The Right Stuff (album) explained

The Right Stuff
Type:	studio
Artist:	Vanessa Williams
Cover:	Vanessa Williams - The Right Stuff.png
Recorded:	1986–1987
Genre:	Pop R&B^[1]
Label:	Wing
Producer:	Amir Bayyan David Paul Bryant Lewis A. Martinee Donald Robinson Larry Robinson Darryl Ross Rex Salas
Next Title:	The Comfort Zone
Next Year:	1991

The Right Stuff is the debut studio album by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams. It was released on June 6, 1988, by Wing Records. It includes the singles "The Right Stuff", "(He's Got) The Look", "Dreamin'", and "Darlin' I". The album and its singles were well received by both the urban and pop markets. It was eventually certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 and earned Williams three Grammy Award nominations.

Singles

The album's first and second singles, "The Right Stuff" and "He's Got the Look", hit top 10 on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs; "The Right Stuff" peaked within the top five at number four and number one on the US Dance Songs chart. The third single, "Dreamin'", was a pop hit, becoming Williams's first top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and her first number one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[2] "Darlin' I" was the forth and final single, earning her a third top 10 R&B hit and top ten on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.

Personnel

• Produced by Amir-Salaam Bayyan, David Paul Bryant, Lewis A. Martineé, Donald Robinson, Larry Robinson, Darryl Ross, Rex Salas
• Additional [background] vocals: Chuckii Booker, Johnny Gill (track 1), Niki Haris (tracks 2, 7, 10), Rachelle Ferrell (track 3), Kipper Jones (tracks 1, 2, 8)
• Engineers: Mike Bona, David Bianco, Gerry Brown, Craig Burbridge, Peter Dlugokencky, Michael Frenke, Lewis A. Martinee, Allen Scott Plotkin, Paul Scott, Steve Shepherd, Mike Tarsia, Steve Van Arden, Erik Zobler, Jared Held
• Assistant engineers: Sabrina Burchanek, Cliff Jones, Bob Loftus, Gill Morales, Adam Silverman, Dennis Stefani, John VanNest
• Mixing: Rick Alonso, David Bianco, Lewis A. Martinee, Donald Robinson, Mike Tarsia, Erik Zobler, Jared Held
• Remixing: Rod Hui
• Mix assistant: Steve Holroyd
• Editing and post-production: Ed Eckstine, Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, Christopher Shaw, Hank Shocklee, Bill Stephney

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)! scope="col"

Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[3]	66

Chart (1989)! scope="col"

Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[4]	32

Notes and References

1. Web site: CD Review: Vanessa Williams, "The Real Thing". Pop Dose. Robert. Cass. June 2, 2009. November 18, 2023.
2. Web site: Vanessa Williams Chart History. Billboard. 2019-05-23.
3. Web site: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1988 . Billboard . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201029213341/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1988/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums . October 29, 2020.
4. Web site: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989 . Billboard . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200726083753/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1989/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums . July 26, 2020.