Lets talk about it.

I want to like him...I do. I rememebr being a little kid CRAZY ABOUT All Night Long. But then as I got older...nothing he has done now or even with the Commodores really stuck with me. I have a line of popular artists that just never did it for me.

Any big Lionel fans in here? How is his new album?

His new project sounds great with the volume on ZERO.

I wouldn't consider myself a big Lionel fan, but I do like a lot of his stuff.

His recent albums (say in the last 10 or 15 years) have been pretty pop sounding. I don't mind the pop sound, but some of the songs are just plain boring. His last album, Coming Home, was a good attempt to get back on r&b radio and it worked for one song. However, the rest of the songs were pretty weak.

Of the recent albums, my favorite would have to be "Time". That album has some really good songs. It sounds like the songs were mostly about his break up with Brenda.

His new project is ok. It's another attempt to gain more r&b fans, but it's just not working for me. I like about 4 cuts so far. Maybe it will grow on me.

I wish Lionel would go back and try to figure out which direction he wants to go in. Sure, the man has written some beautiful pop and country ballads, but he's also written some funky ass songs, too.

Evidentaly the man still sells well. If he didn't a major label would have dropped him so fast in today's horrible music industry.

Because maybe you missed the period of his career where he actually wrote good songs....unlike now?

You're not alone. I never dug Lionel Ritchie. I just don't like his voice.

shorttrini said:

Never got in2 the Commodores either. I dont know..they are the same with me as Kool & The Gang

shorttrini said:

Last time he made good songs I was born.

Well, Kool & the Gang is good company. I think Lionel has relied too much on his reputation as a song writer. When asked to perform, he almost always does, his old songs,(All Night Long, Truly). This is cause he knows that his present day material sucks boiled ass... In a sense I can't say I blame him.

Haven't heard his new album, some of the Commodores songs are still my favs like Oh No , Still, Easy, etc. Lionel has some good hits on his own, but it was never the same for me after he left the Commodores

If he did more songs like "Love Will Find A Way", "Love Will Conquer All" and "Zoom" today, he would definitely sell better and get the radio play he wants.

I wonder what would a smooth jazz album from him sound like?

daPrettyman said:

I could get with something like Zoom

daPrettyman said:

These two solo songs were good. His first two solo albums
were actually good. He lost me with the third album dancing
on the ceiling but Love will conquer all was the standout
song on the album.

I love Lionel. Always have.

I wish he had released songs like "Se La" and "Don't Stop" as singles (although I think "Don't Stop" had a video). They're such great songs.
[Edited 5/21/09 9:31am]

phunkdaddy said:

Yeah, the title-track "Can't Slow Down" is a great groove, and St. Paul Peterson from The Family used to jam this one with a solid band in Minneapolis.
That St. Paul-session was once posted on Youtube by Andre Cymone's former drummer, John "Bam Bam" Morgan.
[Edited 5/21/09 9:39am]

ernestsewell said:

Se La was released as a single.

1987 Se La Adult Contemporary 5
1987 Se La Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 12
1987 Se La The Billboard Hot 100 20

From the looks of it, AC radio LOVES this man:

1981 Endless Love Adult Contemporary 1
1981 Endless Love Black Singles 1
1981 Endless Love Pop Singles 1
1982 Truly Adult Contemporary 1
1982 Truly Black Singles 2
1982 Truly Pop Singles 1
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Adult Contemporary 1
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Adult Contemporary 22
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Black Singles 1
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Club Play Singles 5
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Hot Dance Music/Club Play 5
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 8
1983 All Night Long (All Night) Pop Singles 1
1983 All Night Long (All Night) The Billboard Hot 100 10
1983 My Love Adult Contemporary 1
1983 My Love Black Singles 6
1983 My Love Pop Singles 5
1983 Running With the Night Adult Contemporary 6
1983 Running With the Night Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 6
1983 Running With the Night The Billboard Hot 100 7
1983 You Are Adult Contemporary 1
1983 You Are Black Singles 2
1983 You Are Pop Singles 4
1984 Hello Adult Contemporary 1
1984 Hello The Billboard Hot 100 1
1984 Penny Lover Adult Contemporary 1
1984 Penny Lover Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 8
1984 Penny Lover The Billboard Hot 100 8
1984 Stuck on You Adult Contemporary 1
1984 Stuck on You Hot Country Singles & Tracks 24
1984 Stuck on You Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 8
1984 Stuck on You The Billboard Hot 100 3
1985 Say You, Say Me Adult Contemporary 1
1985 Say You, Say Me Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1985 Say You, Say Me The Billboard Hot 100 1
1986 Ballerina Girl Adult Contemporary 1
1986 Ballerina Girl Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 5
1986 Ballerina Girl The Billboard Hot 100 7
1986 Dancing on the Ceiling Adult Contemporary 3
1986 Dancing on the Ceiling Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 19
1986 Dancing on the Ceiling Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 6
1986 Dancing on the Ceiling The Billboard Hot 100 2
1986 Deep River Woman Hot Country Singles & Tracks 10
1986 Love Will Conquer All Adult Contemporary 1
1986 Love Will Conquer All Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 2
1986 Love Will Conquer All The Billboard Hot 100 9
1987 Deep River Woman Adult Contemporary 28
1987 Deep River Woman The Billboard Hot 100 71
1987 Se La Adult Contemporary 5
1987 Se La Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 12
1987 Se La The Billboard Hot 100 20
1992 Do It to Me Adult Contemporary 3
1992 Do It to Me Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1
1992 Do It to Me The Billboard Hot 100 21
1992 My Destiny Adult Contemporary 7
1992 My Destiny Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 56
1996 Don't Wanna Lose You Adult Contemporary 5
1996 Don't Wanna Lose You Adult Top 40 30
1996 Don't Wanna Lose You Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 17
1996 Don't Wanna Lose You The Billboard Hot 100 39
1996 Ordinary Girl Adult Contemporary 9
1996 Ordinary Girl Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 76
1996 Still In Love Adult Contemporary 10
1998 I Hear Your Voice Adult Contemporary 15
1998 Time Adult Contemporary 7
2001 Angel [Metro Mix Album Version] Adult Contemporary 4
2001 Angel [Metro Mix Album Version] The Billboard Hot 100 70
2001 Angel Hot Dance Music/Club Play 32
2004 Just for You Adult Contemporary 6
2004 Just for You Hot Dance Music/Club Play 14
2004 Just for You The Billboard Hot 100 92
2004 Long Way To Go Adult Contemporary 20
2006 I Call It Love European Hot 100 Singles
2006 I Call It Love Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 9
2006 I Call It Love Hot Dance Music/Club Play 10
2006 I Call It Love Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 19
2006 I Call It Love The Billboard Hot 100 62
2006 What You Are Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 57
2007 All Around The World Hot Dance Music/Club Play 6
2009 Just Go Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 12

daPrettyman said:

Must have missed that. Weird time for me at the time. When I bought some songs on iTunes a few years ago, I bought the extended versions of "Se La" and "Don't Stop". I thought at the time that perhaps both were singles, but I never looked into it.

I like a lot of the stuff from his first two albums but it's still an absolute crime that he left The Commodores. He is an extreme talent.

vainandy said:

I think he said he got kicked out of the Commodores.

daPrettyman said:

Yeah because he was becoming the "Diana Ross" of the group if you know what I mean.

Plus he was doing duets with Diana and collaborating with Lionel, and being branded as a cookie cutter pop group when they were really a funk group. So he had to leave.

Timmy84 said:

thats before over 20 years I guess

Timmy84 said:

He left mostly because as a songwriter he was coming up with more ballads and mid-tempo things, and the group wanted to be a funk group as you stated. Their styles were mixing anymore. They just grew different directions, and he's certainly done well on his own.

I'd still like to see a full on Commodores reunion on an award show or something, or even an EP with a handful of songs. They really suffered in songwriting and popularity after he left. I can think of "Night Shift", and that's it post-Lionel.

seeingvoices12 said:

25 years ago to be exact.

ernestsewell said:

I don't buy that. I say that only because most of the songs they released after Lionel left were all mid-tempo and slow. "Going To The Bank" was the exception.

daPrettyman said:

Yeah their songs got corny as the years went on. After Lionel left, it was "Nightshift" and after that... "Going to the Bank"... Probably the lowest point of their career especially after Lionel left.

daPrettyman said:

I'm just tellin' ya what I know, BITCH. haha (KIDDING!) Honestly though, that's the story I always heard about his leaving (I suppose it could be a PART of the story, who knows.)

ernestsewell said:

Lionel wasn't kicked out of the group. After having so many projects ie.
with kenny rogers and writing songs for the other artists lionel felt
he couldn't hold the band hostage anymore as they patiently waited
while he worked on other projects. Lionel knew it wasn't fair to
him or the group. Even Walter Orange acknowledged it was time for
Lionel to move on.

phunkdaddy said:

Lionel has said in recent years that he was asked to leave the group.

I remember a long time ago, hearing on Radio Scope that the band's biggest lost to them was producer James Anthony Carmicheal....

That came from Walt & William King


He went with Lionel, when he went solo...

His first two solo albums are excellent.'Can't Slow Down' remains one of the 80s best albums.I didn't like his music that came after that.

"Dancing On The Ceiling" (the song) is one of the WORST song of the 80s The video is pathetic.

I also disliked the sappy "Say You,Say Me"

It's as if the crossover success of 'Can't Slow Down' convinced him that he should go totally "pop",so he concentrated on bland,adult contemporary 80s crap.