Always You is the fourth studio album by American singer James Ingram, released on May 25, 1993, by Qwest Records.[1] Executively produced by Benny Medina,[1] it reached number 27 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart.[2]
Promotion
The album cut, "Someone Like You", reached number 33 on the US BillboardAdult Contemporary chart.[3]
Rolling Stone's David Wild gave the album a three out of five stars rating, exclaiming: "A great popular singer who suffers from a lack of image, James Ingram is unlikely to change that position much with the release of Always You." He cited Ingram's decision to work with producers Thomas, Bell and White a "strange combo works, though."[6] Sonia Murray of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that Ingram had "assembled another album ready for much airplay. Always You is consistently him. A collection of ballads and massage-like mid-tempo songs, his latest effort shows that Mr. Ingram knows what works for him and why. Thanks to his painstaking care with every lyric, even gushy cuts like "Always You" and "A Baby's Born" come off as convincing."[8] Phyl Garland of Stereo Review wrote: "Others might shout, bark, growl, scream and rap their way through recordings, but James Ingram has such a superb voice that it's enough to simply hear him sing [...] He is presented here in tastefully fashioned romantic settings that permit him to display his irresistible way with a ballad. There is no huffing, puffing, or grunting. Instead, Ingram is permitted to cast a spell with his velvety voice as he interprets several quality songs [...] While Ingram is a masterly balladeer, this does not mean that he is technically limited. Without disrupting the mood he has created, he deftly weaves in some dazzling vocal effects a la Al Jarreau or George Benson. He does so without ever breaking his cool, and that is the mark of a real master."[9]
Cathy Carmode of the Deseret News felt that "Ingram's new collection is a keeper because it's so listenable, not because any of the songs is particularly remarkable. Albums so consistently pleasant and enjoyable are ones that shouldn't be let go.
When I want to complete a task or spend some time with a friend or sweetheart, and want some soothing, pleasant background music, I don't want to have to get up and fast forward through a song that breaks that mood. Always You is appropriate for just that sort of purpose, if not for more intent listening."[7] With a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating Greg Simms of the Dayton Daily News remarked that Ingram's collaborators on Always You amount to "a little embellishment on this album. Indeed, helping Ingram produce a group of songs is like helping Carl Lewis run the 100 -meter dash. Ingram is a welcome throwback to the days when crooners just stepped up to the microphone and let their voices go. The idea was just to sing sweetly and let the audience appreciate a fine voice. That's what Always You is all about." Simms also added "Ingram treats his listeners right. There is no way to go wrong with Always You."[5]
Chart performance
Always You reached number 27 on the Blues & Soul Top British Soul Albums chart.[2] In the US, the album was less successful, reaching number 74 on the Billboard 200.[10]
