Louder Than Words [Bonus Track]

Personnel includes: Lionel Richie (vocals, tenor saxophone, piano, keyboards); Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis (various instruments); Dean Parks, Robert Palmer, Steve Lukather (guitar); Jean Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Brandon Fields (saxophone); Jerry Hey, Oscar Brashear, Daniel Fornero (trumpet); George Bohanon (French horn, trombone); Greg Phillinganes, Lloyd Tolbert (keyboards, synthesizers); Babyface (keyboards, drum programming, background vocals); David Paich (keyboards); Steve Porcaro (synthesizers, programming); Michael Boddicker (synthesizers); Nathan East, Randy Jackson (bass); Omar Hakim, Jeffrey Porcaro (drums); Paulinho DaCosta (percussion); Arnold McCuller, Peter Gabriel, Ayub (background vocals).
4.0: Tony Hightower, Ronald Jackson, Sammy Crumbley, Jason Sylvain (background vocals).
Producers: Lionel Richie, James Anthony Carmichael, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, David Foster.
After the greatest-hits collection Back to Front disappeared without a trace in 1992, Lionel Richie spent four years making Louder Than Words, his first album for Mercury Records. Although there are some slight attempts to incorporate new jack and hip-hop influences into Richie's sound, Louder Than Words relies on his trademark balladeering, which remains his forte. All of the weak moments on Louder Than Words are ill-advised forays into rap -- to put it bluntly, he can rap about as well as Snoop Dogg can sing. Although the ballads aren't as strong as his late-'70s and early-'80s standards, they are nevertheless pleasant, which makes the record a worthwhile purchase for fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine