It's Your Night

It's Your Night
Studio album by James Ingram
Released	July 27, 1983
Recorded	1982–1983 at Westlake Audio and Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles, CA).
Genre	R&B, disco, funk, soul
Length	41:19
Label	Qwest Records Warner Bros. Records
Producer	Quincy Jones
James Ingram chronology
It's Your Night (1983) Never Felt So Good (1986)

It's Your Night is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter James Ingram, released by Qwest/Warner Bros. Records on July 27, 1983. The album was commercially successful, as it peaked at number 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart and reached number 10 on the Top Black Albums chart. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in early 1984, making this his highest-charting album and only album to be certified by the RIAA.

Ingram was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1984 and 1985. The album cut "Party Animal" received a nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 26th Grammy Awards in 1984. It's Your Night and the album's second single, "Yah Mo B There" (a duet with Michael McDonald) received nominations for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, winning in the latter.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

It is also his first on Qwest Records, which was run by Quincy Jones. It features the song "Yah Mo B There", which is a duet with singer Michael McDonald. It has been certified gold by the RIAA and is his highest-charting album ever.

Track listing

Side A.

1. "Party Animal" (Ingram, Richard Page, Mark Vieha) - 4:55
2. "Yah Mo B There" (Ingram, Quincy Jones, Michael McDonald, Rod Temperton) - 4:40
3. "She Loves Me (The Best That I Can Be)" (Brian Neary, Jim Photoglo) - 3:40
4. "Try Your Love Again" (Glen Ballard, Brock Walsh) - 4:25

Side B.

1. "Whatever We Imagine" (David Foster, Paul Gordon, Jeremy Lubbock) - 3:58
2. "One More Rhythm" (Rod Temperton) - 4:05
3. "There's No Easy Way" (Barry Mann) - 3:51
4. "It's Your Night" (Ingram, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) - 3:37
5. "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand) - 4:16

Personnel

• James Ingram – lead vocals (all tracks), synthesizer (1, 2, 8), synth bass (1), arrangements (1, 2), backing vocals (2, 8), keyboards (8)
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizer (1, 2, 3, 8)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (1, 4), synthesizer (1, 4, 6), acoustic piano (6)
• Mark Vieha – synthesizer (1), arrangements (1)
• Craig Hundley – synthesizer programming (1, 4, 5, 6), synthesizer (4)
• Quincy Jones – arrangements (1, 2, 3, 7, 9), African voices (2), electric piano (3)
• Michael McDonald – synthesizer (2), arrangements (2), lead and backing vocals (2)
• Rod Temperton – synthesizer (2, 6), arrangements (2)
• Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (3), synthesizer (3, 8), arrangements (3)
• Don Dorsey – synthesizer (3)
• David Paich – synthesizer (3, 7, 9), arrangements (7)
• David Foster – keyboards (5), synthesizer (5), acoustic piano (9), arrangements (9)
• Ian Underwood – synthesizer programming (5, 6)
• Jimmy Smith – organ (6), synthesizer (6)
• Steve Porcaro – synthesizer programming (7, 9)
• Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar (1, 4, 8, 9)
• Larry Carlton – guitar (3)
• George Doering – guitar (9)
• Louis Johnson – bass guitar (1, 8)
• Abe Laboriel – bass guitar (7)
• Nathan East – bass guitar (9)
• Harvey Mason, Sr. – drums (1)
• John Robinson – drums (2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
• Raymond Calhoun – drums (3)
• Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums (9)
• Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (2, 4, 5, 8)
• Steve Ray – fingerpopper (8)
• Ernie Watts – tenor sax solo (4)
• Larry Williams – saxophone (4, 6)
• Tom Scott – lyricon (5), saxophone (6), lyricon solo (8)
• Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (4, 6)
• Gary Grant – trumpet (4, 6), flugelhorn (4)
• Jerry Hey – trumpet (4, 6), flugelhorn (4)
• Johnny Mandel – arrangements (9)
• Ollie E. Brown – backing vocals (1)
• Zane Giles – backing vocals (1)
• Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (1)
• Susaye Greene Brown – backing vocals (1)
• Howard Hewett – backing vocals (1, 6)
• Bunny Hull – backing vocals (1, 8)
• Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (1)
• Augie Johnson – backing vocals (1)
• Valerie Johnson – backing vocals (1)
• Scherrie Payne – backing vocals (1)
• Luther Vandross – backing vocals (1)
• Tom Bahler – backing vocals (6)
• Linda Harmon – backing vocals (6)
• Edie Lehmann – backing vocals (6)
• Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (8)
• Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (8)
• Maxine Willard Waters – backing vocals (8)
• Patti Austin – lead and backing vocals (9)

Production

• Producer – Quincy Jones
• Co-Producer on Track 9 – Johnny Mandel
• Production Assistants – Steve Ray and Mark Ross
• Tracks 1-8 recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
• Track 9 recorded by Joel Moss
• Additional Recording and Technical Director – Matt Forger
• Assistant Engineers – Steve Bates, Ric Butz, Mark Ettel and Greg Laney.
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios (Hollywood, CA).
• Art Direction – Simon Levy and Jeri McManus
• Design – Jeri McManus
• Photography – Matthew Rolston
• Sleeve Notes – James Ingram and Quincy Jones

Popular culture

The song "Whatever We Imagine" was used as the closing theme for both 1984 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and 1986 NBA Finals for CBS Sports.

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Billboard Pop Albums	46
Billboard Top Soul Albums	10

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	US R&B	Adult Contemporary
1983	"How Do You Keep The Music Playing"	45	6	5
	"Party Animal"	-	21	-
	"Yah Mo B There"	19	5	10 (1984)
1984	"She Loves Me (The Best That I Can Be)"	-	59	19
	"There's No Easy Way"	58	14	10

External links

• James Ingram-It's Your Night at Discogs