Album IntroductionAffection is the debut studio album by Lisa Stansfield, released in October 1989 on Arista Records and produced by Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, who had previously worked with Coldcut. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, Stansfield had come to attention through the Coldcut collaboration People Hold On (1989) before this debut album established her as one of the most commercially successful British soul artists of the era. The album sold over 5 million copies worldwide and reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single All Around the World — one of the most immediately recognisable British soul singles of the late 1980s — reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 3 in the United States, making Stansfield one of the few British female soul artists to achieve a major American crossover at that time. The album also includes a cover of The Spinners' Mighty Love (1974), demonstrating Stansfield's deep roots in the classic American soul tradition. Stansfield's voice — warm, technically accomplished and with a natural soul quality that draws on the classic Philly and Motown traditions — gives the album a consistency and emotional depth that has helped it endure well beyond its original commercial moment.Stand-Out Tracks All Around the World — One of the most immediately recognisable British soul singles of the late 1980s and the song that defined Stansfield's career; a warm, driving soul-pop track with a lyric of romantic searching and a production of complete commercial precision. UK No. 1. US No. 3. This Is the Right Time — One of the album's most melodically generous and emotionally direct tracks; a warm, mid-tempo soul song that showcases Stansfield's voice at its most controlled and expressive, and one of the most immediately replayable and emotionally satisfying moments on the record. Live Together — A driving, rhythmically confident soul-pop track that gives the album one of its most energetic and commercially effective moments; the production is crisp and contemporary and Stansfield's vocal is completely assured, making it one of the album's most immediately appealing tracks. Mighty Love — The Spinners' 1974 Philadelphia soul classic; Stansfield's reading is warm and completely at ease with the song's gospel-influenced production, and demonstrates her ability to inhabit classic soul material with complete conviction and give it a contemporary context without sacrificing its emotional directness. What Did I Do to You? — The album's most emotionally intense and vocally demanding track at nearly six minutes; a slow, atmospheric soul ballad that gives Stansfield the opportunity to demonstrate the full power and expressiveness of her voice in a context of sustained emotional and musical intensity. Record Details Artist: Lisa Stansfield Title: Affection Year: 1989 Label: Arista Records / BMG Catalogue No.: 210379 Format: Vinyl LP Pressing: UK pressing Genre: Soul / R&B Decade: 1980s Barcode: 4007192103799 ConditionCondition: G/VG — see our Condition Grading Guide.Browse our 1980s Vinyl collection, our full Vinyl Records range, or our Compact Discs.
