El DeBarge is the self titled debut album by El DeBarge

El DeBarge

Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s....

. It was released in 1986 on Gordy Records (a sub-label of Motown

Motown Records

Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

 and featured the hit singles, "Who's Johnny" and "Love Always". Singer/actress Vanity

Vanity (performer)

Denise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s...

 featured on backing vocals on the track, "Secrets Of The Night". This album went gold.

Track listing

1. "Who's Johnny
   Who's Johnny
   "Who's Johnny" is a dance-pop hit recorded by El DeBarge. Released in 1986 off the Gordy label, the single was used for the film Short Circuit and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart....
   
   " (Peter Wolf, Ina Wolf) – 4:11
2. "Secrets Of The Night" (Albert Hammond, Diane Warren
   Diane Warren
   Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
   
   ) – 4:20
3. "I Wanna Hear It From My Heart" (Warren) – 4:25
4. "Someone" (Jay Graydon
   Jay Graydon
   Jay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...
   
   , Mark Mueller, Robbie Nevil
   Robbie Nevil
   Robert S. "Robbie" Nevil is an American pop singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist. He is best known for his 1986 Billboard Hot 100 #2 hit, "C'est La Vie".-Life and career:...
   
   ) – 4:45
5. "When Love Has Gone Away" (Jack Conrad, Larry Henley) – 3:08
6. "Private Line" (Diane Warren) – 3:48
7. "Love Always" (Burt Bacharach
   Burt Bacharach
   Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
   
   , Bruce Roberts, Carole Bayer-Sager) – 5:32
8. "Lost Without Her Love" (Randy Goodrum, Graydon) – 4:35
9. "Thrill Of The Chase" (Alan Roy Scott, Roy Freeland, Gary Pickus) – 3:47
10. "Don't Say It's Over" (Diane Warren) – 4:32

Reception

Jason Elias of Allmusic rated El DeBarge two-and-a-half out of five stars. He stated: "While the setup and idea are still exciting on paper, [the album] is a disappointment." He also stated that "the majority of the [...] tracks just don't do anything to enliven the product or accentuate his voice", and concluded by saying: "The fact that DeBarge didn't have a hand in producing or writing the songs all but made this ho-hum from the start."

Personnel

• El DeBarge – vocals
• Vanity
  Vanity (performer)
  Denise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s...
  
   - background vocals ("Secrets Of The Night")
• Jay Graydon
  Jay Graydon
  Jay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...
  
   – synthesizer, guitar, songwriter, arranger, producer, engineer
• Peter Wolf
  Peter Wolf (producer)
  Peter F. Wolf is a composer, producer, songwriter and arranger. He was awarded the highest honor for artists from his birth country of Austria, the Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst .- Early years :Wolf studied classical piano at Vienna’s Conservatory of Music...
  
   – keyboards, producer

Chart performance

Chart	Peak
US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	24
US Billboard Top R&B Albums	8