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{{about|the album|the album's title track|If I Ever Fall in Love}}
{{Infobox album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
| Name = ...If I Ever Fall in Love
{{Infobox album
| Type = studio
| Artistname = [[Shai...If I Ever Fall in (band)|Shai]]Love
| Covertype = Shai - ...If I Ever Fall in Love.jpgstudio
| artist = [[Shai (band)|Shai]]
| Released = December 22, 1992
| cover = Shai - ...If I Ever Fall in Love.jpg
| Recorded = 1991–92
| Genrealt = [[contemporary R&B|R&B]]
| Lengthreleased = December 22, = 49:001992
| recorded = 1991–1992
| Label = [[MCA Records|MCA]]
| studio =
| Producer = Carl "Groove" Martin, Darnell VanRensalier
| genre = [[contemporary R&B|R&B]]
| Last album =
| length = 49:00
| This album = '''''...If I Ever Fall in Love''''' <br/> (1992)
| Nextlabel album = ''[[RightMCA Back at ChaRecords|MCA]]'' <br/> (1993)
| producer =
* Carl "Groove" Martin
* Marc Gay
* Darnell VanRensalier
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = [[Right Back at Cha]]
| next_year = 1993
| misc = {{Singles
| name = ...If I Ever Fall in Love
| type = studio
| single1 = [[If I Ever Fall in Love]]
| single1date = September 1, 1992
| single2 = [[Comforter (song)|Comforter]]
| single2date = January 19, 1993
| single3 = Baby I'm Yours
| single3date = 1993
| single4 = Together Forever
| single4date = 1993
| single5 = Yours
| single5date = 1993
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="Erlewine"/>
| rev2 = [[Robert Christgau]]
| rev2Score = B−<ref name="Christgau"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3Score = B−<ref name="Browne"/>
| rev4 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Muze"/>
}}
'''''...If I Ever Fall in Love''''' is the [[studio album|debut album]] of American [[contemporary R&B|R&B]] group [[Shai (band)|Shai]], released December 22, 1992, on [[MCA Records]]. It was produced by group members Carl "Groove" Martin and Darnell VanRensalier.Van Rensalier.
 
The album produced three hit [[single (music)|single]]s, "[[If I Ever Fall in Love]]", "[[Comforter (song)|Comforter]]", and "Baby I'm Yours". On January 13, 1994, ''...If I Ever Fall in Love'' was certified [[RIAA certification|tripledouble platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA), for shipments of two million copies in the United States.<ref name="RIAA">[http://riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Shai&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25# RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America]. [[Recording Industry Association of America]]. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref> Although it performed well commercially, the album received generally mixed reviews from [[music criticism|music critic]]s.
 
== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
''[[Rolling Stone]]'' gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "crisp, precise harmonies that imply explosive vocal power but display few pyrotechnics", adding that "Shai joins the spiritual yearnings of [[Take Six]] with the secular pull of [[Boyz II Men]]".<ref name="Muze">[http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1103600/a/...If+I+Ever+Fall+In+Love.htm Shai - ...If I Ever Fall In Love CD Album]. [[Muze]]. [[CD Universe]]. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref> [[David Browne]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' found its [[hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[new jack swing]]-oriented songs "fussy [and] unconvincing", but praised the group's [[crooning]] and stated, "They wrap their voices like a thick shag carpet around the choruses of the album's languorous, starry-eyed ballads".<ref name="Browne">[[David Browne|Browne, David]] (January 29, 1993). [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,305397,00.html ...If I Ever Fall in Love Review | Music Reviews and News]. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="Erlewine"/>
| rev2 = [[Robert Christgau]]
| rev2score = B−<ref name="Christgau"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3score = B−<ref name="Browne"/>
| rev4 = ''[[Music Week]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Alan|last=Jones|title=Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums — Pick of the Week|work=[[Music Week]]|date=January 30, 1993|page=11|accessdate=January 29, 2023|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-01-30.pdf}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>Wood, Sam (February 9, 1993). "808 State Defies the Odds Again with a Consistently Fine Album". ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]''.</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Muze"/>
}}
''[[Rolling Stone]]'' gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "crisp, precise harmonies that imply explosive vocal power but display few pyrotechnics", adding that "Shai joins the spiritual yearnings of [[Take 6|Take Six]] with the secular pull of [[Boyz II Men]]".<ref name="Muze">[http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1103600/a/...If+I+Ever+Fall+In+Love.htm Shai - ...If I Ever Fall In Love CD Album]. [[Muze]]. [[CD Universe]]. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref> [[David Browne (journalist)|David Browne]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' found its [[hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[new jack swing]]-oriented songs "fussy [and] unconvincing", but praised the group's [[crooning]] and stated, "They wrap their voices like a thick shag carpet around the choruses of the album's languorous, starry-eyed ballads".<ref name="Browne">[[David Browne (journalist)|Browne, David]] (January 29, 1993). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090421073021/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,305397,00.html ...If I Ever Fall in Love Review | Music Reviews and News]. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref>
 
However, in his consumer guide for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', critic [[Robert Christgau]] gave the album a B-B− rating and named it "dud of the month",<ref name="Christgau">[[Robert Christgau|Christgau, Robert]] (April 6, 1993). [http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv393-93.php Consumer Guide Apr. 6, 1993]. ''[[The Village Voice]]''. [[Village Voice Media]]. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref> indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought".<ref>Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). [http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/grades-90s.php CG 90s: Key to Icons]. Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref> Christgau found the group's singing "indifferent" and panned them as having "no class and no sense of humor; they're too smarmy and too slow", adding that "They epitomize the difference between seduction and betrayal--between shared lie and imposed illusion, rascal and bounder, rogue and complete asshole. There's not a winning wink on the entire album".<ref name="Christgau"/> In a retrospective review, [[AllmusicAllMusic]] editor [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars and stated, "Apart from the gorgeous title track, most of the material on ''...If I Ever Fall in Love'' is underdeveloped; although Shai sound terrific, their material doesn't match their vocal talents"."<ref name="Erlewine">[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine|Erlewine, Stephen Thomas]] (August 1, 2003). [http://www.allmusic.com/album/if-i-ever-fall-in-love-r53378/review ...If I Ever Fall in Love - Shai: Review]. [[AllmusicAllMusic]]. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref>
 
== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
{{Tracklist
| headline = ''...If I Ever Fall in Love'' track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
 
| title1 = Sexual Interlude
| writer1 = {{hlist|Carl "Groove" Martin|Marc Gay}}
| extra1 = Carl "Groove" Martin
| length1 = 2:15
 
| title2 = Comforter
| title2 = [[Comforter (song)|Comforter]]
| writer2 = {{hlist|Martin|Gay|Darnell Van Rensalier}}
| extra2 = Martin
| length2 = 4:10
 
| title3 = If I Ever Fall in Love
| note3 = Remix
| writer3 = Martin
| extra3 = Martin
| length3 = 4:49
 
| title4 = Sexual
| writer4 = {{hlist|Martin|Gay}}
| extra4 = Martin
| length4 = 5:31
 
| title5 = Together Forever
| writer5 = Gay
| extra5 = Gay
| length5 = 5:14
 
| title6 = [[If I Ever Fall in Love]]
| note6 = Original a cappella version
| writer6 = Martin
| extra6 = Martin
| length6 = 3:09
 
| title7 = Flava
| writer7 = {{hlist|Martin|Gay|Garfield Bright|Van Rensalier}}
| extra7 = Shai
| length7 = 3:52
 
| title8 = Baby I'm Yours
| writer8 = {{hlist|Martin|Gay}}
| extra8 = Martin
| length8 = 4:34
 
| title9 = Waiting for the Day
| writer9 = {{hlist|Martin|[[Gina Go-Go|Gina "Go-Go" Gomez]]|Van Rensalier}}
| extra9 = Martin
| length9 = 4:45
 
| title10 = Changes
| writer10 = {{hlist|Gay|Van Rensalier}}
| extra10 = {{hlist|Gay|Van Rensalier}}
| length10 = 4:30
 
| title11 = Don't Wanna Play
| writer11 = {{hlist|Bright|Gay|Van Rensalier}}
| extra11 = {{hlist|Bright|Van Rensalier|Gay}}
| length11 = 5:06
 
| title12 = Lord I've Come
| writer12 = {{hlist|Van Rensalier|Gay|Bright}}
| extra12 = Shai
| length12 = 0:57
}}
 
== Personnel ==
* Bill Appleberry – keyboards
Credits for ''...If I Ever Fall in Love'' adapted from [[Allmusic]].<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/if-i-ever-fall-in-love-r53378/credits ...If I Ever Fall in Love - Shai: Credits]. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.</ref>
* Paul Brown – engineer, mixing
* Jeff Carruthers – programming
* Mario Castellanos – photography
* Jim Ebert – mixing
* James Elliott – production coordination
* Marc Gay – keyboards, producer
* Eric Greedy – assistant engineer
* Steve Hall – mastering
* Kevin Levi – saxophone
* Carl "Groove" Martin – keyboards, producer, programming
* Ken Schubert – engineer
* Darnell VanRensalier – drum programming, keyboards, producer
* Cyndra Williams – make-up
 
==Charts==
* Bill Appleberry – Keyboards
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
* Paul Brown – Engineer, Mixing
|+ Chart performance for ''...If I Ever Fall in Love''
* Jeff Carruthers – Programming
! scope="col"| Chart (1993)
* Mario Castellanos – Photography
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
* Jim Ebert – Mixing
|-
* James Elliott – Production Coordination
{{album chart|Australia|24|artist=Shai %5BUS%5D|album=If I Ever Fall in Love|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}
* Marc Gay – Keyboards, Producer
|-
* Eric Greedy – Assistant Engineer
{{album chart|Netherlands|21|artist=Shai %5BUS%5D|album=If I Ever Fall in Love|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}
* Steve Hall – Mastering
|-
* Kevin Levi – Saxophone
{{album chart|Billboard200|6|artist=Shai|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}
* Carl "Groove" Martin – Keyboards, Producer, Programming
|-
* Ken Schubert – Engineer
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|3|artist=Shai|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}
* Darnell VanRensalier – Drum Programming, Keyboards, Producer
|}
* Cyndra Williams – Make-Up
 
==SinglesCertifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''...If I Ever Fall in Love''}}
*If I Ever Fall In Love - November 10, 1992 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=Shai+If+I+Ever+Fall+in+Love |title=Shai If I Ever Fall in Love: Music |publisher=Amazon.com |date=1992-12-22 |accessdate=2013-10-06}}</ref>
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1992|certyear=1994|artist=Shai|title=If I Ever Fall in Love|access-date=October 8, 2022|refname=RIAA}}
*Comforter - January 19, 1993 <ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002PR6 |title=Comforter: Music |publisher=Amazon.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-06}}</ref>
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
*Baby I'm Yours - May 11, 1993 <ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000008KLS |title=Baby I'm Yours: Music |publisher=Amazon.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-06}}</ref>
*Together Forever - November 2, 1993 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002PTM |title=Together Forever: Music |publisher=Amazon.com |date=1993-11-02 |accessdate=2013-10-06}}</ref>
 
==Formats==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2012}}
*Cassette&nbsp;– December 22, 1992, MCA
*Vinyl&nbsp;– December 29, 1992, MCA
*Europe CD&nbsp;– January 26, 1993, Universal
*Cassette&nbsp;– March 10, 1993, MCA
*UK CD&nbsp;– March 24, 1997, Universal
*Japan CD&nbsp;– December 2, 2003, Victor
 
==References==
Line 101 ⟶ 168:
==External links==
* ''[http://www.discogs.com/Shai-If-I-Ever-Fall-In-Love/master/163173 ...If I Ever Fall in Love]'' at [[Discogs]]
 
{{Shai}}
 
{{Authority control}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:If I Ever Fall in Love}}
[[Category:1992 debut albums]]
[[Category:Shai (band) albums]]
[[Category:MCA Records albums]]
[[Category:English-language albums]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...If_I_Ever_Fall_in_Love"