Never Letting Go

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B [2]

In a retrospective review for Allmusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote "...the record marked a fall-off in both her commercial success and her artistic accomplishment. The tasty studio musicians and Phil Ramone's pop-jazz production were still in place, and Snow remained a remarkable singer, but her synthesis of styles was beginning to seem not so much inspired as muddled."[1] Robert Christgau wrote of the album; "By now Snow projects a jazz singer's assurance, and the originals are still overshadowed by the covers... the tempos are invariably too reflective, and the reprises invariably too much."[2]

All songs written by Phoebe Snow, except where noted.

1. "Love Makes a Woman" (Carl Davis, Eugene Record, William Sanders, Gerald Simms) – 3:21
2. "Majesty of Life" – 3:36
3. "Ride the Elevator" – 3:55
4. "Something So Right" (Paul Simon) – 4:02
5. "Never Letting Go" (Stephen Bishop) – 3:12
6. "We're Children" – 3:01
7. "The Middle of the Night" – 3:33
8. "Electra" – 3:53
9. "Garden of Joy Blues" (Clifford Hayes) – 4:31

• Phoebe Snow – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2, 6)
• Hugh McCracken – electric guitar (1, 4, 5, 7), acoustic guitar (2, 5, 6), slide guitar(3), harmonica (3)
• Steve Burgh – electric guitar (1-9), 12-string acoustic guitar (5), acoustic guitar (6)
• Steve Khan – electric guitar (1, 3, 7, 8), 12-string electric guitar (8), electric guitar solo (8), acoustic guitar (9)
• Ken Ascher – acoustic piano (1, 7, 8), electric piano (1, 5, 7), organ (1), keyboards (3, 9), synthesizer (7), orchestration (7)
• Richard Tee – electric piano (2, 4)
• Bob James – acoustic piano (5), electric piano (6)
• Will Lee – bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 7)
• Tony Levin – bass guitar (2, 3, 4, 8, 9)
• Chris Parker – drums (1, 4-7)
• Grady Tate – drums (2, 7)
• Steve Gadd – drums (3, 8, 9)
• Ralph MacDonald – percussion (1, 2, 4, 6)
• Michael Brecker – tenor sax solo (1, 6)
• Hubert Laws – flute solo (2)
• Eddie Daniels – clarinet solo (3)
• Phil Woods – alto sax solo (5)
• William Eaton – orchestration (1, 2, 8), woodwind orchestration (4)
• Robert Freedman – orchestration (3, 5), string orchestration (4)
• David Nadien – concertmaster
• Gwen Guthrie – backing vocals (1, 4, 5)
• Lani Groves – backing vocals (1, 4, 5)
• Patti Austin – backing vocals (1, 4, 5)
• Kenny Loggins – vocals on "We're Children"

Strings

• Cello – Janet Hamilton and Charles McCracken
• Double bass – Russ Savakos
• Viola – Lamar Alsop and Emanuel Vardi
• Violin – Sanford Allen, Joyce Flissler, Harry Glickman, Marvin Morgenstern, Tony Posk, Herbert Sorkin and Carol Webb

Brass

• Bass trombone – David Taylor
• Trombone – Barry Rogers
• Trumpet and Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker, Victor Paz and Alan Rubin
• Tuba – Jonathan Dorn

Woodwinds

• Baritone saxophone – Ron Cuber
• Clarinet and Alto Flute – Ray Beckinstein, Leon Cohen, Dave Tofani and George Young
• Bass flute – Phil Bodner, Harvey Estrin, Walter Kane and George Marge
• B-Flat clarinet – Eddie Daniels
• Tenor saxophone – Michael Brecker and Eddie Daniels

• Producer and Remix: Phil Ramone
• Engineer: Jim Boyer
• Design: Gene Grief and Paula Scher