is an American bass guitar session musician, known for playing with many well-known American musicians and acts, including Donald Byrd, Steely Dan, Quincy Jones, and Aretha Franklin.-Biography:Rainey's youthful pursuits included violin, piano and trumpet...
and Curtis Robertson Jr - Guitars by David T. WalkerDavid T. WalkerDavid T. Walker is an American guitarist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued over twelve albums in his own name.-Career:...
, Greg Poree, Marc Silverman, Mike Sembello, Ray Parker, Jr.Ray Parker, Jr.Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and...
and Steve Buckmeier - Drums by Alvin Taylor, Howard King and James GadsonJames GadsonJames Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....
- Keyboards by Greg PhillinganesGreg PhillinganesGreg Phillinganes is an active session keyboardist in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan....
, John Barnes, Sonny Burke - Percussion by Eddie "Bongo" Brown and Mayuto
- Saxophone solo by Gary BartzGary BartzGary Bartz is an American alto and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist.Bartz graduated from the Baltimore City College high school and The Juilliard School...
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot 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,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1975 | "Harmour Love" | — | 75 | — |