...If I Ever Fall in Love is the debut album of American R&B group Shai, released December 22, 1992, on MCA Records. It was produced by group members Carl "Groove" Martin and Darnell Van Rensalier.
| ...If I Ever Fall in Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 22, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991–1992 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 49:00 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer |
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| Shai chronology | ||||
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| Singles from ...If I Ever Fall in Love | ||||
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The album produced three hit singles, "If I Ever Fall in Love", "Comforter", and "Baby I'm Yours". On January 13, 1994, ...If I Ever Fall in Love was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of two million copies in the United States.[1] Although it performed well commercially, the album received generally mixed reviews from music critics.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[4] |
| Music Week | [5] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "crisp, precise harmonies that imply explosive vocal power but display few pyrotechnics", adding that "Shai joins the spiritual yearnings of Take Six with the secular pull of Boyz II Men".[7] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly found its hip hop and new jack swing-oriented songs "fussy [and] unconvincing", but praised the group's crooning and stated, "They wrap their voices like a thick shag carpet around the choruses of the album's languorous, starry-eyed ballads".[4]
However, in his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B− rating and named it "dud of the month",[3] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought".[8] Christgau found the group's singing "indifferent" and panned them as having "no class and no sense of humor; they're too smarmy and too slow", adding that "They epitomize the difference between seduction and betrayal--between shared lie and imposed illusion, rascal and bounder, rogue and complete asshole. There's not a winning wink on the entire album".[3] In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated, "Apart from the gorgeous title track, most of the material on ...If I Ever Fall in Love is underdeveloped; although Shai sound terrific, their material doesn't match their vocal talents."[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sexual Interlude" |
| Carl "Groove" Martin | 2:15 |
| 2. | "Comforter" |
| Martin | 4:10 |
| 3. | "If I Ever Fall in Love" (Remix) | Martin | Martin | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Sexual" |
| Martin | 5:31 |
| 5. | "Together Forever" | Gay | Gay | 5:14 |
| 6. | "If I Ever Fall in Love" (Original a cappella version) | Martin | Martin | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Flava" |
| Shai | 3:52 |
| 8. | "Baby I'm Yours" |
| Martin | 4:34 |
| 9. | "Waiting for the Day" |
| Martin | 4:45 |
| 10. | "Changes" |
|
| 4:30 |
| 11. | "Don't Wanna Play" |
|
| 5:06 |
| 12. | "Lord I've Come" |
| Shai | 0:57 |
Personnel
edit- Bill Appleberry – keyboards
- Paul Brown – engineer, mixing
- Jeff Carruthers – programming
- Mario Castellanos – photography
- Jim Ebert – mixing
- James Elliott – production coordination
- Marc Gay – keyboards, producer
- Eric Greedy – assistant engineer
- Steve Hall – mastering
- Kevin Levi – saxophone
- Carl "Groove" Martin – keyboards, producer, programming
- Ken Schubert – engineer
- Darnell VanRensalier – drum programming, keyboards, producer
- Cyndra Williams – make-up
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 24 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 21 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 6 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] | 3 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[1] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "American album certifications – Shai – If I Ever Fall in Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (August 1, 2003). ...If I Ever Fall in Love - Shai: Review. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
- ^ a b c Christgau, Robert (April 6, 1993). Consumer Guide Apr. 6, 1993. The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
- ^ a b Browne, David (January 29, 1993). ...If I Ever Fall in Love Review | Music Reviews and News. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
- ^ Jones, Alan (January 30, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums — Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 11. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Wood, Sam (February 9, 1993). "808 State Defies the Odds Again with a Consistently Fine Album". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ a b Shai - ...If I Ever Fall In Love CD Album. Muze. CD Universe. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). CG 90s: Key to Icons. Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Shai %5BUS%5D – If I Ever Fall in Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Shai %5BUS%5D – If I Ever Fall in Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ "Shai Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ "Shai Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2022.