Workin' Overtime
Workin' Overtime is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on June 6, 1989 by Motown. It was Ross' first Motown album with new material since To Love Again (1981), after Ross left the label for a then record breaking $20 million deal with RCA. Upon Diana's return to the label, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr. had sold the label to MCA Records and had positioned Jheryl Busby to the head of Motown. Ross was at first reluctant to return to her old label but Gordy promised her a lot in her return: not only would Ross return to Motown as a recording act, but she would be the label's part-owner.
| Workin' Overtime | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 6, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–1989 | |||
| Genre | New jack swing[1] | |||
| Length | 39:53 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | Nile Rodgers | |||
| Diana Ross chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Workin' Overtime | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | C+ [3] |
Ross reunited with collaborator Nile Rodgers - who had co-produced her most commercially successful album to date Diana - to make this album which was an attempt to gear her to a much younger audience bringing in new jack swing productions and house music.
Upon its release, Workin' Overtime received negative reviews from music critics and failed commercially despite the title track reaching number three on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. The album peaked at number 116 on the Billboard 200 album chart, earning the distinction of being the lowest charting studio album of Ross' entire solo career. Additional singles "This House" and "Bottom Line" were issued, as well as a Shep Pettibone remix of "Paradise", but all failed to revive the album's sales.
Background
Following the release of her album Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987), Ross gave birth to her son Ross and became pregnant with Evan, which caused her to go on a hiatus from work. "I stayed off work for about a year... I was having my babies, and during that time I spent a lot of time watching BET on television, the kids doing the hip-hop and so on... and, you know, I’m a risk taker," Ross said.[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Workin' Overtime" |
| 4:17 |
| 2. | "Say We Can" |
| 4:20 |
| 3. | "Take the Bitter with the Sweet" |
| 3:51 |
| 4. | "Bottom Line" |
| 4:05 |
| 5. | "This House" |
| 5:34 |
| 6. | "Paradise" |
| 3:54 |
| 7. | "Keep On (Dancin')" |
| 4:33 |
| 8. | "What Can One Person Do" |
| 3:18 |
| 9. | "Goin' Through the Motions" |
| 3:54 |
| 10. | "We Stand Together" |
| 5:07 |
Credits and personnel
|
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- Brown, Joe (August 13, 1989). "The Divas With the Die-Hard Fans". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- Wynn, Ron. "Workin' Overtime - Diana Ross", AllMusic, All Media Network. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
- Christgau, Robert. "Workin' Overtime > review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- Nathan, David. The Soulful Divas: Personal Portraits of Over a Dozen Divine Divas, from Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin & Diana Ross to Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston & Janet Jackson, Billboard Books, ISBN 9780823084302, Google Book Search, 1999.
- Workin' Overtime (liner notes). Diana Ross. Motown. 1989. MOT-6274.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "British album certifications – Diana Ross – Workin' Overtime". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Workin' Overtime in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
External links
- Workin' Overtime at AllMusic
- Workin' Overtime at Discogs (list of releases)
