Step II
| Step II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Studio | Fantasy (Berkeley, California) Conway (Los Angeles, California) Clark-Brown Audio (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:17 | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Producer | Harvey Fuqua, Sylvester | |||
| Sylvester chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Step II | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
| Pitchfork | 9.2/10[3] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul |  [4] |
Step II is the fourth studio album by American singer Sylvester, released in 1978 on the Fantasy label.
Commercial performance
[edit]The album peaked at No. 7 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200. The album features the singles "Dance (Disco Heat)", which peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)", which charted at No. 20 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs reached No. 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 13, 1979.
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" | Sylvester, James "Tip" Wirrick | 6:39 |
| 2. | "Dance (Disco Heat)" | Eric Robinson, Victor Orsborn | 5:50 |
| 3. | "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Epilogue" | Sylvester, James "Tip" Wirrick | 3:19 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Grateful" | Sylvester, Michael Finden | 3:27 |
| 5. | "I Took My Strength from You" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 7:16 |
| 6. | "Was It Something That I Said" | Sylvester, Harvey Fuqua | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Just You and Me Forever" | Eric Robinson, Victor Orsborn | 4:31 |
Personnel
[edit]- Sylvester – lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic piano
- Patrick Cowley – string, Electro-comp 101 and 200 models synthesizers and Oberheim DS-2 sequencer, special effects
- Michael Finden – electric piano, organ and clavinet
- James "Tip" Wirrick – electric guitar
- Eric Robinson – acoustic piano (track 7)
- Bob Kingson – bass (tracks 1–6)
- James Jamerson, Jr. – bass (track 7)
- Randy Merritt – drums (tracks 1–6)
- James Gadson – drums (track 7)
- David Frazier – percussion
- George Bohanon – horns
- Charles Veal Jr. – strings, concertmaster
- Izora Rhodes, Martha Wash – backing vocals
- Leslie Drayton – string and horn arrangements
Technical
- Nancy C. Pitts – associate producer
- Eddie Bill Harris – remix
- Phil Bray – photography
Charts
[edit]Album
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 74 |
| US Billboard Top LPs[6] | 28 |
| US Billboard Top Soul LPs[6] | 7 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peaks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US R&B [6] |
US Dan [6] | ||
| 1978 | "Dance (Disco Heat)" | 19 | 4 | 1 |
| "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" | 36 | 20 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Step II review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved November 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Torres, Eric (February 7, 2021). "Sylvester: Step II". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. pp. 323, 324.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 303. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b c d e "US Charts > Sylvester". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
