TP is the fourth album by American R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass. It reached No. 14 on the US pop albums chart and No. 3 on the US R&B albums chart. It spawned the top ten singles, "Can't We Try", which was also featured in the soundtrack to the film Roadie, and "Love T.K.O." TP is Pendergrass's only album while at Philadelphia International Records made without any input from label founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.
| TP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 25, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–1980 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:20 | |||
| Label | Philadelphia International | |||
| Producer | Ashford & Simpson, Dexter Wansel, Cecil Womack, John R. Faith, Jerry Cohen, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead | |||
| Teddy Pendergrass chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from TP | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( )[4] |
The Globe and Mail deemed the album "disco Muzak at its most innocuous: lame, unoriginal, and curiously sexless."[5] The New York Times wrote that "the strongest cuts ... were all ballads that showed Mr. Pendergrass developing long narrative laments with unprecedented subtlety and emotional conviction."[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Is It Still Good to Ya" | Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Take Me in Your Arms Tonight" (duet with Stephanie Mills) | Dexter Wansel, Cynthia Biggs | 5:24 |
| 3. | "I Just Called to Say" | Cecil Womack | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Can't We Try" | Ken Hirsch, Ron Miller | 5:04 |
| Total length: | 19:31 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feel the Fire" (duet with Stephanie Mills) | Peabo Bryson | 5:31 |
| 2. | "Girl You Know" | Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Love T.K.O." | Womack, Eddie "Gip" Nobel | 5:00 |
| 4. | "Let Me Love You" | Jerry Cohen, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead | 5:15 |
| Total length: | 19:49 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "This Gift of Life" (12" Long Version) | Kenneth Gamble, Leon A. Huff | 4:39 |
| 10. | "Take Me in Your Arms Tonight" (12" Long Version) | Wansel, Biggs | 7:00 |
| 11. | "Can't We Try" (Single Version) | Hirsch, Miller | 3:42 |
| 12. | "Love T.K.O." (Single Version) | Womack, Nobel | 3:43 |
| 13. | "Is It Still Good to Ya" (Single Version) | Ashford, Simpson | 3:45 |
| Total length: | 22:49 | ||
Charts
edit| Chart (1980) | Peak [7] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top LPs | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 3 |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
US Dan [7] | ||
| 1980 | "Can't We Try" | 52 | 3 | 52 |
| "Love T.K.O." | 44 | 2 | — | |
References
edit- ^ Lytle, Craig. TP review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "TP review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
- ^ "The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980". Rolling Stone. November 11, 2020.
- ^ Hull, Tom (May 24, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Niester, Alan (September 27, 1980). "TP Teddy Pendergrass". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (September 3, 1981). "Pop-Soul". The New York Times. p. A87.
- ^ a b c d "US Charts > Teddy Pendergrass". Allmusic. Retrieved April 4, 2013.