Masterpiece (Isley Brothers album)
Masterpiece is the 23rd album released by The Isley Brothers on Warner Bros. Records on April 29, 1985. For the first time since 1973, the Isley Brothers were a trio composed of the original members O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald Isley. It was the last album with O'Kelly Isley; he died a year after the album's release from a heart attack. The fall of 1985 also saw the elder Isleys release Masterpiece.[2] The album is dedicated to their late brother Vernon Isley and their parents Sally & O'Kelly Isley Sr. The album liner notes were written by Elaine Isley.
| Masterpiece | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 29, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984-1985 | |||
| Venue | Devonshire Sound Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues/soul | |||
| Length | 47:49 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | The Isley Brothers | |||
| The Isley Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "May I?" | Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Elaine Jasper Isley | 5:07 |
| 2. | "My Best Was Good Enough" | Skip Scarborough | 4:20 |
| 3. | "If Leaving Me Is Easy" | Phil Collins | 6:30 |
| 4. | "You Never Know When You're Gonna Fall in Love" | Rex Salas, Monty Seward | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Stay Gold" | Stevie Wonder, Carmine Coppola | 4:11 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Colder Are My Nights" | David Williams, Pat Leonard | 6:00 |
| 7. | "Come to Me" | Robert Brookins, Tony Haynes | 4:53 |
| 8. | "Release Your Love" | David Ritz, Kelly McNulty | 5:32 |
| 9. | "The Most Beautiful Girl" | Billy Sherrill, Rory Bourke, Norris Wilson | 6:57 |
Personnel
- The Isley Brothers
- Ronald Isley – lead vocals
- O'Kelly Isley, Jr. – background vocals; lead vocals on "If Leaving Me Is Easy"
- Rudolph Isley – background vocals
- with
- Paul Jackson Jr., Dann Huff, David T. Walker – guitar
- Robbie Buchanan – keyboards
- Randy Kerber – acoustic piano
- Ernie Watts, Gary Herbig – saxophone
- Neil Stubenhaus, Freddie Washington – bass guitar
- John Robinson, Ed Greene – drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Bill Green, Gary Herbig – flute
- Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone
- Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Bill Green – trumpet
- George Bohanon, Slyde Hyde – trombone
- Jerry Hey – horn
- Technical personnel & arrangements
- Produced by The Isley Brothers (Ronald, Rudolph and O'Kelly Isley)
- Arranger, conductor: Gene Page
- Concertmaster: Harry Bluestone
- Engineer: Michael Mancini
- Additional engineers: Bill Spungin, Russell Schmidt
- Assistant engineers: Dean Burt, Joe Travers
- Mixed by The Isley Brothers
- Mastered by Brian Gardner
- Art direction by Jeri McManus
- Photography by George Holz
- Design by Mary Ann Dibs
Chart performance
The album charted at #140 in the US Billboard 200 while only charting at #19 on the R&B album chart. "Colder Are My Nights" peaked at #12 on the R&B charts, while "May I?" charted at #42 in 1986.
References
- Elias, Jason. "The Isley Brothers - Masterpiece (1985) album review, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- A Touch of Classic Soul 2: The Late 1970s Marc Taylor - 2001 - Page 173 They got off to a good start with "Colder Are My Nights" reaching number 12 on the R&B charts. The brothers followed with "May I?," a pleading love song that was mildly successful in the spring of 1986. However, any joy from the album was negated when Kelly Isley died of a heart attack on March 31, 1986 at age 48.
External links
- The Isley Brothers - Masterpiece (1985) album releases & credits at Discogs
- The Isley Brothers - Masterpiece (1985) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
