Louder Than Words (album)

Louder Than Words is the fourth studio album by Lionel Richie, released on April 16, 1996. It also marked the first time he released a studio album of new material in 10 years. In 1992 he released just three new tracks on his compilation album Back to Front. Louder Than Words debuted at #33 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 28,000 copies,[1] and peaked at #28.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Entertainment Weekly	B+ link
Los Angeles Times	link
Robert Christgau	link

Louder Than Words
Studio album by Lionel Richie
Released	April 16, 1996
Genre	R&B, new jack swing
Length	1:07:05
Label	Mercury
Producer	James Anthony Carmichael, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lionel Richie, David Foster
Lionel Richie chronology
Back to Front (1992) Louder Than Words (1996) Truly: The Love Songs (1997)

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Piece of Love"	Booker T. Jones, Marva King, Jeff Byrd	Lionel Richie, James Anthony Carmichael	4:04
2.	"Still in Love"	Richie	Richie, Carmichael	4:33
3.	"I Wanna Take You Down"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis	Richie, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	5:01
4.	"Can't Get Over You"	Richie	Richie, Carmichael	4:33
5.	"Change"	Richie, David Cochrane	Richie, Carmichael	5:01
6.	"Nothing Else Matters"	Richie	Richie, Carmichael	4:34
7.	"Ordinary Girl"	Richie, Babyface	Richie, Carmichael	5:01
8.	"Say I Do"	Harris III, Lewis, James Wright	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	5:01
9.	"Paradise"	Richie, Lloyd Tolbert	Richie, Carmichael	5:02
10.	"Don't Wanna Lose You"	Richie, Harris III, Lewis	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	5:01
11.	"Now You're Gone"	Richie	Richie, Carmichael	5:43
12.	"Lovers at First Sight"	Richie	Richie, Carmichael	6:59
13.	"Climbing"	Richie	Richie, David Foster	6:26

• The Italian issues include a bonus track, "Amo, T'Amo, Ti Amo" (the Italian version of "Still in Love"). The Japanese release had an additional track called "What Do They Know". Some issues of Louder Than Words omit the track, "Now You're Gone".

Personnel

• Lionel Richie – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10), keyboards (2, 11), rhythm arrangements (5), tenor sax solo (11), acoustic piano (12)
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizer (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12)
• Lloyd Tolbert – keyboards (1, 4, 9, 11), synth bass (1), drum programming (1, 2, 4, 9, 11), rhythm arrangements (9)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (1, 11, 12), acoustic piano (5), synth bass (9)
• John Barnes – synthesizer (2, 6, 11)
• James Anthony Carmichael – keyboards (2, 4), string arrangements and conductor (2, 4, 6, 7, 11), rhythm arrangements (5), horn arrangements and conductor (11)
• Simon Franglen – synthesizer (2, 7, 11)
• James "Big Jim" Wright – keyboards (3, 8, 10)
• Jimmy Jam – all other instruments (3, 8, 10)
• Terry Lewis – all other instruments (3, 8, 10)
• David Cochran – synthesizer (5), guitar (5), drum programming (5), saxophone (5), horn and rhythm arrangements (5)
• Steve Porcaro – synthesizer (6, 13), programming (13), rhythm arrangements (13)
• Tony Smith – programming (6, 12)
• Babyface – keyboards (7), drum programming (7), backing vocals (7)
• Claude Gaudette – synthesizer (13)
• William Ross – synthesizer (13)
• David Paich – keyboards (13), rhythm arrangements (13)
• Michael Thompson – guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12)
• Timothy May – guitar (2)
• Dean Parks – guitar (2, 12)
• Mike Scott – guitar (3, 8, 10)
• Robert Palmer – guitar (5)
• Steve Lukather – guitar (13)
• Sekou Bunch – bass guitar (4, 6)
• Nathan East – bass guitar (6, 7, 12)
• Randy Jackson – bass guitar (11, 12)
• Alex Richbourg – drum programming (3)
• Ricky Lawson – drums (6)
• John Robinson – drums (7)
• Jeff Taylor – drum programming (8)
• Chris Dave – drums (10)
• Omar Hakim – drums (11, 12)
• Jeff Porcaro – drums (13)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2, 4, 7, 11)
• Michael Fisher – percussion (13)
• Tommy Morgan – harmonica (2)
• Toots Thielemans – harmonica (6)
• John Dickson – French Horn (6)
• Marylin Johnson – French Horn (6)
• Brad Warnaar – French Horn (6, 12)
• David Duke – French Horn (12)
• Brian O'Connor – French Horn (12)
• Brandon Fields – saxophone (6, 12)
• Dan Higgins – saxophone (6, 12)
• Kim Hutchcroft – saxophone (12)
• George Bohanon – trombone (6), French horn (12)
• Andrew Martin – trombone (6)
• Bill Reichenbach, Jr. – trombone (12)
• Jerry Hey – trumpet (1)
• Darrel Anthony Browning – trumpet (5)
• Daniel Fornero – trumpet (6)
• Oscar Brashear – trumpet (6, 12)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (6, 12)
• Charles Davis – trumpet (12)
• Warren Luening – trumpet (12)
• Don Waldrup – tuba (6)
• Jeremy Lubbock – string arrangements and conductor (6, 12)
• Marva King – backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11), BGV arrangements (1, 9)
• 4.0 – backing vocals (3, 8)
• Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (4, 5)
• Arnold McCuller – backing vocals (4, 7, 9)
• Peter Gabriel – backing vocals (7)
• Ayub Ogada – backing vocals (7)
• Sue Ann Carwell – backing vocals (11)

Production

• Calvin Harris – engineer and mixing (1, 2, 4-7, 9, 11)
• Milton Chen – engineer (1, 2, 5, 9, 12), assistant engineer
• Barney Perkins – engineer (2, 6, 11, 12)
• Steve Hodge – engineer and mixing (3, 8, 10)
• Jeff Taylor – engineer (3, 8, 10), assistant engineer
• Fred Law – engineer (4, 9)
• Humberto Gatica – engineer (6, 13), mixing (13)
• John Jessel – engineer (6)
• Brad Gilderman – engineer (7)
• David Reitzas – engineer (13)
• Drake Ayen – assistant engineer
• David Betencourt – assistant engineer
• Craig Brock – assistant engineer
• Darrel Anthony Browning – assistant engineer
• Jim Champange – assistant engineer
• Michael W. Douglass – assistant engineer
• Gasten Kamal Graham – assistant engineer
• Patrick Karamian – assistant engineer
• Bill Kinsley – assistant engineer
• Bill Leonard – assistant engineer
• Doug Michael – assistant engineer
• Jennifer Monnar – assistant engineer
• Pierre Monroe – assistant engineer
• Jim Nelson – assistant engineer
• John Nelson – assistant engineer
• Kenny Ochoa – assistant engineer
• Sean O'Dwyer – assistant engineer
• Greg Pinto – assistant engineer
• Alex Reed – assistant engineer
• Mike Retter – assistant engineer
• Rail Rogut – assistant engineer
• Bill Smith – assistant engineer
• John Srebalus – assistant engineer
• Ken Villeneuve – assistant engineer
• Guy Costa – mastering
• Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
• John Coulter – art direction, design
• Alan Silfen – art direction, design, photography
• Erin Flanagan – styling
• Freddy Demann – management

Studios

• Recorded at Encore Studios and Warner Bros. Studios (Burbank, CA); Record Plant, The Manor, Cochrane Studios and Speeding Bullet Sound (Los Angeles, CA); Capitol Studios, Conway Studios, Ocean Way Recording and The Tracken Place (Hollywood, CA); The Hit Factory (New York, NY); Flyte Tyme Studios (Edina, MN).
• Mastered at Quadim Studio (Westlake Village, CA).

References

1. "Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press". Los Angeles Times. April 25, 1996. Retrieved March 1, 2012.