Illumination (Earth, Wind & Fire album)

Illumination
Studio album by
Earth, Wind & Fire
ReleasedSeptember 20, 2005
Recorded
Length60:04
LabelSanctuary
Producer
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
Love Songs
(2004) 		Illumination
(2005) 		Playlist: The Very Best of Earth, Wind & Fire
(2008)
Singles from Illumination
  1. "The Way You Move"
    Released: 2004
  2. "Show Me The Way"
    Released: 2004
  3. "Pure Gold"
    Released: 2005
  4. "To You"
    Released: 2005

Illumination is the nineteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire. It was released on September 20, 2005 by Sanctuary Records.[1] Guest artists Big Boi, Kenny G, Kelly Rowland, will.i.am, Floetry and Brian McKnight are featured on Illumination.[1] The album rose to number eight on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 32 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Illumination was also Grammy nominated within the category of Best R&B Album.[2][3][4] It is the final Earth, Wind & Fire album to feature their founder and co-lead vocalist Maurice White.

Promotion

"The Way You Move" featuring Kenny G was issued as the album's lead single. it reached number 12 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart.[5] Second single "Show Me the Way" featuring Raphael Saadiq rose to number 16 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[6] "Pure Gold," Illumination's third singles, rose to number 23 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary singles chart and number 15 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[7][8] Fourth and final single "To You," which featured Brian McKnight, reached number 16 upon the US Adult R&B Songs chart and number 29 on the US Smooth Jazz Songs chart.[9][10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
About[12]
AllMusic[13]
The Guardian[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
The Times[16]
USA Today[17]

Illumination was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 12 reviews.[11] Bill Lamb of About gave the album a four out of five star rating. He found that Illumination was a "truly classic package" that "effortlessly straddles the divide between classic and contemporary R&B."[12] Dave Simpson of The Guardian gave a four out of five star rating, describing the album as "an often storming return to form."[14] Steve Jones of USA Today noted that with Illumination Earth, Wind & Fire was "as vibrant as ever."[17] Jim Farber of The New York Daily News felt that "their latest work features production and/or guest appearances from current hit makers like Will I. Am from the Black Eyed Peas, Big Boi from OutKast, Kelly Rowland from Destiny's Child, plus Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq and others. All these guests haven't overwhelmed Maurice White's great band. They've just freshened it up. Singer Philip Bailey sounds as buttery as ever, and the band's tart horn arrangements and melodies extend the buoyancy and pleasure of their hits."[18]

Ben Thompson of The Daily Telegraph wrote "Illumination does find them successfully holding their own alongside some of the biggest names of the 21st century."[19] David Wild of Rolling Stone proclaimed "Illumination, taps into Santana's now-familiar Supernatural formula: Give a veteran great a hip replacement by surrounding it with lots of gifted youngbloods. On Illumination, the formula works well largely because the parties involved — including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq and Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am — seem to sincerely treasure the EWF sound. "[20] Geoffrey Himes, writing for Washington Post, found that Illumination has "the right material and the right producers [...] The Earth, Wind & Fire voices and horns are given contagious hooks for their retro sound, while underneath, the producers cook up new beats for a new century."[21] Raymond Fiore of Entertainment Weekly declared Illumination "a fluid, unforced marriage of modern beats and retro, horn-lined soul,"[22] while Antony Hatfield of BBC Music called the album a "great all star team effort, which should appeal to fans of all concerned."[23]

Accolades

Illumination was Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Album. The album was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award in the category of Best R&B/Soul Album – Group, Band or Duo. As well Earth, Wind & Fire was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Duo or Group.[4][24][25] "Show Me the Way" was also Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[4]

Commercial performance

The album debuted and peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 and number eight on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first week sales of 29,000 copies.[26] It was Earth, Wind & Fire's highest-charting album since 1987's Touch the World.[27] The album also peaked at number 61 on the Oricon Charts in Japan.[28]

Uses in other media

"This Is How I Feel" was featured in the movie Hitch and "Love's Dance" was featured in the feature film Robots. "Pure Gold" was featured in the movie Roll Bounce.[29]

Track listing

Illumination track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Lovely People" (featuring will.i.am)
  • will.i.am
  • Keith Harris
  • will.i.am
  • Harris
4:28
2."Pure Gold"
4:40
3."A Talking Voice (Interlude)" (all vocals performed by Philip Bailey)BaileyBailey0:19
4."Love's Dance"
  • Harris
  • Lewis
  • Tony L. Tolbert
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis4:28
5."Show Me the Way" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)
  • Saadiq
  • Taura Jackson
Saadiq7:47
6."This Is How I Feel" (featuring Kelly Rowland, Big Boi & Sleepy Brown)
Organized Noize4:21
7."Work It Out"
  • Sir James Bailey
  • Jackson
  • Saadiq
  • Kelvin Wooten
Saadiq4:29
8."Pass You By"
  • Jackson
  • Saadiq
Saadiq4:59
9."The One"
  • Brandon "Shug" Bennett
  • Patrick Brown
  • Samuel Christian
  • Murray
  • Wade
Organized Noize5:11
10."Elevated" (featuring Floetry)
  • Henson
  • Pelzer
4:37
11."Liberation"
Duplaix5:25
12."To You" (featuring Brian McKnight)McKnightMcKnight4:37
13."The Way You Move" (with Kenny G)
  • Antwan Patton
  • Carlton Mahone Jr.
  • Brown
Saadiq4:36
Total length:60:04
Bonus tracks[1]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Love Together" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)
  • Saadiq
  • Harris
Saadiq4:18
15."Autumn" (featuring Musiq Soulchild)  4:37
16."Let Me Love You" (featuring Floetry)   
2020 Reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Love Together"
  • Kelvin Wooten
  • Saadiq
  • Rodney Smith
Saadiq4:18
14."The Way You Move" (with Kenny G)
  • Patton
  • Mahone
  • Brown
Saadiq4:36
Bonus tracks[30]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Lovely People" (instrumental)
  • will.i.am
  • Keith Harris
  • will.i.am
  • Harris
4:29
16."Elevated" (instrumental)
  • Ambrosius
  • Stewart
  • Henson
  • Pelzer
  • Henson
  • Pelzer
4:37

Credits and personnel

EWF members and guest performances
  • Marsha Ambrosius (of Floetry) – background vocals (10)
  • Philip Bailey – lead vocals (1–2, 4, 7–8, 10, 13), background vocals (1–2, 4–5, 7–10, 12–13), bongos (6), percussion (1, 5)
  • Big Boi – rap vocals (6)
  • Sleepy Brown – lead vocals (6), piano, background vocals (9)
  • Kenny G – saxophone (13)
  • Ralph Johnson – additional percussion (11)
  • Myron McKinley – keyboards (11)
  • Brian McKnight – lead vocals, background vocals, guitar, keyboards (12)
  • Greg Moore – guitar (11)
  • Kelly Rowland – lead vocals (6)
  • Raphael Saadiq – lead vocals (5, 14), background vocals (5, 8), piano (8), percussion (5), bass played by (5, additional on 8), guitar (5, 7–8)
  • Natalie Stewart (of Floetry) – lead vocals (10)
  • Maurice White – lead vocals (1–2, 5, 8–9, 12–13), background vocals (1–2, 4–5, 7–9, 12–13), kalimba (1, 4, 10)
  • Verdine White – bass played by (1–2, 4, 6, 8, 11)
  • will.i.am – lead vocals, background vocals (1)
  • Vadim Zilberstein – additional guitar (12)
Horn section
  • Gary Bias (of EWF) – saxophone (1–2, 4–9, 13)
  • Jeff Bradshaw – horn arrangements, trombone (10)
  • Ray Brown – horn orchestrations (7)
  • Matt Cappy – horn arrangements, trumpet (10)
  • EWF Horns – additional horns performed by (13)
  • Gary Grant – trumpet (1–2, 4, 6, 9, 13)
  • Keith Harris – horn arrangements (1)
  • Jerry Hey – horn arrangements (1–2, 4, 13), horn orchestrations (6, 9), trumpet (1–2, 4, 6, 9, 13)
  • Jimmy Jam – horn arrangements (2, 4)
  • Bill Meyers – horn arrangements (5)
  • Bobby Rodriguez – trumpet (5)
  • Raphael Saadiq – horn arrangements (7–8)
  • Nolan Shaheed – trumpet (7–8)
  • Reggie Young (of EWF) – trombone (1–2, 4–9, 13)
String section
  • South Central Chamber Orchestra – strings performed by (9)
  • Charles Veal Jr. – orchestral arrangements (9)
  • Kelvin Wooten – string arrangements (5)
Additional musicians
  • Walter Afanasieff – keyboards, B3 organ played by (13)
  • Bobby Ross Avila – Rhodes electric piano (2), other keyboards, guitar (2, 4)
  • Issiah J. "IZ" Avila – drums, percussion (2, 4)
  • Junius Bervine – additional keyboards (11)
  • Preston Crump – additional bass played by (6)
  • Vikter Duplaix – drum machine, synth bass, additional keyboards (11)
  • Prescott "Glenn P" Ellison – drums (12)
  • Peter Michael Escovedo – percussion (13)
  • Keith Harris – drums, keyboards (1)
  • Darren Henson – all other instruments (10)
  • Doc Holiday – background vocals (5, 8, 12)
  • Jimmy Jam – Rhodes electric piano (4)
  • Emanuel Kiriakou – electric guitar (13)
  • Organized Noize – drum machine (6, 9)
  • Bobby Ozuna – drums, percussion (7–8)
  • Khari Parker – drums (5)
  • Keith Pelzer – all other instruments (10)
  • Neal H. Pogue – additional percussion (6)
  • Prof T. – background vocals (2, 4)
  • Dave Robbins – keyboards (6)
  • Chimere Scott – background vocals (9)
  • Shorty B – guitar (6)
  • Kelvin Wooten – keyboards (5, 7), bass played by (7)
Other arrangers
  • Walter Afanasieff – musical arrangements, rhythm programming (13)
  • Emanuel Kiriakou – music programming (13)
  • Organized Noize – music programming (6, 9)
  • will.i.am – music programming (1)

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Illumination
Chart (2005) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[31] 193
Italian Albums (FIMI)[32] 87
Japanese Album (Oricon)[28] 61
US Billboard 200[27] 32
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[33] 8

References

  1. ^ a b c Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination. Sanctuary Records. September 2005.
  2. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination (Billboard 200)". Billboard.com.
  3. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
  5. ^ "Kenny G Featuring Earth, Wind & Fire: The Way You Move". billboard.com. Billboard.
  6. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire Featuring Raphael Saadiq: Show Me The Way (Adult R&B)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  7. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Pure Gold (Adult Contemporary)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  8. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Pure Gold (Adult R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  9. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire Featuring Brian McKnight: To You (Adult R&B)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  10. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire feat. Brian McKnight (Smooth Jazz Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  11. ^ a b "Illumination by Earth, Wind & Fire". Metacriticaccess-date=July 11, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Lamb, Bill. "Earth, Wind and Fire - Illumination". About.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2005.
  13. ^ Theakston, Rob. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  14. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (September 23, 2005). "Earth, Wind and Fire, Illuminations". The Guardian.
  15. ^ Wild, David (November 28, 2005). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
  16. ^ Edwards, Mark (September 18, 2005). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination". The Times.
  17. ^ a b Jones, Steve (October 17, 2005). ""Angel": Synth-pop à la Mode". usatoday.com. USA Today.
  18. ^ Farber, Jim (September 17, 2005). "Rediscovering that fire in the belly". people.com. New York Daily News. ProQuest 305991233.
  19. ^ Thompson, Ben (September 17, 2005). "Pop CDs of the week: Susheela Raman, Ian Brown, Devendra Banhart and more". telegraph.co.uk. The Daily Telegraph.
  20. ^ "Earth, Wind and Fire: Illumination". people.com. People. December 19, 2005.
  21. ^ Himes, Geoffrey. "EARTH, WIND & FIRE "Illumination" Sanctuary". Washington Post.
  22. ^ Fiore, Raymond (September 16, 2005). "Illumination (2005) Earth, Wind & Fire". Entertainment Weekly.
  23. ^ Hatfield, Anthony (October 5, 2005). "Earth, Wind & Fire Illumination Review". bbc.com. BBC.
  24. ^ "R. Kelly earns three Soul Train award nods". today.com. Associated Press. February 2, 2006.
  25. ^ "37th Annual Image Awards nominations". variety.com. Variety. February 23, 2006.
  26. ^ Gallo, Phil (October 5, 2005). "Tune biz showing short legs". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  27. ^ a b "Earth, Wind & Fire Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  28. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  29. ^ "Earth Wind & Fire". IMDB.com.
  30. ^ Earth, Wind & Fire: Illumination. Sony Music. February 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "Lescharts.com – Earth, Wind & Fire – Illumination". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  32. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Earth, Wind & Fire – Illumination". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  33. ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
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