Love Forever Shines is the eighth studio album by American singer Regina Belle. It was released by Pendulum Records on May 13, 2008, in the United States. The album became Belle's highest-charting album since Reachin' Back (1995), peaking at number three on the US Top Gospel Albums and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album's first single "God Is Good" peaked at number 34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Tammy La Gorce found that Love Forever Shines "proves it's never too late to return to the sound that gave you liftoff [...] Belle busts out a spiritual certainty that benefits from maturity. She's an artist who's been there, seen that, and she's saved some of her boldest, most bewitching moments [...] for this record. Jazz, hip-hop, R&B and soul make appearances, but at the end of a long set of praising, cherishing and reaching for the vocal rafters this is a pure contemporary gospel project. Fans of the genre will wish she had abandoned her days of Peabo Bryson and Johnny Mathis duets for a walk down this path decades ago."
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians and vocalists Regina Belle – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 5, 7, 11–13) Chris Walker – all instruments (1, 8, 13), programming (1, 8, 13), backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 10–13) Mark Taylor – keyboards (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12), organ (2, 3), backing vocals (3, 10) Bernard Belle – all instruments (9), programming (9) Gary Mayes – all instruments (11), programming (11) Glenn Piper – keyboards (14) Darrell Crooks – guitars (1, 12) Charles Walker Jr. – guitars (2) Rick Marcel – guitars (3) Randy Bowland – guitars (5, 7) Scott Denté – guitars (6) Jonathan DuBose – guitars (9, 10) Chris Black – bass (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12) Ernest Walker – drums (2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12) Philip Lassiter – trumpet (11) The Nashville String Machine – strings (3, 6, 12) Earl Duncan – backing vocals (2) Eulanda Kinabru – backing vocals (2) Rhonda McLemore – backing vocals (2) Channel Straus – backing vocals (2) Nikki Sweat – backing vocals (2) Shawn McLemore – vocal ad libs (2) Angela Coher – backing vocals (3) Tekai Hicks – backing vocals (3, 5, 7) Victoria Purcell – backing vocals (3) Werner Richmond – backing vocals (3) Erin Stevenson – backing vocals (3) Bridgette Taylor – backing vocals (3, 5, 7, 8) Liz Vaughn – backing vocals (3), additional vocals (8) Alvin Darling – backing ad libs (4) Tiffany Riddick – backing ad libs (4), backing vocals (9) Melvin Williams – backing ad libs (4) Nichelle Brown – rap (8) Rosalyn Brunswick McDuffie – backing vocals (10) Nakita Clegg-Fox – backing vocals (10) Leona Daniels – backing vocals (10) Tanner Gary – backing vocals (10) Shirley Murdock – backing vocals (12, 13)
Music arrangements Chris Walker – arrangements (1, 5–8, 10, 12–14) Shawn McLemore – arrangements (2) Larry Baird – string arrangements (3, 6, 12) Mark Taylor – arrangements (3, 7, 10) Bernard Belle – arrangements (4, 9) Regina Belle – arrangements (7, 10, 11, 13, 14) James Brooks – arrangements (10) Philip Lassiter – horn arrangements (11) Gary Mayes – arrangements (11) Glenn Piper – arrangements (14)
Production Ray J. Davis – executive producer Ruben Rodriguez – executive producer Chris Walker – executive producer, mixing Haniel Trisha – engineer, mixing Jonathan DuBose – guitar recording (9, 10) Michael Modesto – additional engineer Leon Zervos – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York) Ivy Taylor – album coordinator Xavier Rodriguez – graphic design Drexina Nelson – photography Safira Sanders – photography assistant
Charts Chart (2008) Peakposition
References