Contact (Freda Payne album)

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Contact
Studio album by
Released1971
GenrePop, R&B
LabelInvictus
ProducerGreg Perry, William Weatherspoon, Ronald Dunbar
Freda Payne chronology
Band of Gold
(1970)
Contact
(1971)
The Best of Freda Payne
(1972)

Contact is Freda Payne's fourth American released album and her second for Invictus Records. The majority of the material on this album contains sad themes, with the exception of "You Brought the Joy." The album begins with a dramatic 11-minute medley of "I'm Not Getting Any Better" and "Suddenly It's Yesterday," both of which were written by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. Some people thought that Holland and Dozier were trying to compete with Diana Ross's hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" as both songs contain spoken segments and dramatic musical arrangements. The only cover song is "He's in My Life", which was an album track by The Glass House featuring Freda's sister Scherrie Payne. It was written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (under their common pseudonym "Edythe Wayne" to avoid copyright claims by their former employer Motown), jointly with Ron Dunbar.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Ron Wynn of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stating "She found her niche in the early '70s, doing silky, sophisticated pop/soul with excellent production, arrangements, and material supplied by the Holland/Dozier/Holland team."[1]

The lead-off track, "Bring the Boys Home", was the album's most popular hit, going to No. 3 and selling a million copies.[2]

Track listing[edit]

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm Not Getting Any Better"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier6:45
2."Suddenly It's Yesterday"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier4:24
3."You Brought the Joy"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier3:00
4."Bring The Boys Home"Angelo Bond, General Johnson, Greg Perry3:22
5."You've Got to Love Somebody (Let It Be Me)"William Weatherspoon, Raynard Miner3:01
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Prelude"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier0:53
2."The Road We Didn't Take"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, D. Dumas4:17
3."Odds and Ends"General Johnson, Greg Perry3:50
4."Cherish What Is Dear to You (While It's Near to You)"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Angelo Bond3:56
5."I Shall Not Be Moved"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier2:43
6."Mama's Gone"General Johnson, Greg Perry, Ronald Dunbar3:23
  • Later pressings contain the 1971 hit "Bring the Boys Home" in place of "He's In My Life" as the fourth track on side one.

Album credits[edit]

Adapted from liner notes.[3]

  • All songs published by: Gold Forever Music Inc., BMI
  • Produced by: Greg Perry, William Weatherspoon and Ronald Dunbar
  • Arrangers: H.B. Barnum, McKinley Jackson and Tony Camillo
  • Engineers: Lawrence T. Horn, Barney Perkins
  • Album design/concept: CRAIGBRAUNINC
  • Photography: Steve Berman
  • Jacket/poster: Mfg'd by SOUND PACKAGING CORP.

Charts[edit]

Album
Chart (1970) Peak
position
Pop Albums 76[4]
Black Albums 12
Singles
Single Chart (1971) Peak
position
"Cherish What Is Dear to You (While It's Near to You)" Black Singles 11[5][6]
Pop Singles 44[5][6][4]
UK Singles Chart 46[5][6]
"Bring the Boys Home" Black Singles 3[5][6]
Pop Singles 12[5][6][4]
"You Brought the Joy" Black Singles 21[5][6]
Pop Singles 52[5][6][4]
Single Chart (1972) Peak
position
"The Road We Didn't Take" Pop Singles 100[5][6][4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Wynn, Ron. "Contact review". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  2. ^ Understanding and Teaching the Vietnam War. University of Wisconsin Press. October 7, 2013. ISBN 9780299294137. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  3. ^ Freda Payne – Contact (liner notes): 1971.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Artist / Freda Payne - Billboard Database". Elpee.jp. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Freda Payne Top Songs". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 3 February 2004.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Freda Payne – Contact". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 3 February 2004.