Heroes (Commodores album)

Heroes is the eighth studio album by the Commodores, released in June 1980 by Motown Records. This album has been certified platinum in the US by the RIAA.^[1][2]

Heroes
Studio album by The Commodores
Released	June 1980
Genre	Soul, R&B, gospel
Length	43:26
Label	Motown
Producer	James Anthony Carmichael, The Commodores
The Commodores chronology
Midnight Magic (1979) Heroes (1980) In the Pocket (1981)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Robert Christgau	B[4]
Smash Hits	9/10[5]

With a 9 out of 10 rating, Bev Hillier of Smash Hits called Heroes "a highly polished, versatile album."^[5] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review praised the album, writing: "On it they explore a broad range of subjects and show a willingness to tackle material that is not so obviously tailored to ride the charts. Furthermore, they have gone beyond the simplistic boy -loves -girl and dance -dance -dance lyrics that are the formula staples of contemporary soul music. The album offers plenty of the kind of soul funk we have come to expect of the Commodores, performed with stunning precision, but there are also some interesting variations."^[6] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave a B, describing Heroes as "an improvement. For one thing, most of the brotherhood anthems--which avoid the gender-specific, actually, with lots of "people," "folks," and "y'all"—have a somewhat more rousing beat than "Three Times a Lady." And on the fond "Old-Fashion Love" and the cold-hearted "Sorry to Say," the brothers remind Lionel that this is still supposed to be a funk band."^[4]

Accolades

Heroes was nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.^[7]

Songs

Record World said of the title track that "Lionel Ritchie sings with loving sincerity."^[8] Record World said of "Old-Fashion Love" that "Multi-octave vocal carousing and a funky percussion backdrop provide the setting on this plea for some premium love."^[9] Record World called the single "Jesus Is Love" an "inspirational ballad."^[10]

Track listing

1. "Got to Be Together" (Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary) – 5:44
2. "Celebrate" (Harold Hudson, Larry Davis, Thomas McClary) – 5:03
3. "Old-Fashion Love" (Milan Williams) – 4:56
4. "Heroes" (Darrell Jones, Lionel Richie) – 5:24
5. "All The Way Down" (David Cochrane, Walter Orange) – 3:35
6. "Sorry to Say" (Darrell Jones, Ronald LaPread) – 4:01
7. "Wake Up Children" (Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary) – 4:33
8. "Mighty Spirit" (Harold Hudson, William King) – 4:06
9. "Jesus is Love" (Lionel Richie) – 6:04

Personnel

Commodores

• Lionel Richie – vocals, saxophones, acoustic piano, keyboards
• Milan Williams – keyboards
• Thomas McClary – vocals, guitars
• Ronald LaPread – bass
• Walter Orange – vocals, drums, percussion
• William King – trumpet

Additional personnel

• David Cochrane – keyboards, guitars, saxophones
• Harold Hudson – keyboards, trumpet
• Darrell Jones – guitars
• Ollie E. Brown – drums
• Eddie "Bongo" Brown – percussion
• James Anthony Carmichael – horn and string arrangements

Production

• Commodores – producers, arrangements
• James Anthony Carmichael – producer, arrangements
• Calvin Harris – engineer, mixing
• Jane Clark – engineer, mixing
• Chris Bellman – mastering
• Suzee Ikeda – production manager

Charts

Album

1980	Billboard US R&B	3
	Billboard US Pop	7
	Sweden	26[11]
	Holland	44[12]
	New Zealand	45[13]
	Australia	94[14]

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions[15]
		US	US R&B	US Dance
1980	"Old-Fashion Love"	20	8	—
	"Heroes"	54	27	—
	"Jesus Is Love"	-	34	—