Louder Than Words

Time Time glowingly demonstrates Lionel Richie's ability to write and sing socially relevant tracks. However, much of the luster from his mid-'80s heyday is woefully absent. Perhaps it's the album's darker thematic hue that robs the project of the once-familiar Richie magic. "Zoomin'"...	Just for You	Coming Home Leave the daddy-daughter dynamics for People magazine to dissect, but one thing's for sure: with Coming Home, Lionel Richie may divebomb the spotlight so completely that daughter Nicole ends up a shadowy speck in the celebrity haze. Unlike virtually every other high-profile R&B r...	Renaissance On Renaissance, Lionel Richie proves that, even after more than 30 years in the business, he's still got it. With tracks produced by some of the leading producers in R&B, Latin, and dance music, Renaissance plays like a sampler of contemporary popular music. Richie is at his roma...	Can't Slow Down Can't Slow Down is probably Lionel Richie's best solo album, full of songs that would become hits--"All Night Long (All Night)," "Running with the Night," "Penny Lover," and "Hello." Like all of Richie's best music, the vocals are spare and the choruses inviting, with each track ...
Back to Front Lionel Richie's Back to Front isn't just a definitive greatest hits collection, it's a reminder of Richie's supreme strengths as an R&B singer-songwriter. From the gentle sweep of "Do It to Me" to the earnest lovelorn crooning of "Hello," Richie's ballads are timeless. Even the ...	Dancing on the Ceiling	Lionel Richie	Truly: The Love Songs Since it contains six tunes that Richie wrote and performed as lead singer of the Commodores, the title for this collection may be technically a little misleading. That said, those who appreciate Richie's instantly recognizable vocal style are unlikely to complain about the inclu...	The Definitive Collection After mounting successes with the Commodores during the late '70s, Lionel Richie exploded into one of the biggest stars of the '80s, then enigmatically disappeared from the music business for nearly a decade. Fourteen of the tracks on this 20-track anthology (which also includes ...

Sleeping again are we?
Well you are if you like Lionel Richie, or even good pop/soul. I can say pop/soul unashamedly because you know what Lionel brings to the table. Louder Than Words was easily his best since Can't Slow Down, and yes. it's good enough to be mentioned in the same sentence with the aforementioned gem. It actually gives "Can't" a good run for it's money if the truth be known. It is a fine, fine recording that probably will stand the proverbial test of time. Highlights? Take your pick really. I bought this when it first came out, and as soon as the first track started, Piece Of Love, I knew I'd made a wise decision. By the time I got to Nothing Else Matters, nothing else did. Good music is good music. There are still opportunities to add this to your collection. You may be pleasantly surprised if you choose to do so.

A masterpiece of Epic Proportion
In a world of disposable music and other musical atrocities it is comforting to have music of this caliber.In this great homeland of America we produce some of the best music in the world yet sadly not appreciated.Cds of this nature are bought and later sold for pennies on the dollar like a cheap used car.Music is food for the soul,it should be eaten and digested slowly and savor like fine wine.LOUDER THAN WORDS is a masterpiece and will be historically, one of Lionel Richie best written, best produced album period.

ballads & much more
This is a brilliant collection of songs from Richie, after much time away from recording and performing, and many changes, some of them hard...in his life. The CD has smooth and lovely ballads, with two great jazzy numbers in the beginning and end. The opener, "Piece of Love", is my favorite, with a great lyric and melody, and a superb vocal performance, as well as musicianship from the band; it's the only song on the CD not written or co-written by Richie, but fits in perfectly with his compositions. The other song with a strong jazz influence is "Lovers at First Sight", and "Change" is another strong number. "Climbing" is an interesting song, with its many time shifts, and almost classical feel. Better late than never, though I had heard him (it was impossible not to in the '80s), this is the first Lionel Richie CD I've repeatedly listened to, and his artistry is impressive, as a writer and vocalist, with fabulous phrasing and musicality. This CD was certified "Gold", and unfortunately it didn't spawn any hit singles; it should have done much better, considering the excellent quality of each track. The insert, which folds out like a road map, has all the lyrics and recording info, and a few photos. The sound is terrific and total time is 61'23.

LIONEL IS BACK!
This album is near perfect! A lot of today's artists ought to listen to this cd and take some serious notes. This is how R&B should sound. There wasn't a track on this cd that I didn't like. It's well worth your money. The one track that stole my heart for this album was "Say I Do". It is a beautiful song for lovers and a wedding if it came down to it. I don't know what personal problems he's had,but it didn't affect his songwriting and singing skills at all. GO LIONEL! :)

An overlooked gem
I like to call this CD "The Return of Richie" because Lionel had not released anything new for quite some time. After being one of the most popular entertainers in the business throughout the 1980s, he was noticeably absent from the music scene from 1987 to 1992 due to personal issues. In 1992, he re-emerged with BACK TO FRONT, but that was mostly a greatest hits compilation with a couple of new songs thrown in. Four more years went by, and finally LOUDER THAN WORDS materialized in 1996. For those people who complain that Lionel never did anything "soulful" after his departure from the Commodores, obviously they missed this CD, which is contemporary jazz and R&B but no one paid any attention to it. Urban radio largely ignored it, merely BECAUSE it was a Lionel Richie CD, except for a couple of songs that showed up on the Quiet Storm radio format. Pop radio thought it was "too urban" or not commercial enough for them. Either way, it is a shame, because this was probably the best CD that Lionel ever released after he split from the band and it was an obvious move to recapture his old R&B audience. Of course, Lionel covers his pop bases with tunes such as the country-pop feel of "Still In Love", "Can't Get Over You" and the grandiose ballad (and almost over the top) "Climbing", but this is overwhelmingly an R&B CD - and a good one, at that. The CD starts off with the jazzy R&B ballad, "Piece of Love" and it's smooth sailing from then on. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have produced Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, New Edition and others, do some good work here, along with the famous Richie lyrics (he wrote or co-wrote all of the songs except one). The sexy "I Wanna Take You Down" is Lionel's attempt at a hip-hop groove, and surprisingly, it works for him. It's reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's classic "I Want You" with an Ohio Players sample as the base. No, he's not spitting out rhymes like a rapper - he's not trying to go there - but merely using his speaking voice as a seductive instrument...and you want to LISTEN! Another track, "Don't Want to Lose You" is straight old-school soul - the old Commodores' hit "Just To Be Close To You" comes to mind right away. This is an extremely strong cut and although it was the single from this CD, it should have done better on the charts. "Say I Do" is a gorgeous, warm and beautiful contemporary R&B ballad that should have also gotten major airplay. Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds contributes his trademark sound to the mellow but upbeat ballad, "Ordinary Girl", and it is one of the best songs on the CD...why, oh WHY didn't radio give this song a spin? Another missed opportunity for a hit! Lionel's co-producer from his Commodores' days and early solo career, James Carmichael, collaborates with Lionel on the jazzy R&B jam, "Change", a tune about a cheating spouse. It is yet another slamming song that would have been a major hit if it was promoted. The remaining tracks are just as strong: "Paradise", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Lovers At First Sight" (Lionel does a great job here with this outstanding jazz arrangement). On LOUDER THAN WORDS, he proves beyond a doubt he is STILL the soulful guy that led so many of the Commodores' biggest hits and if you REALLY want to check out some excellent R&B, then look no further than this CD. R&B artists of today -- LISTEN AND LEARN!!