...If I Ever Fall in Love: Difference between revisions

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{{about|the album|the album's title track|If I Ever Fall in Love}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox album

| name = ...If I Ever Fall in Love

Line 8 ⟶ 9:

| released = December 22, 1992

| recorded = 1991–1992

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = [[contemporary R&B|R&B]]

| length = 49:00

| label = [[MCA Records|MCA]]

| 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 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 (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). [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 (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 - September 1, 1992 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://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=https://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=https://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=https://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==

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{{Shai}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:If I Ever Fall in Love}}