Playlist is the seventh studio album by American singer Babyface. It was released by Mercury Records on September 18, 2007 in the United States.
His debut with the then-newly re-launched label, Playlist consists of eight covers of folk and soft rock songs and two original compositions.
Covers albums tend to be dashed off as a way to fulfill an artist's last remaining contractual obligation to his or her label.
However, Playlist is Babyface's first release for Mercury, following 2005's Grown & Sexy, and he put a lot of heart and soul into the material, all of which connected with him as a youngster listening to '70s AM radio.
Most of the sources are anything but cool: James Taylor, Jim Croce, Dan Fogelberg, Dave Loggins, and Bread. (Then again, Bread were sort of like the Coldplay of their day.)
Apart from Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," everything is suited for Babyface, often to the point where the songs don't sound tremendously different from what he has written during the last several years.
While you could go back as far as the first Deele songs for indications that he had more than soul and funk in his background, this album really conveys how much he owes to '70s singer/songwriters. In addition to the eight covers, there are two new songs, both of which fit into the album's scheme sonically while being far from lightweight subject-wise.
In "Not Going Nowhere," he talks to one of his sons in the wake of divorce ("I've got a room with your name on the door/Your favorite things you could ever ask for"), and "The Soldier Song" addresses those who have had their lives taken by war ("Hope was all he had to cope/But he never made it home").
Track listing
1. Shower the People (James Taylor) - 4:37
2. Fire and Rain (James Taylor) - 4:59
3. Not Going Nowhere (Babyface) - 5:24
4. Time in a Bottle (Jim Croce) - 3:00
5. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) - 3:42
6. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) - 3:23
7. Longer (Dan Fogelberg) - 3:24
8. The Soldier Song (Babyface) - 4:16
9. Please Come to Boston (Dave Loggins) - 4:17
10. Diary (David Gates) - 3:41
Performers and musicians
- Babyface – composer, keyboard, drum programming, acoustic guitar, bass
- Sasha Allen – background vocals
- Brandy – background vocals
- Eric Clapton – composer
- Jim Croce – composer
- Bob Dylan – composer
- Ethan Farmer – bass
- Dan Fogelberg – composer
- Brian Frasier Moore – drums
- David Gates – composer
- Rob Lewis – Fender Rhodes, piano, Wurlitzer
- Doug Livingston – guitar (steel)
- Dave Loggins – composer
- Rafael Padilla – percussion
- Dean Parks – acoustic guitar
- Greg Phillinganes – piano
- Michael Ripoll – acoustic guitar
- Keith Slettedahl – background vocals
Technical
- Babyface – producer
- Paul Boutin – recording and mixing engineer
- James Minchin – photography
- Herb Powers – mastering
Notes
Released: September 18, 2007
Recorded: 2006–07
Length: 40:45
Producer: Babyface
Label - Mercury Records
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