Duophonic is the debut album by American vocal duo Charles & Eddie, released in 1992. The album has influences of "classic Northern soul of the '60s and '70s", and includes the worldwide smash hit "Would I Lie to You?" along with two further singles: "NYC (Can You Believe This City?)" and "House Is Not a Home".
Critical reception
Amy Linden from Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A, writing, "By laying silky harmonies on top of gritty hip-hop beats, gospel organ fills, and languid guitars, Charles & Eddie’s Duophonic creates an R&B paradise." Terry Staunton from NME felt it "turns out to be a most assured debut split fairly neatly between upbeat funk and well-crafted ballads that manage to avoid the usual sentimentality." He concluded, "It's a fine testament to two young men who are set to become one of the most important soul discoveries of the decade."
Track listing
Personnel
Charles Pettigrew – lead vocals (1-4, 6, 7, 8, 10-13), backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10-13), all vocals (5) Eddie Chacon – lead vocals (1-4, 6, 7, 8, 10-13), backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 7, 10-13), all vocals (9), percussion (13) Amp Fiddler – organ (1-4, 8, 12), acoustic piano (1, 3), Wurlitzer electric piano (1, 8), clavinet (2, 4, 12), Rhodes (2, 3, 5, 6) Garry Hughes – strings (1, 3, 7, 8, 12), loops (2), programming (2, 3, 8, 11), sampling (5), keyboard programming (5), percussion (7), clavinet (8), Rhodes (8, 11), keyboards (11) Josh Deutsch – loops (2), programming (2), guitars (12) Ed Tuton – loops (2), programming (2) Greg Smith – additional programming (3) Paul Gordon – keyboards (10), organ (10) Paul Griffin – organ (10, 13) Chris Bruce – guitars (1, 2, 10) Jean-Paul Bourelly – guitars (2, 9) David Fiuczynski – guitars (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12) Jeff Anderson – bass (1-4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12) Lonnie Hillyer – wah bass (4), guitars (13), bass (13) Yossi Fine – bass (11) Gene Lake – drums (1-4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12) Carla Azar – drums (10) Daniel Sadownick – percussion (1-4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12) Andy Snitzer – saxophone (5, 12) Michael Davis – trombone (5, 12) Kent Smith – trumpet (5, 12) Lani Groves – backing vocals (2, 11) Vaneese Thomas – backing vocals (2, 3, 11) Andrew Wyatt – backing vocals (2, 3, 11) Barry Carl – backing vocals (3)
Production
Producer – Josh Deutsch
Additional track production on tracks 6, 8 & 11 – Andy Dean and Ben Wolff
Production assistance and technician – Artie Smith
Engineers – Michael Christopher and Ed Tuton
Additional engineer – Bradshaw Leigh
Assistant engineers – Shannon Carr, Suzanne Dyer, Phil Klum and Joe Warda. Mixing – Femi Jiya and Ed Tuton Mixed at The Hit Factory, Electric Lady Studios and Sound On Sound Recording Studio (New York, NY). Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk (New York, NY). Project coordination – Janice Prendergast Art direction and design – Icon (21) Photography – Richard Lohr Styling – Cathy Casterine Management – Tony Smith and Patty Spinks at Hit & Run America.
Samples
"NYC (Can You Believe This City?)" samples "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield