Blackface is a studio album by the R&B group Shai.[2][3] It was produced by Shai; the group spent nine months working on it.[4][5]

Blackface
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 26, 1995
Recorded1995
GenreR&B
Length53:17
LabelGasoline Alley/MCA[1]
ProducerShai
Shai chronology
Right Back at Cha
(1993)
Blackface
(1995)
Destiny
(1999)
Singles from Blackface
  1. "Come With Me"
    Released: 1995
  2. "I Don't Wanna Be Alone"
    Released: 1995

The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200.[6] Its first single was "Come with Me".[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [8]
Los Angeles Times    [9]

The Washington Post concluded that "when Carl Martin, Darnell Van Rensalier, Garfield Bright and Marc Gay stack their voices in one unexpected chord after another, though, they capture the hope and anxiety of young love like few other acts today."[10] The Los Angeles Times determined that Shai "saves its best vocals for the album's one a cappella track, 'If I Gave (A Confession of Hope)', a spiritual that is moving in its sheer simplicity."[9]

AllMusic noted that "the first half of the disc is devoted to seductive slow numbers, while the second part is dominated by deep bass grooves."[8]

Track listing

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  1. "Come with Me" – 4:39
  2. "During the Storm" – 4:38
  3. "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" – 4:54
  4. "Mr. Turn U Out" – 4:40
  5. "Concert a (The Hidden One)" – 1:57
  6. "Falling" – 5:11
  7. "Planet Solitude" – 1:12
  8. "Did You Know" – 4:00
  9. "To Get to Know You" – 4:00
  10. "Let's Go Back" – 4:22
  11. "Will I Find Someone" – 3:53
  12. "95" – 3:23
  13. "The Place Where You Belong" – 4:21
  14. "If I Gave (A Confession of Hope)" – 2:07

Charts

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Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 111
US (Billboard 200) 42

References

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  1. ^ Idowu, Omoronke (Dec 1995). "Revolutions". Vibe. 3 (10): 146.
  2. ^ Harrison, Thomas (June 16, 2011). "Music of the 1990s". ABC-CLIO – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Shai's Darnell Van Rensalier". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017.
  4. ^ Reynolds, J.R. (Aug 19, 1995). "Shai puts on a more adult 'face'". Billboard. 107 (33): 15.
  5. ^ Moorer, Talise D. (9 Mar 1996). "Shai guys purge themselves for 'Blackface'". New York Amsterdam News. p. 25.
  6. ^ "Shai". Billboard.
  7. ^ Gordon, Ellen A. (28 Oct 1995). "SHAI Returns After Three-Year Absence". New Pittsburgh Courier. p. B5.
  8. ^ a b "Blackface - Shai | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Connie (21 Oct 1995). "Shai Turns to Prickly Matters of the Heart". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 10.
  10. ^ "SHAI'S SMOOTH SECOND ACT". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Shai ARIA Chart history (complete to 2024)". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.