Maps of Music

Illumination (2005)

Where the lyrics of Illumination take you, and where it was really made.

Illumination is the last Earth, Wind & Fire album to feature founder and co-lead vocalist Maurice White.

Key places

Flyte Tyme West, Santa Monica (2005)

Recording site Flyte Tyme West — The credits list Flyte Tyme West as a recording location for this album. The point uses the building-level coordinates from the candidate record. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Village Recorder, Los Angeles (2005)

Recording site Village Recorders — The source lists The Village Recorder in Los Angeles among the recording locations for this album. The point uses the building-level coordinates from the candidate record. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Illumination is the nineteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire
• Released on September 20, 2005 by Sanctuary Records
• Guest artists include Big Boi, Kenny G, Kelly Rowland, will.i.am, Floetry and Brian McKnight
• It is the final Earth, Wind & Fire album to feature founder and co-lead vocalist Maurice White
• Track list includes "This Is How I Feel" with Kelly Rowland, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown
• Track list includes "Show Me the Way" with Raphael Saadiq and "Elevated" with Floetry

Background

• Many guests from different generations of hip-hop and R&B production took part
• Guests include producers and artists from the 2000s hit-making scene
• Veteran band with a long career, now working with younger collaborators

Recording

• Executive producers: Damien Smith (also A&R direction), Philip Bailey and Maurice White
• Mastering by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California
• Recording credits name several studios across California, Texas, Georgia and Virginia
• Studios named in the credits include Flyte Tyme West and The Village Recorder in Los Angeles

Cover

• Photography by Pamela Springsteen, who also gave the album image inspiration
• Cover art by Heavyweight, design by Goldfinger C.S.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Maurice White, originating out of the Salty Peppers.
• Known for a kalimba sound, a dynamic horn section, elaborate stage shows, and the contrast between Philip Bailey's falsetto and Maurice White's tenor.
• Music spans jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop.

Members

• Prominent members include Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Roland Bautista, Robert Brookins, Sonny Emory, Ronnie Laws, Sheldon Reynolds and Andrew Woolfolk.
• Maurice White, the founder, died on February 4, 2016.

Career

• Among the best-selling bands ever, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.
• Won six Grammy Awards out of 17 nominations and four American Music Awards out of 12 nominations.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
• Received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019, becoming the first Black group to be inducted.
• Had a hiatus from mid-1984 to mid-1987.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Generally positive reviews; Metacritic average score of 79 from 12 professional reviews
• About's Bill Lamb: four out of five stars, calling it a classic package that mixes classic and contemporary R&B
• The Guardian's Dave Simpson: four out of five stars, describing the album as an often storming return to form
• USA Today's Steve Jones: said the band sounds as vibrant as ever
• Washington Post's Geoffrey Himes: found the album has the right material and the right producers
• Rolling Stone's David Wild: compared it to the Supernatural formula of Santana, where a veteran is surrounded by gifted young players
• The New York Daily News's Jim Farber: said the guests refreshed the band rather than overwhelming it
• The Daily Telegraph's Ben Thompson: said the band holds its own alongside some of the biggest names of the 21st century

Records

• US Billboard 200: debuted and peaked at number 32
• US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart: number eight
• First week sales of 29,000 copies
• Earth, Wind & Fire's highest-charting album since 1987's Touch the World
• Japan Oricon chart: number 61
• Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album
• Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best R&B/Soul Album, Group, Band or Duo
• NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Duo or Group for the band
• "The Way You Move" with Kenny G, lead single: number 12 on Adult Contemporary
• "Show Me the Way" with Raphael Saadiq: number 16 on Adult R&B Songs, Grammy nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
• "Pure Gold": number 23 on Adult Contemporary and number 15 on Adult R&B Songs
• "To You" with Brian McKnight: number 16 on Adult R&B Songs and number 29 on Smooth Jazz Songs

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "This Is How I Feel" was featured in the movie Hitch, and "Love's Dance" in the feature film Robots
• "Pure Gold" was featured in the movie Roll Bounce
• The New York Daily News's Jim Farber wrote that the guests, including Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, did not overwhelm the band
• "Show Me the Way" was Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
• The album also peaked at number 61 on the Oricon Charts in Japan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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