Precious (Chanté Moore album)

Precious is the debut studio album by American singer Chanté Moore. It was released by Silas Records and MCA Records on September 29, 1992, in the United States. The track "Candlelight and You" first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1991 film House Party 2, starring Kid 'N Play. The album featured production from Simon Law, Bebe Winans, George Duke, among others.

The album peaked at number 101 on the US Billboard 200 on March 20, 1993. It also reached number 20 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Despite its low charting, Precious was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the on November 14, 1994. It was preceded by the release of the singles "Love's Taken Over" and "It's Alright". Two further singles were subsequently released from the album, "Who Do I Turn to" and "As If We Never Met".

Encouraged by her then-boyfriend to pursue a professional music career,^[1] Moore caught the attention of talent manager Benny Medina and signed with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19.^[1] Although she began working on an album titled Listen to My Song,^[2] the project was shelved late in its development, and she was eventually released from the label.^[2] In February 1991, after A&R director Madeleine Randolph shared several of Moore's demos from the shelved sessions,^[3] she was offered a deal with Silas Records, a new imprint founded by MCA executive Louis Silas Jr. and backed by MCA. As the label's first signed artist, Moore quickly began work on her debut solo album, featuring production from Simon Law, BeBe Winans, Laney Stewart, Vassal Benford, and George Duke, some of whom would become frequent collaborators.^[3] That same year, in October, her duet with R&B singer Keith Washington, "Candlelight and You," was featured on the soundtrack for the MCA-backed comedy film House Party 2.^[3]

Silas Records issued several singles in support of the album. "Love's Taken Over" was released as Precious's lead single on July 28, 1992. The song peaked at number eighty-six and number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, respectively.^[4][5] A second single, "It's Alright," failed to make impact on the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number thirteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[5] Two further singles were subsequently released from the album, including "Who Do I Turn to" and "As If We Never Met," though only the former managed to chart.^[5]

Rolling Stone's Michael Eric Dyson wrote that on Precious, "ranging from the exhilarating stride she measures on the title track to the infectious groove of "Who Do I Turn To," Moore explores the sweet entanglements of contemporary love with a supple soprano that floats over and into songs [...] Moore's superb singing and writing will unquestionably win her a satisfied audience."^[7] Billboard described the album as "a collection of soul-satisfying, jazz-inflected tunes" and further noted that the "singer's light but supple soprano floats like a breeze but delivers maximum emotional intensity."^[8] In a review of her June 1992 concert at the Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles Times critic Dennis Hunt commented on the album: "Nearly all her material, mostly from her 1992 debut album, Precious, is beneath her talents and her band, handcuffed by woefully pop-ish arrangements, did nothing more than weigh the material down with pedestrian pop trimmings. In person she showed she can sing with much more fire than on the album."^[9] AllMusic rated the album three out of five stars.^[6]

Precious debuted on Billboard's US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the week of October 24, 1992.^[10] It spent 61 weeks on the chart and eventually peaked at number 20 on the March 20, 1993.^[10] The same week, the album also peaked at number 101 on the US Billboard 200, having previously debuted on January 30, 1993.^[11] On November 14, 1994, Precious was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments figures in excess of 500,000 copies.^[12]