Bonafide (Maxi Priest album) explained

Bonafide
Type:Studio
Artist:Maxi Priest
Cover:Bonafide (Maxi Priest album).jpg
Border:yes
Released:29 June 1990
Recorded:1989−90
Length:53:07
Label:Charisma
Prev Title:Maxi / Maxi Priest
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:Best of Me
Next Year:1991

Bonafide is the fourth studio album by the English pop/reggae singer Maxi Priest.[1] [2] It was released in 1990 by Charisma Records.[3] The album peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, while its biggest hit, "Close to You", was a smash, peaking at number one that year.

Three other singles were issued: "Human Work of Art" ("Close to You"'s predecessor, which did not chart in the US), "Just a Little Bit Longer" (a minor hit at 62) and "Space in My Heart" (failed to chart). However, the success of "Close to You" (a gold single on 30 October 1990) drove the album to gold status, which it received on 30 January 1991 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Critical reception

The AllMusic review by Ron Wynn stated: "Priest scored a #1 pop hit with 'Close to You' from this album, which is more pop/R&B with a reggae touch than it is real reggae."[4] The Los Angeles Times wrote that the album "avoids the scattershot syndrome that often afflicts projects with multiple producers."[5] The Milwaukee Sentinel called Bonafide a "tour de force" and "smooth, seductive, stylistic and very, very addictive."[6]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1990)Peak
position
Australia ARIA Charts[7] 25
UK Albums Chart[8] 11
US Billboard 200[9] 47

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Maxi Priest | Biography & History. AllMusic.
  2. Norment . Lynn . Sounding Off . Ebony . Feb 1991 . 46 . 4 . 14.
  3. Web site: Jet's Top 20 Albums. Jet. November 5, 1990. Johnson Publishing Company. Google Books.
  4. Wynn, R. AllMusic Review accessed July 4, 2012
  5. News: Snowden . Don . Reggae's Maxi Priest Wins Mainstream Favor . Los Angeles Times . 21 Feb 1991 . F7.
  6. News: Tanzilo . Robert . `Bonafide' success . Milwaukee Sentinel . 14 Sep 1990 . 14.
  7. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia. pdf.
  8. Web site: MAXI PRIEST | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. www.officialcharts.com.
  9. Web site: Maxi Priest . https://web.archive.org/web/20211006041432/https://www.billboard.com/music/maxi-priest . Oct 6, 2021 . Billboard.