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Unison (Celine Dion album)

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Unison
Studio album by
Celine Dion
Released2 April 1990 (1990-04-02)
Recorded1989–1990
Studio
  • Chartmaker Studio
  • John Barnes Studio (Los Angeles)
  • Skyline Midi Studio (New York)
  • Steve Mitchell's (Los Angeles)
  • Studio 55 (Los Angeles)
  • Unique (New York City)
  • West Side Studios (London)
GenrePop
Length43:00
Label
Producer
Celine Dion chronology
The Best of Celine Dion
(1988) 		Unison
(1990) 		Dion chante Plamondon
(1991)
Singles from Unison
  1. "(If There Was) Any Other Way"
    Released: 26 March 1990
  2. "Unison"
    Released: 9 July 1990
  3. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now"
    Released: 1 October 1990
  4. "The Last to Know"
    Released: 11 March 1991

Unison is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion and her first English-language album. Released on 2 April 1990 by Columbia Records and Epic Records, it features a mix of dance songs and ballads influenced by 1980s soft rock. The album was produced by David Foster, Christopher Neil, Tom Keane and Andy Goldmark. Upon its release, Unison received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented Dion's voice and technique, as well as the album's content.

On a commercial level, Unison reached number one in Quebec, number eight in Norway, and number 15 in Canada. It was certified seven-times Platinum in Canada, Platinum in the United States, Gold in the United Kingdom and France, and has sold over four million copies worldwide. Up to five singles were released from Unison, depending on the country. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, reaching number four. The next US single, "(If There Was) Any Other Way," peaked there at number 35. In 1991, Unison won the Juno Award for Album of the Year, and Dion won the Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year.

Background

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In the 1980s, Dion released eleven French-language albums in Canada and three in France. One compilation album was issued in Europe. In Canada, Incognito (1987) was certified two-times Platinum, Tellement j'ai d'amour... (1982) Platinum, and Les chemins de ma maison (1983) and Mélanie (1984) Gold. Dion topped the Quebec chart with hits like "D'amour ou d'amitié", "Mon ami m'a quittée", "Incognito", "Lolita (trop jeune pour aimer)", "Comme un cœur froid" and "D'abord, c'est quoi l'amour". "D'amour ou d'amitié" and "Une colombe" were certified Gold in Canada. During this decade, Dion won fifteen Félix Awards, including Newcomer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Melanie), Pop Album of the Year (Tellement j'ai d'amour...), Best Selling Album of the Year (Les chemins de ma maison, Melanie), Most Popular Song of the Year ("Une colombe", "Incognito"), Best Selling Single of the Year ("Une colombe"), Best Stage Performance of the Year (Incognito tournée), and Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success Outside Quebec. In France, Dion became the first Canadian artist to receive a Gold record for her top ten single "D'amour ou d'amitié". Further success in Europe came when she represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with the song, "Ne partez pas sans moi", which later won the contest.

CBS Records had originally offered $25,000 to make the album, which would allow Dion to record new vocals over the original music tracks from Incognito. Three events would raise the ante. First, Dion performed a duet with Dan Hill on "Can't We Try" at the CBS Canada 1987 convention. The performance impressed the company's president Bernie DiMatteo enough for him to raise the budget to $100,000 so that some new songs could be commissioned. Next, at the Juno Awards of 1987 she sang "Have a Heart". After that performance the budget rose to $300,000. When David Foster later saw it on videotape, he told DiMatteo that $300,000 was not enough, so they were given an unlimited budget. The record ended up costing $600,000. Unison was recorded in London, New York, and Los Angeles.

Before releasing Unison in 1990, "Can't Live With You, Can't Live Without You", a duet with Billy Newton-Davis, was issued as a single in Canada in 1989 from his album, Spellbound. Dion also sang a duet with Warren Wiebe on "Listen to Me", taken from the American dramatic film of the same name. The third duet recorded in 1989 was again with Dan Hill on "Wishful Thinking" from his album, Real Love. However, these duets were not included on Unison.

Content and release

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Unison includes four songs produced by British record producer, Christopher Neil, who previously worked with artists like Sheena Easton, Mike + The Mechanics, and Shakin' Stevens. Neil produced three singles on the album, including the successful "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and a cover of Sheena Easton song, "The Last to Know". Five songs were produced by Canadian record producer and composer, David Foster. His production work included "Have a Heart", which was originally recorded in French for Dion's 1987 album, Incognito. Andy Goldmark produced the cover of Junior's song for the Tom Cruise movie, All the Right Moves, "Unison".

The album, with ten tracks, was released on 2 April 1990 in Canada and on 11 September 1990 in the United States.[1][2] In other parts of the world, Unison was issued on 21 February 1991 in Japan, on 4 March 1991 in Australia, and on 16 September 1991 in the United Kingdom.[3][4]

Singles

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In Canada, four commercial singles were released: "(If There Was) Any Other Way" in March 1990, "Unison" in July 1990, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" in September 1990, and "The Last to Know" in March 1991. The fifth promotional single, "Have a Heart" was issued in July 1991. All singles reached top forty in Canada, with "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" peaking at number six. They were also successful on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart. Four of them reached top ten, and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" topped the Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks.

In the United States, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was released as the lead single in September 1990. It was followed by "(If There Was) Any Other Way" in March 1991 and "The Last to Know" in June 1991. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" became Dion's first US top ten hit. The song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. "(If There Was) Any Other Way" peaked at number thirty-five there. All three songs also charted on the US Adult Contemporary chart where the most successful "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" peaked at number two. In early 1991, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was released as the first single from Unison outside North America. It was successful in Norway, reaching number four. "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" peaked inside the top forty in Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and New Zealand. It also charted in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Promotion

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On 6 May 1989, Dion opened the Eurovision Song Contest with a performance of her previous year's winning song, "Ne partez pas sans moi", and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", a track from the upcoming English-language album Unison. In 1990 and 1991, Dion promoted Unison on various television shows. Her first American television appearance was on The Tonight Show, where she performed "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" on 21 September 1990. Dion sang the same song on The Tonight Show again on 15 November 1990. Other US performances included: "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" on Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and Into the Night with Rick Dees; "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and "(If There Was) Any Other Way" on Super Dave; and "The Last to Know" on The Tonight Show.

In Canada, Dion performed "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" during the Juno Awards of 1991. She also sang "(If There Was) Any Other Way", "Unison", and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" on various Canadian television shows. Dion promoted Unison with her sold-out Unison Tour in Canada as well. Performances on television shows in other countries included "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" in the Netherlands in 1990, in France on Le Monde Est À Vous on 7 April 1991; and "(If There Was) Any Other Way" and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" in Norway in 1991.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Calgary HeraldB−[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]

The album was largely influenced by the 1980s soft rock sound that was a fit for the adult contemporary radio format. Unison hit all the right notes with most critics: Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Dion's vocals were "tastefully unadorned" and that she never attempted to "bring off styles that are beyond her".[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic declared it as "a fine, sophisticated American debut".[5] Jan De Knock of the Chicago Tribune said that "though Dion's big voice invites comparisons to the power-pop stylings of Taylor Dayne and Laura Branigan...she also has a deft touch with an R&B groove".[7]

Commercial performance

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In Canada, Unison reached number fifteen and was certified seven-times Platinum.[10] It also topped the chart in Quebec for nine weeks.[11]

In the United States, it peaked at number seventy-four and has sold over 1.2 million copies achieving Platinum certification.[12][13] Billboard ranked Dion as the 11th Top Pop Singles Female Artists of 1991 in the United States, as well as the 8th Top Adult Contemporary Artist of 1991.[14] Unison reached number eight in Norway and also charted in Belgium. The album in its full form did not reach the top 100 in Australia, but a bonus EP containing four songs from the album was released with Australian editions of her next English-language album, Celine Dion, which reached number fifteen there. It did not initially chart in the United Kingdom, but eventually reached number fifty-five there in 1996 after the success of subsequent albums. It was certified Gold in the United Kingdom and France.[15][16]

Unison has sold over four million copies worldwide.[17]

Accolades

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Celine Dion

At the Juno Awards of 1991, Dion won Album of the Year (Unison) and Female Vocalist of the Year. It was the first time in Juno Awards history that a French-Canadian artist had taken top honors in these categories. "Unison" (Mainstream Mix) was also nominated for Best Dance Recording, and David Foster was nominated in the Producer of the Year category for "Have a Heart" and "Love by Another Name".[18] At the Juno Awards of 1992, Dion again won Female Vocalist of the Year and was nominated for Canadian Entertainer of the Year.[18] In 1990, she received the Félix Award for Anglophone Artist of the Year but publicly refused it, not considering herself an Anglophone artist.[19] In 1991, Dion won the Félix Award for Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success in a Language Other Than French and was nominated for Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success Outside Quebec. The Unison Tour won the Félix Award for Stage Director of the Year and was nominated for Lighting Designer of the Year.[20]

The Unison Tour also received the Platinum Ticket Award for selling over 100,000 tickets in Quebec alone.[21] In 1992, Dion was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Variety Program or Series for her performance of "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" at the Juno Awards of 1991.[22] "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" also won the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song in the United States.[23] Additionally the Céline Dion – Unison and Céline Dion: 10 ans déjà television specials were nominated for various Gémeaux Awards in 1990 and 1992, respectively. Céline Dion – Unison won the Gémeaux Award for Best Variety Special.[24][25]

Track listing

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Unison track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."(If There Was) Any Other Way"Paul BlissChristopher Neil3:59
2."If Love Is Out of the Question"
Neil3:53
3."Where Does My Heart Beat Now"
Neil4:33
4."The Last to Know"
  • Brock Walsh
  • Phil Galdston
Neil4:36
5."I'm Loving Every Moment with You"
4:08
6."Love by Another Name"
Foster4:52
7."Unison"
Goldmark4:12
8."I Feel Too Much"
  • Keane
  • Pressly
  • Foster
  • Keane
4:09
9."If We Could Start Over"Stan MeissnerFoster4:23
10."Have a Heart"
Foster4:15
Total length:43:00

Personnel

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Adapted from AllMusic.[26]

  • Celine Dion – lead vocals, background vocals
  • René Angélil – personal manager
  • John Barnes – keyboards, synclavier, synthesizer, vocoder
  • Andy Batwinas – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Paul Bliss – drums, keyboard programming, keyboards, programming, background vocals
  • Michael Boddicker – percussion, programming, synthesizer, synthesizer programming
  • Rev. Dave Boruff – programming, synthesizer programming
  • Richard Bowen  – programming
  • Rick Bowen – programming, synthesizer, synthesizer programming
  • Mike Brooks – engineer
  • Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, programming
  • Alan Carvell – background vocals
  • Keith "KC" Cohen – mixing
  • David Dachinger – engineer, programming
  • Andy Duncan – drums and percussion (track 3)
  • Chris Earthy – production coordination
  • Charles Fearing – guitar
  • David Foster – arranger and producer (tracks 5, 8), keyboards, background vocals
  • Humberto Gatica – engineer, mixing
  • Andy Goldmark – arranger, drum programming, keyboards, producer, programming, synthesizer, synthesizer bass
  • Art Graham – artwork
  • Simon Hurrell – engineer
  • Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar
  • Randy Jackson – bass (track 5)
  • Tom Keane – arranger, keyboards, producer, programming, synthesizer, synthesizer programming, background vocals
  • Randy Kerber – arranger, keyboards, programming, synthesizer programming
  • Michael Landau – guitar, soloist
  • Laura Livingston – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Vito Luprano – executive producer, producer
  • Clif Magness – keyboards, programming
  • Francis Manzella – programming
  • Stan Meissner – arranger
  • Christopher Neil – producer (tracks: 1–4), background vocals
  • Aldo Nova – arranger
  • Phil Palmer – guitar
  • Paul Pesco – guitar
  • Steve Pigott – bass and drums (track 4), keyboards, percussion
  • Ruth Pointer – background vocals
  • Jeff Porcaro – drums
  • Dave Reitzas – assistant engineer, percussion
  • Norene Rill – production coordination
  • Bob Rosa – mixing
  • Jack Rouben – engineer
  • Biti Strauchn – percussion, voices
  • Hugh Syme – artwork
  • Linda Taylor – background vocals
  • Fonzi Thornton – background vocals
  • Freddie "Ready Freddie" Washington – bass
  • Paul "Wix" Wickens – bass, keyboards (track 3)
  • Jeffrey "Woody" Woodruff – engineer
  • Richard Zuckerman – executive producer, producer

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Unison
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[10] 7× Platinum 700,000^
France (SNEP)[16] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[13] Platinum 1,227,000[12]
Summaries
Worldwide — 4,000,000[17]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history for Unison
Region Date Label Format Catalog
Canada[1] 2 April 1990 Columbia
80150
United States[2] 11 September 1990 Epic
  • CD
  • cassette
 46893
Japan[3] 21 February 1991 SMEJ CD ESCA-5184
Australia[4] 4 March 1991 CBS
  • CD
  • cassette
 467203
United Kingdom[41] 16 September 1991 Epic
  • CD
  • LP
  • cassette

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Celine Dion: Music - Unison". celinedion.com. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Sonymusicstore.com: Celine Dion: Unison". Sony Music. Archived from the original on 18 November 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b "ユニゾン" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b Gavin Ryan (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  5. ^ a b "Unison - Céline Dion | Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  6. ^ Mayes, Alison (12 April 1990). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  7. ^ a b "Celine Dion Unison (Epic)". Chicago Tribune. 14 February 1991. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Unison". Entertainment Weekly. 25 January 1991. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  9. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (28 November 2004). Céline Dion. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved 13 December 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ^ a b "Canadian album certifications – Celine Dion – Unison". Music Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Compilation des ventes d'albums par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  12. ^ a b Gary Trust (10 December 2010). "Ask Billboard: Celine Dion Celebrates Chart Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  13. ^ a b "American album certifications – Celine Dion – Unison". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Billboard: Year In Music 1991" (PDF). Billboard. 21 December 1991. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ^ a b "British album certifications – Celine Dion – Unison". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  16. ^ a b "French album certifications – Celine Dion – Unisson" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  17. ^ a b Norman Abjorensen (2017). Historical Dictionary of Popular Music. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-0215-2.
  18. ^ a b "Awards: Artist Summary". Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Gala de l'ADISQ - 1990". ADISQ. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Gala de l'ADISQ - 1991". ADISQ. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  21. ^ "The Journey So Far: Awards". Five Star Feeling Inc. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Canada's Awards Database: Best Performance in a Variety Program or Series, 1992". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  23. ^ Craig Rosen (30 May 1992). "ASCAP Honors Top Pop Performances". Billboard. p. 18. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  24. ^ "Canada's Awards Database: Céline Dion - Unison" (in French). Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  25. ^ "Canada's Awards Database: Dion, 1992" (in French). Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  26. ^ "Unison - Céline Dion | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Celine Dion ARIA chart history (albums 1991-2019), received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  28. ^ a b Sam Jaspers (2006). Ultratop 1995-2005. Book & Media Publishing. ISBN 90-5720-232-8.
  29. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1527". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  30. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 20 April 1991. p. 66. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Céline Dion – Unison". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  32. ^ "Palmarès des ventes d'albums au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  35. ^ "Celine Dion Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1990". RPM. 22 December 1990. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  37. ^ "Top 50 Cancon Albums of 1990". RPM. 22 December 1990. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  38. ^ "RPM 100 Albums (CDs & Cassettes) of 1991". RPM. 21 December 1991. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  39. ^ "RPM Cancon Albums of 1991". RPM. 21 December 1991. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  40. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  41. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 14 September 1991. p. 12. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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