Larger than Life (Jody Watley album)

Larger Than Life
Larger Than Life
Studio album by Jody Watley
Released	March 27, 1989
Studio	Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California); Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, California); Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California).
Genre	R&B; dance-pop; new jack swing;
Length	61:59
Label	MCA
Producer	André Cymone; Jeff Lorber;
Jody Watley chronology
Singles from Larger Than Life
	"Real Love"; Released: March 18, 1989; "Friends"; Released: April 15, 1989; "Everything"; Released: August 22, 1989; "Precious Love"; Released: February 27, 1990;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Robert Christgau	B−^[3]
Q	^[2]

Larger Than Life is the second studio album by American singer Jody Watley, released by MCA Records on March 27, 1989.

Reception

"André Cymone remains as slickly up to the minute as ever," observed Q's Mark Cooper, "filling his enormous rhythm sound with hip-hop references… Occasionally Watley lets the pose slip and slips into a passively sensuous ballad like 'Everything', but mostly she keeps acting stroppy. Perhaps she's annoyed at the lack of any tune to match that first hit; more likely she thinks looking angry makes her sexy."^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by André Cymone and Jody Watley, except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Real Love"		André Cymone	4:23
2.	"Friends" (featuring Eric B. & Rakim)	Cymone Watley Eric. B William Griffin	Cymone	4:30
3.	"Everything"	Gardner Cole James Newton Howard	Cymone	4:15
4.	"What 'cha Gonna Do for Me"		Cymone	4:11
5.	"L.O.V.E.R."		Cymone	4:49
6.	"For Love's Sake"		Cymone	4:26
7.	"Lifestyle"		Cymone	4:14
8.	"Precious Love"		Cymone	4:45
9.	"Something New"	Cymone Watley Franne Golde	Cymone	4:20
10.	"Once You Leave"		Cymone	4:01
11.	"Come into My Life"		Cymone	4:31
12.	"Only You"		Cymone	3:53
13.	"Real Love" (Extended Version)		Louil Silas Jr.	7:40
Total length:				61:59

CD bonus track – Track 13. "Real Love" (Extended Version)

Personnel

Jody Watley – lead vocals, backing vocals
André Cymone – all other instruments
Todd Horriman – Fairlight programming
Gardner Cole – keyboards (3)
Jai Winding – acoustic piano (12)
Dean Parks – acoustic guitar (3, 8, 12), electric guitar (3, 8, 12)
John Robinson – drums (8, 12)
Paulinho da Costa – percussion (3, 8, 9)
Larry Williams – saxophone (3, 9)
Eric B. – turntablism (2)
Rakim – rap (2)
Bernadette Anderson – spoken voice (4)
Maria Gallagher – Spanish translation (8)

Production

André Cymone – producer, overdub recording
Jeff Lorber – additional production (13)
Bobby Brooks – engineer (1-12)
Dan Marnien – engineer (1-12)
Jeff Poe – engineer (1-12), assistant engineer (1-12)
David Bianco – engineer (13)
Lawrence Fried – assistant engineer (1-12)
Dave "the Blade" Knight – assistant engineer (1-12)
Andy Batwinas – assistant engineer (13)
Brian Malouf – mixing (1-12)
Louis Silas Jr. – remixing (13)
Greg Royal – special edits (13)
Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc Systems (Hollywood, California)
Ivy Skoff – production assistant
Lynn Robb – art direction, design
Jody Watley – cover art concept, wardrobe stylist
Steven Meisel – photography
Mac James – portrait oil painting, portrait photography
Paul Cavaco – wardrobe stylist
Oribe – hair stylist
Francois Nars – make-up

Tour

Following the success of her Billboard chart hit pop singles, "Real Love" and "Friends", Watley embarked on her first USA solo tour, the Larger than Life Tour to support the platinum selling album.^[4]^[5]

Setlist

"What 'Cha Gonna Do for Me"
"Don't You Want Me"
"Still a Thrill"
"L.O.V.E.R."
"For Love's Sake"
"Most of All"
"Everything"
"Precious Love"
"Some Kind of Lover"
"Friends"
"Looking for a New Love"
"Real Love"

Shows

Date	City	Venue^[6]^[7]^[8]
June 2, 1989	Portland, OR	Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
June 3, 1989	Seattle, WA	Paramount Theatre
June 9, 1989	Oakland, CA	Paramount Theatre
June 10, 1989	Los Angeles, CA	Wiltern Theater
June 11, 1989	San Diego, CA	Copley Symphony Hall
June 24, 1989	Sunrise, FL	Sunrise Music Theatre
June 25, 1989	Tampa, FL	Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
June 26, 1989	Orlando, FL	Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre
June 30, 1989	Charlotte, NC	Ovens Auditorium
July 1, 1989	Atlanta, GA	Fox Theatre
July 3, 1989	Richmond, VA	Mosque Theatre
July 5, 1989	Baltimore, MD	Lyric Theatre
July 6, 1989	Washington, DC	Constitution Hall
July 7, 1989	Manhattan, NYC	Apollo Theatre
July 8, 1989	Philadelphia, PA	Tower Theatre
July 10-11, 1989	Manhattan, NYC	Beacon Theatre
July 12, 1989	New Haven, CT	Palace Theatre
July 14, 1989	Boston, MA	Wang Theatre
July 15, 1989	Montreal, QC, Canada	La Ronde
July 16, 1989	Toronto Canada	Roy Thomson Hall
July 18, 1989	Cleveland, Ohio	Palace Theatre
July 19,1989	Detroit, MI	Fox Theatre
July 20, 1989	Columbus, OH	Ohio Theatre
July 21, 1989	Chicago, IL	Riviera Theatre
July 23, 1989	Minneapolis, MN	Orpheum Theatre
July 24, 1989	Milwaukee, WI	Riverside Theatre
July 25, 1989	St. Louis, MO	Kiel Opera House
July 27, 1989	Denver, CO	Paramount Theatre
July 29, 1989	Salt Lake City, UT	Capitol Theatre
July 31, 1989	Sacramento, CA	Community Theatre
August 2, 1989	Irvine, CA	Bren Center
August 3-4, 1989	Los Angeles, CA	Universal Amphitheatre

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
South African Albums (RISA)^[9]	9
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[10]	22
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[11]	59
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[12]	63
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[13]	31
UK Albums (OCC)^[14]	39
US Billboard 200^[15]	16
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[16]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)	Position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[17]	91
US Billboard Pop Albums^[18]	51
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[19]	22

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	"Real Love"	Dance/Club Play Songs (Billboard)	1
		Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)	2
		Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	1
		Billboard Hot 100	2
	"Friends"	Dance/Club Play Songs (Billboard)	7
		Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)	1
		Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	3
		Billboard Hot 100	9
	"Everything"	Hot Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	11
		Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	3
		Billboard Hot 100	4
1990	"Precious Love"	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	51
1990	"Precious Love"	Billboard Hot 100	87

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[20]	Gold	50,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[21]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Wynn, Ron. Larger Than Life review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
^ ^a ^b Q, May 1989
^ Christgau, Robert. "Larger Than Life review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
^ Jody Watley first solo tour
^ Setlist: Jody Watley
^ Jody Watley Date At Sunrise Theater
^ Pop Reviews : A Capable Watley Slick, Entertaining at Wiltern
^ Pop/rock Venerable Acts Performing Everything Under The Stars
^ "South African Divas Albums". Geo Cities. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
^ "CAN Charts > Jody Watley". RPM. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
^ "NLD Charts > Jody Watley". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
^ "GER Charts > Jody Watley". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2011-11-14.^{[dead link]}
^ "SWE Charts > Jody Watley". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
^ "JODY WATLEY - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
^ "Jody Watley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "Jody Watley Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ "Top 100 Albums of 1989". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
^ "Billboard Pop Albums - 1989". Retrieved 2011-12-14.
^ "Billboard Black Albums - 1989". Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Jody Watley – Larger than Life". Music Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
^ "American album certifications – Jody Watley – Larger than Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 7, 2020.

External links

[1] Wynn, Ron. Larger Than Life review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

[Q,_May_1989-2] Q, May 1989

[christgau-3] Christgau, Robert. "Larger Than Life review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

[4] Jody Watley first solo tour

[5] Setlist: Jody Watley

[6] Jody Watley Date At Sunrise Theater

[7] Pop Reviews : A Capable Watley Slick, Entertaining at Wiltern

[8] Pop/rock Venerable Acts Performing Everything Under The Stars

[South_African-9] "South African Divas Albums". Geo Cities. Retrieved April 11, 2019.

[can-10] "CAN Charts > Jody Watley". RPM. Retrieved 2011-11-14.

[nl-11] "NLD Charts > Jody Watley". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2011-11-14.

[ger-12] "GER Charts > Jody Watley". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2011-11-14.^{[dead link]}

[swe-13] "SWE Charts > Jody Watley". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2011-12-24.

[14] "JODY WATLEY - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 14 December 2017.

[ac_Billboard200_Jody_Watley-15] "Jody Watley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2021.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Jody_Watley-16] "Jody Watley Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2021.

[17] "Top 100 Albums of 1989". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 27, 2022.

[18] "Billboard Pop Albums - 1989". Retrieved 2011-12-14.

[19] "Billboard Black Albums - 1989". Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

[CanadaJody_WatleyLarger_than_LifealbumCertRef-20] "Canadian album certifications – Jody Watley – Larger than Life". Music Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2020.

[United_StatesJody_WatleyLarger_than_LifealbumCertRef-21] "American album certifications – Jody Watley – Larger than Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 7, 2020.

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v t e Jody Watley
Studio albums	Jody Watley (1987) Larger Than Life (1989) Affairs of the Heart (1991) Intimacy (1993) Affection (1995) Flower (1998) The Saturday Night Experience (1999) Midnight Lounge (2001) The Makeover (2006)
Compilations	Greatest Hits (1996)
Remix albums	You Wanna Dance with Me? (1989) Remixes of Love (1994)
Singles	"Looking for a New Love" "Still a Thrill" "Don't You Want Me" "Some Kind of Lover" "Most of All" "Real Love" "Friends" "Everything" "Precious Love" "I Want You" "I'm the One You Need" "It All Begins with You" "Your Love Keeps Working on Me" "When a Man Loves a Woman" "Ecstasy" "Affection" "Off the Hook" "Looking for a New Love" "Borderline" "I Want Your Love"
Featured singles	"This Is for the Lover in You" (w/ Babyface feat. LL Cool J, Howard Hewett & Jeffrey Daniel)
Related topics	Discography Shalamar Avitone Records