Can't Slow Down

by Lionel Richie

Overview

On Can't Slow Down, his second solo album, Lionel Richie ran with the sound and success of his eponymous debut, creating an album that was designed to be bigger and better. It's entirely possible that he took a cue from Michael Jackson's Thriller, which set out to win over listeners of every corner of the mainstream pop audience, because Richie does a similar thing with Can't Slow Down -- he plays to the MOR adult contemporary audience, to be sure, but he ups the ante on his dance numbers, creating grooves that are funkier, and he even adds a bit of rock with the sleek nocturnal menace of "Running With the Night," one of the best songs here. He doesn't swing for the fences like Michael did in 1982; he makes safe bets, which is more in his character. But safe bets do pay off, and with Can't Slow Down Richie reaped enormous dividends, earning not just his biggest hit, but his best album. He has less compunction about appearing as a pop singer this time around, which gives the preponderance of smooth ballads -- particularly "Penny Lover," "Hello," and the country-ish "Stuck on You" -- conviction, and the dance songs roll smooth and easy, never pushing the beats too hard and relying more on Richie's melodic hooks than the grooves, which is what helped make "All Night Long (All Night)" a massive hit. Indeed, five of these songs (all the aforementioned tunes) were huge hits, and since the record ran only eight songs, that's an astonishing ration. The short running time does suggest the record's main weakness, one that it shares with many early-'80s LPs -- the songs themselves run on a bit too long, padding out the running length of the entire album. This is only a problem on album tracks like "Love Will Find a Way," which are pleasant but a little tedious at their length, but since there are only three songs that aren't hits, it's a minor problem. All the hits showcase Lionel Richie at his best, as does Can't Slow Down as a whole. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2019
Label:	Universal
UPC:	4988031322154
Rank:	64921

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lionel Richie   Primary Artist,Chant,Drums,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Greg Phillinganes   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Hollers,Synthesizer
Abraham Laboriel, Sr.   Guest Artist,Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Paulinho Da Costa   Guest Artist,Percussion
Richard Marx   Guest Artist,Chant,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Billy "Bass" Nelson   Hollers
Paul Leim   Drums,Simmons Drums
Carlos Rios   Guitar,Hollers
Joe Chemay   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
John Hobbs   Piano,Fender Rhodes
Dave Cochran   Vocals,Saxophone,Synthesizer,Guitar
Timothy May   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
Darryl Jones   Guitar
Kin Vassy   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Louie Shelton   Guitar
Fred Tackett   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
David Foster   Bass,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass)
Steve Lukather   Guitar
Janice Marie Johnson   Chant,Vocals
Deborah Joyce Richie   Chant,Vocals
John "J.R." Robinson   Drums
John Robinson   Drums
Brenda Harvey Richie   Chant,Vocals
Calvin Harris   Chant,Vocals (Background)
Alison Maxwell   Hollers
Jeff Porcaro   Drums
Melinda Chatman   Sound Effects,Chant,Vocals,Hollers
David Cochrane   Chant,Guitar,Vocoder,Synthesizer,Synthesizer Bass,Vocals (Background)
David Malvin   Hollers
Gabrielle Greig   Hollers
Deborah Thomas   Chant,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Nathan East   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Michael Boddicker   Vocoder,Emulator,Synthesizer
James Anthony Carmichael   Chant,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jerry Montes   Hollers
John Michael Montes   Hollers
Marilyn Ammons   Hollers
Rejauna Lynn Green   Hollers
Ruth Diaz   Hollers
Sally Greig   Hollers
Sandy Dent-Crimmel   Hollers
Sheldon J. Cohn   Hollers
Sue Ann Butler   Hollers
Sylvia Genauer   Hollers
Tanya Greig   Hollers
Randy Stern   Hollers
Mitch Holder   Guitar
Jeanette Hawes   Chant,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Wilbert Terrell   Hollers
Suzanne Stanford   Chant,Vocals,Hollers
Darrell Jones   Guitar,Hollers,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Susan Wood   Hollers
Sonny Burke   Keyboards,Fender Rhodes
Dr. Lloyd Byro Greig   Chant,Vocals
David Egerton   Hollers
Diane Burt   Chant,Vocals

Technical Credits

Larry Ferguson   Engineer
Cynthia Weil   Composer
Greg Phillinganes   Composer,Recording Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements
Anthony Marinelli   Synthesizer Programming
Humberto Gatica   Mixing,Engineer,Recording,Mixing Engineer
David Foster   Composer,Producer,Recording Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements
Bernie Grundman   Mastering
Terry Christian   Engineer
Steve Crimmel   Engineer
David Cochrane   Synthesizer Programming,Arranger,Composer,Recording Arranger
Jane Clark   Engineer
Larry Fergusson   Recording
Fred Law   Mixing
Brenda Harvey Richie   Composer,Production Assistant
Calvin Harris   Mixing,Engineer,Recording,Mixing Engineer
Lionel Richie   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Vocal Arrangement,Recording Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements
Mark Ettel   Engineer
Jeremy Lubbock   Arranger,String Arrangements
James Anthony Carmichael   Arranger,Producer,Horn Arrangements,Recording Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements,String Arrangements
Brian Banks   Synthesizer Programming
Jim Cassell   Engineer
Karen Siegel   Mixing
David Egerton   Engineer
Melinda Chatman   Vocal Effect