Riot in English is the debut studio album by American singer Dale Bozzio. It was released on March 4, 1988, by Paisley Park Records. Bozzio began working on the album after her divorce from Terry Bozzio and the break-up of their band Missing Persons. She got signed to Prince's record label Paisley Park Records and collaborated with Robert Brookins and Attala Zane Giles on the album while co-writing most of the songs. Musically, the songs took a slightly different direction than her work with Missing Persons, incorporating more dance-pop sound rather than new wave music.

Riot in English
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 4, 1988 (1988-03-04)
Recorded1987
Studio
Genre
Length40:25
LabelPaisley Park
Producer
Dale Bozzio chronology
Riot in English
(1988)
New Wave Sessions
(2007)
Singles from Riot In English
  1. "Simon Simon"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Riot in English"
    Released: 1988
  3. "Overtime"
    Released: 1988

Three singles were released from the album. The lead single "Simon Simon" reached the dance charts, peaking inside the top forty on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. However, the following singles "Riot in English" and "Overtime" failed to chart.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]

Joe Viglione from AllMusic praised Bozzio's lyrics, saying that "she knows how to pull a chic cliché and envelope it" and also added that Prince gave her "the opportunity to prove she's as charming on record as she is in person and a talent in her own right apart from Missing Persons".[1] Trouser Press noted that "the commercial dance music ... plays up the flexibility of Dale's voice, but the pre-fab cookie-cutter material and arrangements come as quite a disappointment after the stylistic invention of her former group."[2]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Simon Simon"Brookins4:34
2."Giddi Up Baby - Be Mine"
  • Bozzio
  • Brookins
Brookins4:17
3."Overtime"
Brookins4:50
4."So Strong"PrincePrince4:28
5."Love Is Hard Work"
  • Bozzio
  • Attala Zane Giles
Giles3:40
6."Riot in English"
  • Bozzio
  • Brookins
Brookins4:24
7."He's So Typical"
  • Bozzio
  • Brookins
Brookins5:19
8."Ouch That Feels Good"
  • Bozzio
  • Brookins
Brookins5:00
9."The Perfect Stranger"
  • Bozzio
  • Giles
Giles3:53
Total length:40:25

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Viglione, Joe. "Riot In English - Dale Bozzio". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  2. ^ Robbins, Ira. "Missing Persons". Trouser Press. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  3. ^ Riot in English (liner notes). Dale Bozzio. Paisley Park. 1988. 1-25599.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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