Let's Hear It for the Boy (album)

Let's Hear It for the Boy is the eighth studio album by American recording artist Deniece Williams, released on April 16, 1984, by Columbia Records.^[1] The album reached No. 26 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 10 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums charts.^[2][3]

Deniece Williams produced six of the album's tracks while George Duke produced the remaining four.^[4] The production of the album was completed in early May 1984 and the album was released a few weeks later.^[5]

The album's title track reached No. 1 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles, and Dance Club Play charts.^[6][7][8] On the UK Pop Singles chart, it peaked at No. 2.^[9] The song was written for the 1984 feature film Footloose and appears on its soundtrack. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[10][11]

Another song released as a single was, "Next Love", which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.^[12]

Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times favourably found, "There's a lightness to Williams' music. It suggests a spring day with no clouds in the sky, and puppy love-as opposed to 'messy' adult passion...A former protege of Stevie Wonder and Maurice White, she uses traces of their sound in her music, coupled with her own lithe gracefulness...Williams' sound may be light, but it always has a proficient and artful base..This is the kind of music that amounts to little more than stylish fluff. But it works."^[15] Chris Albertson of Stereo Review noted, "Williams not only has a fine voice, she also knows exactly how to use it-when to let it loose and when not to. There is no screaming here, just fine vocalizing and first-rate arrangements".^[16] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe praised the album, saying, "She's been known for middle-of-the-road ballads, but she breaks out here with her first uptempo record, setting a crisp pace through '80s disco funk and bedazzling electronics."^[17]

Williams was later bestowed with a Soul Train Award nomination for Artist of the Year.^[18]

Vocals

• Deniece Williams – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 3, 6–10), arrangements (2)
• George Merrill – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
• Shannon Rubicam – backing vocals (1, 3, 5–9)
• Oren Waters – backing vocals (3, 9)
• Roosevelt Christmas III – backing vocals (5, 6)

Musicians

• George Duke – Memorymoog (1, 5), Prophet-5 (1, 4), Moog bass (1), LinnDrum programming (1, 6), keyboards (2), Rhodes (5), synthesizers (6), vocoder (6), special effects (6)
• Leon Pendarvis – synthesizers (3, 8, 9), arrangements (3, 7–9)
• Kevin Grady – synthesizers (3, 8, 9)
• Russell Ferrante – acoustic piano (3, 4, 8, 9), Rhodes (4)
• George Merrill – Roland Jupiter 8 (6), LinnDrum programming (6), arrangements (6)
• Jerry Peters – organ (10), arrangements (10)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (1, 3, 5, 7–9)
• Jeff Baxter – guitars (3, 7–9)
• Michael Sembello – guitars (4, 6)
• Nathan East – bass (3, 4, 7–9)
• Freddie Washington – bass (5)
• Ricky Lawson – drums (3–5, 7, 8)
• Ricky Nelson – drums (9)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 3)
• Sheila E. – percussion (5)
• John Robinson – tom toms (6)
• Ronnie Laws – tenor saxophone (2)
• Richard Elliot – lyricon (4)
• Hubert Laws – flute (5)
• George Del Barrio – string arrangements (2)

Production

• Larkin Arnold – executive producer
• George Duke – producer (1, 4–6)
• Deniece Williams – producer (2, 3, 7–10)
• Tommy Vicari – remix engineer (1), recording engineer (4–6)
• Tom Perry – engineer (2, 3, 7–10)
• Mick Guzauski – recording engineer (4–6)
• Nick Spigel – second engineer (4–6)
• Mitch Gibson – second string engineer (4)
• Bernie Grundman – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
• Constance Guzman – production assistant
• Tony Lane – art direction
• Nancy Donald – art direction
• Margaret MacFarlane – photography
• Bridget Bergman – make-up
• D.W. Enterprises – management^[1]