A certain reverence needs to be paid toward a group that can manage to still produce interesting, soulful music well into a third decade.
Earth, Wind & Fire has endured practically everything a music group can experience and still remain true to the very essence of what made it popular.
However, those expecting a knockout traditional Earth, Wind & Fire record will be slightly disappointed with The Promise.
Though the magic of Philip Bailey and Maurice White's instantly recognizable vocals is still potent, there are a few things that Earth, Wind & Fire fanatics will immediately notice are different.
The use of drum machines as opposed to a live drummer on the majority of the record takes some of the energy and magic out of the delivery, especially when revisiting classic moments of the group's career.
Unnecessary interludes also serve more as distractions than interesting segues, and take away what little cohesiveness The Promise holds.
Individually, the songs are still well-produced and hold up on their own -- and all would be considered suitable for a smooth jazz/adult R&B setting.
Overall, The Promise still retains many of the qualities that endeared fans to Earth, Wind & Fire so many years ago -- it's extremely soulful and soothing, and the loyalists will eat this release up (especially with the renditions of older songs).
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All in the WayWanda Vaughn, Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 2 | BetchaGregory Curtis | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | WigglePreston Glass, Maurice White | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 00:38 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 4 | WonderlandChris Rodriguez, Tommy Sims, Milan Williams | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 5 | FreedomRichard Einhorn, Maurice White | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 00:41 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 6 | Hold MeSimon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, Bob Robinson, John Taylor | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | NeverGregory Curtis, Maurice White | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 8 | All About LoveLarry Dunn, Sheila Hutchinson, Wanda Vaughn, Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | Suppose You Like MeJames Bailey, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, Questlove | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 10 | She WaitsMarc Harris, Tommy Sims | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 11 | Let Me Love YouGregory Curtis, Keith Sweat | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | DirtyMaurice White | Earth, Wind & Fire | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | Why | Earth Wind & Fire | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 14 | Where Do We Go From Here | Earth Wind & Fire | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 15 | Promise 1 | Earth Wind & Fire | Play | 00:39 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 16 | Promise 2 | Earth Wind & Fire | Play | 00:27 | 1 MB | 2 MB |
| 17 | Promise 3 | Earth Wind & Fire | Play | 00:51 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 57 mins | 130 MB | |||||
| 56 mins | 399 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerald Albright | Sax (Alto), Saxophone, Soloist |
| 2 | James Bailey | Composer |
| 3 | Philip Bailey | Executive Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Gary Bias | Flute, Saxophone |
| 5 | K.C. Blinn | Art Direction |
| 6 | George Bohanon | Trombone |
| 7 | Oscar Brashear | Flugelhorn, Trombone, Trumpet |
| 8 | Robert Brookins | Drum Programming, Keyboards, Producer |
| 9 | Ray Brown | Flugelhorn, Horn Arrangements, Soloist, Trumpet |
| 10 | Jason Carson | Assistant Engineer |
| 11 | J. Fred Coots | Composer |
| 12 | Darrell Crooks | Guitar |
| 13 | Raymond Crossley | Composer, Keyboards |
| 14 | Greg Curtis | Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Gregory Curtis | Composer, Drum Programming, Engineer, Keyboards, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Paulinho Da Costa | Percussion |
| 17 | Dave Dolimar | Engineer |
| 18 | Larry Dunn | Composer |
| 19 | Earth, Wind & Fire | Primary Artist |
| 20 | Richard Einhorn | Composer |
| 21 | Robert Ellison | A&R |
| 22 | Preston Glass | Composer, Keyboard Programming, Producer |
| 23 | Gary Grant | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 24 | Steve Hall | Mastering |
| 25 | Andy Haller | Engineer |
| 26 | Marc Harris | Composer |
| 27 | Alan Hewitt | Keyboards |
| 28 | Jerry Hey | Flugelhorn, Horn Arrangements, Trumpet |
| 29 | Sheila Hutchinson | Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 30 | Darryl Jackson | Percussion |
| 31 | Ralph Johnson | Composer, Drum Programming, Percussion, Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 32 | Ralph Boyd Johnson | Percussion, Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | Tim Kelley | Mixing |
| 34 | Valarie King | Flute |
| 35 | Paul Klingberg | Mixing, Producer |
| 36 | Dmitar Krnjaic | Assistant Engineer |
| 37 | Simon LeBon | Composer |
| 38 | Wayne Linsey | Keyboards |
| 39 | Cameron Marcarelli | Assistant Engineer, Drum Programming, Engineer |
| 40 | Andy Martin | Trombone |
| 41 | Howard McCrary | Vocals (Background) |
| 42 | Myron McKinley | Keyboards, Rhythm Arrangements |
| 43 | Wallace Mercer | Engineer |
| 44 | Will Mercer | Engineer |
| 45 | Bill Meyers | Composer, Piano |
| 46 | Tom Mgrdichian | Keyboards, String Arrangements |
| 47 | Gregory Moore | Guitar |
| 48 | Tollak Ollestad | Harmonica |
| 49 | Pino Palladino | Composer |
| 50 | John Paris | Drums |
| 51 | Herb Powell | A&R |
| 52 | James Poyser | Composer |
| 53 | Questlove | Composer |
| 54 | Freddie Ravel | Piano |
| 55 | William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. | Trombone |
| 56 | Danny Reyes | Percussion |
| 57 | Nick Rhodes | Composer |
| 58 | Carlos Rios | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 59 | Robbie Robertson | Composer |
| 60 | Bob Robinson | Composer, Drum Programming, Producer |
| 61 | Chris Rodriguez | Composer |
| 62 | Leo Sacks | Inspiration |
| 63 | Richard Salvato | Production Coordination, Project Coordinator |
| 64 | Dexter Simmons | Mixing |
| 65 | Tommy Sims | Composer |
| 66 | Michael "Patches" Stewart | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 67 | Morito Suzuki | Cover Design |
| 68 | Keith Sweat | Composer |
| 69 | John Taylor | Composer |
| 70 | Ross Vannelli | Composer |
| 71 | Wanda Vaughn | Composer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 72 | Wayne Vaughn | Composer, Drum Programming, Drums, Engineer, Horn Arrangements, Keyboards, Producer, Vocal Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 73 | Eric Walls | Guitar |
| 74 | Fred White | Vocals (Background) |
| 75 | Maurice White | Composer, Executive Producer, Horn Arrangements, Kalimba, Producer, Vocal Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 76 | Verdine White | Bass |
| 77 | Milan Williams | Composer |
| 78 | B. David Witworth | Vocals (Background) |
| 79 | Ben Wright | Horn Arrangements |
| 80 | Reggie C. Young | Trombone |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |