Sunbeam is the fifth studio album by the girl group the Emotions issued in April 1978 on Columbia Records. The album rose to No. 12 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.[1][2] Sunbeam has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.[3]

Sunbeam
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 7, 1978
Recorded1977–78
Studio
GenreR&B, soul
LabelColumbia
ProducerMaurice White
The Emotions chronology
Sunshine
(1977)
Sunbeam
(1978)
Come into Our World
(1979)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
The Kansas City Star(favourable)[5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul     [6]

John Storm Roberts of High Fidelity stated that "Sunbeam sparkles with good tracks."[7][8] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote that "Sunbeam is from the same mold as 'Rejoice'—and a very good mold it is—though the outcome here falls just a bit short of the previous opus." Garland also called Sunbeam a "very good" recording with a "polished, but not slick" performance by the Emotions.[9] Glenn Clark of The Morning Call wrote: "The best thing I can say about this LP is that I like it. The Emotions' brand of snappy and upbeat soul is good for my soul. Maurice White, guru of Earth, Wind & Fire, produced this album, and I think he has blended well the talent he has brought together."[10]

Craig Lytle of AllMusic found that, "as White's signature can be detected throughout most of the compositions, he is humble enough to leave room for the Emotions to flourish vocally."[4]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Smile"Maurice White, Al McKay3:15
2."Love Is Right On"Joseph Hutchinson, Jr., Keith Henderson4:19
3."Time Is Passing By"Joseph Hutchinson3:19
4."Walking the Line"Maurice White, Skip Scarborough5:21
5."Ain't No Doubt About It"Sheila Hutchinson Whitt3:18
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Love Vibes"Jeanette Hawes, Lonnie Reaves3:12
7."I Wouldn't Lie"Jon Lind, Fred Tacker4:33
8."My Everything"Pamela Hutchinson, Wanda Hutchinson, Thomas McClary3:42
9."Spirit of Summer"Eumir Deodato2:23
10."Whole Lot of Shakin'"Maurice White, Al McKay3:18
11."Music Box"Maurice White0:40

Personnel

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The Emotions
  • Wanda Hutchinson – vocals
  • Sheila Hutchinson Whitt – vocals
  • Jeanette Hawes – vocals
Musicians
Technical
  • Tom Perry - engineer
  • Andy Engel - album design
  • Jürgen Reisch - photography

Charts

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Chart (1978) Peak
[11]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 40
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 12
Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions
US
R&B

[12]
1978 "Smile" 6
"Whole Lot of Shakin'" 44
1979 "Walking the Line" 58

References

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  1. ^ "The Emotions: Sunbeam (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com.
  2. ^ "The Emotions: Sunbeam (Billboard 200)". billboard.com.
  3. ^ "The Emotions: Sunbeam". RIAA.com.
  4. ^ a b Lytle, Craig. Sunbeam > review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-10-04.
  5. ^ Fox, Jeanne (August 2, 1978). "Trio's Music Sweetly Fulfilling, Yet Full of Spirited Harmony". newsbank.com. Kansas City Star. p. 11.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 110.
  7. ^ Storm Roberts, John (November 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 28, no. 11. High Fidelity Magazine. p. 158.
  8. ^ Storm Roberts, John (November 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 28, no. 11. High Fidelity Magazine. p. 159.
  9. ^ Garland, Phyl (December 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 41, no. 6. Stereo Review. p. 127.
  10. ^ Clark, Glenn (September 30, 1978). "The Emotions: Sunbeam". The Morning Call. p. 52 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "US Charts > The Emotions". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  12. ^ "The Emotions: Smile (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com.
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