Destiny (Chaka Khan album)

Destiny is the sixth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1986.
"Destiny" was Khan's follow-up to the platinum-selling "I Feel for You" and was as high tech as its predecessor—symptomatically and characteristically for its period with more producers and sound engineers credited in the liner notes than musicians—but was musically more geared towards rock and pop than soul and R&B, most prominently on tracks such as "So Close", the self-penned title track "My Destiny", "Who's It Gonna Be" and "Watching the World" featuring Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals.
The album spun off five single releases, the first being "Love of a Lifetime", co-written, co-produced and featuring backing vocals by Green Gartside of British band Scritti Politti (US Pop #53, US R&B #21, UK #52). The second single "Tight Fit" was a midtempo R&B ballad, just like "Eye to Eye" from "I Feel for You" produced by Russ Titelman, which reached #28 on the US R&B chart. The satirical "Earth to Mickey" ("When are you going to land?"), featuring Khan both singing and rapping (and keyboardist Reggie Griffin rapping in the role of 'Mickey'), was released as the third single in early 1987 and only just made the Top 100 of the R&B chart, peaking at #93. The dramatic ballad "The Other Side of the World", written by Mike Rutherford of Genesis and B. A. Robertson and which had first been released as part of the "White Nights" soundtrack album in late 1985, reached #81. The fifth single "Watching the World" never charted. The album itself fared slightly better, reaching #25 on "Billboard"'s R&B albums chart, but stalling at #67 on Pop and #77 in the UK. "Destiny" however gave Khan another Grammy nomination in 1987 for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. The track "My Destiny" was used as the theme song for Richard Pryor's motion picture "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling".
The closing track, the heavily edited one minute thirty-nine seconds "Coltrane Dreams", a tribute to John Coltrane, had a backing track mainly made up of samples of Khan's voice. The actual full-length version of the track (4:54) was only released as the B-side of the 12" single "Love of a Lifetime".
"Love of a Lifetime", "Tight Fit", "Earth to Mickey" and "Watching the World" were all released as 12" singles including extended remixes.
While the success of Khan's own single releases in 1986 was limited to the R&B charts, she appeared as featured vocalist/vocal arranger on two worldwide pop/rock chart hits that same year, Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" and Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love"; on the latter she was only credited for 'vocal arrangement' in the liner notes. The song was originally recorded with Khan sharing lead vocals with Palmer but due to contractual problems between Warner Bros. Records and Island Records her own vocals were removed from the final mix.
Personnel.
Track 1 “Love of a Lifetime”<br>
Drums – Fred Maher<br>
Bass, Guitar [Additional] – Marcus Miller<br>
Guitar – Nick Moroch<br>
Keyboards [Additional] – David Lebolt<br>
Synthesizer Programmed By – David Gamson<br>
Additional Synthesizer Programming – Jason Miles, Michael Colina<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens, Green Gartside<br>
Saxophone [Alto & Solo] – Bob Gay<br>
Saxophone [Tenor] – Scott Gilman<br>
Trumpet – Matthew Cornish<br>
Track 2 “Earth to Mickey”<br>
Synthesizer, Keyboards, Guitar, Rap [Mickey's Rap Performed By] – Reggie Griffin<br>
Special Effects Editing – Arif Mardin<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens, Sandra St. Victor<br>
Track 3 “Watching the World”<br>
Drums – Phil Collins<br>
Additional Drum Sounds – David Rosenberg<br>
Bass – Pino Palladino<br>
Guitar – Dan Huff<br>
Synthesizer [Additional], Sequenced By – Joe Mardin<br>
Synthesizer, Programmed By – David Lebolt<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens, Phil Collins<br>
Saxophone [Tenor] – Michael Brecker<br>
Trombone – Tom Malone<br>
Trumpet – John Faddis, Marvin Stamm, Michael Mossman, Randy Brecker<br>
Track 4 – “The Other Side of the World”<br>
Producer, Synthesizer – Robbie Buchanan<br>
Track 5 – “My Destiny”<br>
Drums – Steve Ferrone<br>
Bass – Anthony Jackson<br>
Guitar – Randy Fredrix<br>
Keyboards, Programmed By – Philippe Saisse<br>
Track 6 “I Can't Be Loved”<br>
Keyboards, Programmed By [Synthesizer Programming], Guitar, Backing Vocals – Reggie Griffin<br>
Keyboards, Programmed By [Synthesizer Programming], Percussion [Additional] – Joe Mardin<br>
Drum Sounds – David Rosenberg<br>
Guitar – Paul Pesco<br>
Sequenced By [Additional Sequencing] – Glen Ballard, Randy Goodrum<br>
Backing Vocals – Cindy Mizelle, Sandra St. Victor<br>
String Arrangement – Arif Mardin<br>
Concertmaster [Strings] – Gene Orloff<br>
Track 7 “It's You”<br>
Keyboards, Saxophone, Guitar, Programmed By – Reggie Griffin<br>
Additional Keyboards – Tony Patler<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens, Sandra St. Victor<br>
Track 8 “So Close”<br>
Drums – David Rosenberg<br>
Synthesizer [Synthesizer Bass], Keyboards – Beau Hill<br>
Guitar – Reb Beach<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Sandra St. Victor<br>
Track 9 “Tight Fit”<br>
Drum Programming – Jimmy Bralower<br>
Synthesizer [Synthesizer Bass] – Tony Patler<br>
Guitar – Paul Pesco<br>
Keyboards, Programmed By [Synthesizer Programming] – Joe Mardin<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens, Sandra St. Victor<br>
Saxophone [Alto] – Robert Gay<br>
Track 10 “Who's It Gonna Be”<br>
Drum Programming – Bob Riley<br>
Guitar – Nick Moroch<br>
Producer, Arranged By, Synthesizer, Programmed By – Joe Mardin<br>
Synthesizer [Solo] – Reggie Griffin<br>
Synthesizer, Programmed By – David Lebolt<br>
Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens, Sandra St. Victor<br>
Timbales, Cowbell – Chaka Khan<br>
Track 11 “Coltrane Dreams”<br>
Drums – Steve Ferrone<br>
Drum Programming – Thomas Oldakowski<br>
Keyboards – Cengiz Yaltkaya<br>
Synclavier Programming – John Mahoney<br>
Saxophone [Tenor Sax Solo] – Sam Rivers<br>