Much Love

Much Love
Studio album by
Shola Ama
Released1 September 1997
Recorded1995–1997
GenreR&B[1]
Length51:56
Labels
  • Freakstreet
  • WEA
Producers
Shola Ama chronology
Much Love
(1997)		 In Return
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[1]
Music WeekStarStarStarStarStar[2]
The Times(favorable)[3]

Much Love is the debut album by British singer Shola Ama. It was released by Freakstreet and WEA on 1 September 1997 in the United Kingdom. Ama worked with songwriting collective D'Influence on the majority of the album, with Shaun LaBelle, Livio Harris, and Paul Waller providing additional production. Much Love was preceded by two top ten hit singles: a cover of "You Might Need Somebody", originally made famous by Randy Crawford, and follow-up "You're the One I Love".[4] "Who's Loving My Baby" and "Much Love" were also released as singles, both reaching the UK top twenty.[4]

The album reached the top ten of the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number six, and entered the top twenty in Germany and the top thirty in France, and the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, it was eventually certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), indicating sales in excess of 100,000 copies. Following the success of the album, Ama won a Brit Award for Best British Female and two MOBO Awards for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Act.[5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You're the One I Love"
  • Stevie Bensusen
  • Shaun LaBelle
LaBelle4:12
2."Much Love"
  • Bensusen
  • LaBelle
LaBelle3:56
3."You Might Need Somebody"
D'Influence4:50
4."Who's Loving My Baby"
  • Livio Harris
  • Melvin Britt II
  • Jorge Corante
Harris4:38
5."Celebrate"
D'Influence4:30
6."I Love Your Ways"
  • Ama
  • Baden-Powell
  • Kwaten
  • Marston
  • Webb
D'Influence4:19
7."We Got a Vibe"
  • Bensusen
  • LaBelle
LaBelle4:04
8."Summer Love"
  • Ama
  • Baden-Powell
  • Kwaten
  • Marston
  • Webb
D'Influence4:44
9."(I Don't Know) Interlude"
  • Ama
  • Baden-Powell
  • Kwaten
  • Marston
  • Webb
D'Influence1:47
10."I Can Show You"
  • Ama
  • Paul Waller
  • Toby Baker
Waller4:26
11."All Mine"
  • Ama
  • Baden-Powell
  • Kwaten
  • Marston
  • Webb
D'Influence4:46
12."One Love"
  • Ama
  • Baden-Powell
  • Kwaten
  • Marston
  • Webb
D'Influence5:27

Sample credits

  • "I Love Your Ways" contains a replayed element of "Give Me the Sunshine" by Leo's Sunshipp.

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[6]

  • San Acharya – A&R
  • Shola Ama – primary artist, vocals, background vocals
  • Ed Baden-Powell – bass, drum programming, guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, keyboards, string arrangements
  • Toby Baker – bass, keyboards
  • David Barry – guitar
  • Carlton Batts – mastering
  • Joe Belmaati – keyboards, programming
  • Melvin Britt – background vocals
  • Sue Ann Carwell – vocal arrangement, background vocals
  • Rob Chiarelli – mixing
  • Jorge Corante – drum programming, keyboards, piano
  • Cutfather – producer, remixing
  • D'Influence – arranger, mixing, producer
  • Michael "Mickey D" Davis – A&R, executive producer
  • Terry Dexter – background vocals
  • Marcella Ffrench – background vocals
  • Mark Franks – engineer
  • Guido Zen – engineer
  • Livio Harris – arranger, producer, background vocals
  • Stephen Hussey – strings
  • Anthony Jeffries – engineer
  • Kwame Kwaten – bass, executive producer, keyboards, moog bass
  • Shaun LaBelle – arranger, bass, drum programming, producer, synthesizer
  • Ed Lover – engineer
  • Steve Marston – horn
  • Patrick McMahon – engineer
  • Yan Memmi – engineer, mixing
  • Rod Michaels – engineer
  • Randee Saint Nicholas – photography
  • Dik Shopteau – engineer
  • Paul Waller – arranger, drum programming, keyboards, mixing, producer

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[16] Gold 100,000*
Italy (FIMI)[17] Platinum 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Much Love – Shola Ama – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 23 August 1997. p. 12. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Jackson, Alan (6 September 1997). "The week's top pop releases; Records". The Times.
  4. 1 2 3 "Shola Ama Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  5. ↑ "1997: Mary J. Blige, Eternal, Simply Red and The Prodigy – MOBO Awards". mobo.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Much Love – Shola Ama – Credits – AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Shola Ama – Much Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 38. 20 September 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 11 August 2025 – via World Radio History.
  9. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Shola Ama – Much Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Shola Ama – Much Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Album & Compilation - Classifica settimanale 49/1997" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 13/9/1997 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  13. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Shola Ama – Much Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart on 13/9/1997 – Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  15. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart – 1997". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "French album certifications – Shola Ama – Much Love" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Dezzani, Mark (28 November 1998). "Mtv Italy Seen Making Strides In Its 1st Year". Billboard. p. 40. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "British album certifications – Shola Ama – Much Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 October 2018. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Much Love Shola Ama in the "Search:" field.
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