Description
Relationships is the fifth studio album by the American gospel and R&B/soul duo Bebe & Cece Winans, released on Sparrow Records in 1994. Also manufactured and distributed by Capitol Records.
BeBe and CeCe Winans have nearly perfected a slippery trick. They sing about God, sell millions of records doing so, don’t often mention Him by name, yet have support enough from gospel and R&B camps to top both album charts with their last album, ‘Different Lifestyles‘.
A good part of that trick is in the presentation. Their message is often couched in the double entendres of God-as-lover songwriting. If the Winans’ theology is founded on Song of Solomon as well as the Gospels, the context many soft urban radio listeners may take their tunes (as man-woman love songs) at least plants seeds where others aren’t called to sow.
Their music itself has always aimed square at sophisticated soul fans who may or may not be churched. Give them something that sounds like Freddie Jackson and Patti Labelle got converted, however, and they’ll swing with it.
What those BeBe and CeCe fans have been swinging to, over their previous four albums, has largely been the musical productions of Keith Thomas. With ‘Relationships’, the Winans/Thomas relationship is missing in action. In his stead are other renowned names like Rhett Lawrence, Arif Mardin, David Foster and Cedric Caldwell. The result is sometimes an even lusher sound that could well broaden their pop following.
Insofar as the album title, those relationships can be interpersonal, as on «What Abouts» (where an apologetic BeBe fights climactic orchestration), or global, as in «We Can Make a Difference» (melodically, the weakest thing here). «He’s Always There» and «(If I Was Only) Welcomed In» make the case for the most important, vertical relationship. [It might be their most evangelistic work to date.]
Respite from all this mellow comes in some saucy, yet adult, dance twirlers. «Count It All Joy» is modified swingbeat, but «Night and Day» and «Right Away» should pep up the feet more joyously still. (The latter is a delicious disco revisitation.)
Of course, the siblings’ voices are still major draws, too. They might not be pushing themselves as far nor as often vocally as on ‘Lifestyles’, although CeCe sounds a smidgen stronger, (as if doing a Christmas album and some rest between did them good.)
No potentially gimmicky duets, a rare writing credit from CeCe and the usual smoothness fans have come to know make ‘Relationships’ an album which should bond in many a heart. [Jamie Lee Rake, CCM, October 1994]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/relationships/724451253)
CD tracklist:
01. Intro – Count It All Joy – 6:31
02. Love Of My Life – 4:54
03. Don’t Let Me Walk This Road Alone – 4:17
04. Both Night & Day – 4:24
05. Stay With Me – 4:51
06. He’s Always There – 3:50
07. Right Away – 4:53
08. If Anything Ever Happened To You – 4:18
09. These What Abouts – 5:00
10. (If I Was Only) Welcomed In – 5:14
11. We Can Make A Difference – 3:45
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Sparrow Records.
A full-page advertisement for Bebe & Cece Winans’ Relationships was featured in the September 1994 issue of CCM Magazine.
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