This Time (Al Jarreau album)

This Time is the fourth studio album by Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, released in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. The release marked a change in Jarreau's sound to a more R&B-oriented flavor. As a result, the album achieved more success on the mainstream charts than his previous works, while also topping the Jazz Charts. It also reached #6 on the R&B charts and #27 on the Billboard 200. " In 1981 "Never Givin' Up" gave Jarreau a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.

This Time marked Jarreau's first foray into the top 40 on the Hot 200 or top ten on the R&B charts, as well as his first #1 on the Jazz charts. His next album would prove even more successful, topping both the Jazz and R&B charts.

Track listing

 * 1) "Never Givin' Up" (Tom Canning, Jarreau) – 3:56
 * 2) "Gimme What You Got" (Tom Canning, Jarreau) – 3:43
 * 3) "Love Is Real" (Tom Canning, Jarreau, Tom Kellock) – 4:23
 * 4) "Alonzo" (Jarreau) – 5:25
 * 5) "(If I Could Only) Change Your Mind" (Tom Canning, Allee Willis) – 4:16
 * 6) "Spain (I Can Recall)" (Chick Corea, Jarreau, Artie Maren) – 6:31
 * 7) "Distracted" (Jarreau) – 5:51
 * 8) "Your Sweet Love" (Tom Canning, Jarreau, Tom Kellock) – 4:13
 * 9) "(A Rhyme) This Time" (Jarreau, Earl Klugh) – 3:42

Charts & Awards
"Never Givin' Up" peaked at #26 R&B, while "Distracted" and Gimme What You Got" peaked at #61 and #63 on the R&B charts.

"Never Givin' Up" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male in 1981, Jarreau's first nomination in the R&B field. It lost to Jarreau's Warner Bros. labelmate George Benson for the Give Me the Night album, who had recently undergone a similar change in sound.

Personnel

 * Al Jarreau – lead vocals, background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7), vocal percussion (1, 4), rhythm arrangements (1-4, 7, 8, 9)
 * Greg Mathieson – rhythm arrangements (1), acoustic piano (1), string synthesizer (1, 3, 4, 5)
 * Tom Canning – rhythm arrangements (1, 2, 5, 8), Fender Rhodes (2, 4, 5, 8), acoustic piano (3, 5, 8), bells (8)
 * David Foster – acoustic piano (2), Fender Rhodes (3, 9)
 * Michael Omartian – string synthesizer (2, 8)
 * Larry Williams – synthesizer (3, 6, 8), Fender Rhodes (6)
 * Steve George – synthesizer (7)
 * George Duke – Fender Rhodes (8)
 * Jay Graydon – synthesizer programming (1, 2, 3, 5, 8), electric guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8), rhythm arrangements (2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9)
 * Oscar Castro-Neves – acoustic guitar (1)
 * Dean Parks – electric guitar (3, 5)
 * Earl Klugh – acoustic guitar (9), rhythm arrangements (9)
 * Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar (1-9)
 * Ralph Humphrey – drums (1, 4, 5, 9), percussion (4)
 * Carlos Vega – drums (2, 3)
 * Steve Gadd – drums (6, 7, 8)
 * Earl Lon Price – saxophone (7)
 * Jerry Hey – horn arrangements (1, 3, 7), flugelhorn (1, 2, 7, 8), trumpet (3, 7)
 * Chuck Findley – trumpet (3, 7)
 * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (3, 7)
 * Tom Kellock – rhythm arrangements (3)
 * Les Thompson – harmonica solo (5)

Production

 * Producer – Jay Graydon
 * Engineers – Joe Bogan and Jay Graydon
 * Second Engineer – Debbie Thompson
 * Recorded at Dawnbreaker Studios (San Fernando, CA).
 * Remixed and Overdubbed at Garden Rake Studios (Sherman Oaks, CA).
 * Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Mastering Studios (Los Angeles, CA).
 * Art Direction – Richard Seireeni
 * Cover Photography – Richard Avedon
 * Sleeve Photography – Michael Rice and Susan Jarreau
 * Still Life – Harry Mittman