After 7 (After 7 album)
| After 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–1989 | |||
| Studios | Elumba, Studio Masters, Soundscape, Galaxy Sound | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 35:24 | |||
| Label | Virgin[1] | |||
| Producers | L.A. Reid, Babyface, De'Rock, Kayo | |||
| After 7 chronology | ||||
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| Singles from After 7 | ||||
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After 7 is the debut album by After 7.[2][3] Released in 1989, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on November 27, 1990,[4] and spawned two No. 1 R&B hits, "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop." Those songs also reached No. 7 and No. 6, on the Billboard Hot 100.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that the album "benefits more from the ingenuity of producers L.A. Reid and BabyFace than from the skill of singers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds."[6]
Track listing
- "Don't Cha' Think" – 3:59 (Don Parks, Daryl Simmons, Kayo)
- "Heat of the Moment" – 4:27 (Babyface, L.A. Reid)
- "Can't Stop" – 4:07 (Babyface, Reid)
- "My Only Woman" – 4:41 (Kayo, Reid, Simmons)
- "Love's Been So Nice" – 4:27 (Babyface, Parks)
- "One Night" – 5:00 (Babyface, Reid)
- "Ready or Not" – 4:35 (Babyface, Reid)
- "Sayonara" – 4:03 (Babyface, Reid)
Personnel
- Keith Mitchell, Kevon Edmonds, Melvin Edmonds: Vocals
- L.A. Reid: Drums, percussion
- Babyface: Keyboards, bass
- Kayo: Moog bass, keyboards, drums, percussion
- Daryl Simmons: Keyboards, drums, percussion
- Donald Parks: Synthesizer programming (Fairlight CMI, Oberheim OB-8, Emulator II, Yamaha DX7)
- Dee Bristol, Kathy Hazzard, Lynn Mabry: Additional backing vocals
Production
- Tracks 1 and 4 arranged, produced and mixed by De'rock and Kayo. Recorded by David Rideau.
- Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 arranged and produced by L.A. & Babyface; tracks 2, 6 and 7 co-produced by De'rock and Kayo. Track 2 recorded by David Rideau and Tim Jacquette; mixed by Keith Cohen and L.A. Reid. Track 3 recorded by Jon Gass, Jon Gaggenheim and Keith Cohen; mixed by Keith Cohen. Track 5 recorded by Jon Gass; mixed by Barney Perkins, De'rock and Kayo. Track 6 recorded by David Rideau, Donnell Sullivan and Jon Gass; mixed by Keith Cohen. Track 7 recorded by Donnell Sullivan and Jon Gass; mixed by Barney Perkins. Track 8 recorded by Jon Gass; mixed by De'rock, Kayo and Keith Cohen.
- Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 73.
- ↑ "The Source |Melvin Edmonds Of Legendary R&B Group After 7 Gone at age 65". May 20, 2019.
- ↑ "After 7 | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ↑ "Gold & Platinum: After 7 - RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ↑ Lytle, Craig (August 22, 1989). "After 7 - After 7". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
- 1 2 The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 9.
- ↑ "After 7 ARIA chart history (albums), received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 7, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ↑ "Charts.nz – After 7 – After 7". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ↑ "After 7, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ↑ "After 7, BLP". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ↑ "American album certifications – After 7 – After 7". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 4, 2025.