Millennium (Earth, Wind & Fire album)

Millennium is the sixteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in September 1993 on Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, No. 39 on the US Billboard 200, No. 18 on the Japanese Pop Albums chart and No. 29 on the Dutch Album Top 100. Millennium has also been certified Gold in Japan by the RIAJ.

Overview
Millennium marked the band's return after 21 years to Warner Bros. Records. The album was also produced by EWF's founder and leader Maurice White.

Artists such as Prince and Ronnie Laws appeared on the LP.

Critical reception
With 4 out of 5 stars the Buffalo News commented "EW&F, one of the few groups that kept black popular music alive when disco ruled, has poured new life into a proven musical formula. Its latest project contains a plethora of kalimbas, blaring horns, and converging Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms. Add the stratospheric voices of EW&F founder Maurice White, and star-lead vocalist Philip Bailey, and behold: a revamped re-creation of the message-laden, massaging tunes the band was known for in its heyday." Steven Wine of the Associated Press claimed "Millennium is EWF's best record since their artsistic peak in the 1970s, when such albums as Gratitude and That's the Way of the World deftly mixed R&B,funk and jazz." Tom Sinclair of Vibe proclaimed that EWF "demonstrate they still have the knack for constructing mellifluous R&B on the visonary/romantic tip".

Paul Willistein of The Morning Call wrote "There are more than half a dozen standouts among the disc's 16 tracks, making this a must have for longtime fans." Renee Graham of The Boston Globe noted that Millennium "returns the band to its funk/r&b roots". With a three out of four star rating James T. Jones IV of USA Today found that the band "returned to their trademark sound: snappy horns, kalimba (thumb piano), falsetto harmonies, Afro-Cuban influences, instrumental interludes and philosophical lyrics." Derek Ali of the Dayton Daily News gave a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating saying "With its Millennium album, Earth, Wind & Fire proves its one of those rare groups that can maintain a musical style for several decades while keeping pace with today's sounds". Gary Graff of the Detroit Free Press wrote "EWF returns to the joyous R&B that made it famous, landing smooth if not exactly landmark results." Andy Gill of The Independent stated "if it's an old-style R&B sensibility you're after, the new Earth, Wind & Fire album may be just the ticket."

The Buffalo News placed the album on its list of the best R&B/Hip-Hop albums of 1993. Millennium was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award within the category of Best R&B/Soul Album - Group, Band or Duo.

Singles
The track "Sunday Morning", earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Released as a single, it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, No. 20 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 35 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The album cut "Spend the Night" reached Nos. 36 and 42 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively.

Covers
The Prince-penned track, "Super Hero", was covered by the New Power Generation featuring the Steeles for the soundtrack to the film Blankman.

Personnel
Earth, Wind & Fire
 * Philip Bailey – backing vocals (1-3, 5-7, 9-15), lead vocals (3, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14), vocals (8, 12)
 * Maurice White – kalimba, percussion, lead vocals (1-3, 5-7, 9-15), backing vocals (1-3, 5-7, 9-15), drum programming (2), synth horn arrangements (6, 7), vocals (8, 12), arrangements (8, 14), horn arrangements (12)
 * Sheldon Reynolds – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals (1-3, 5-7, 9-15), synth bass (1, 2), rhythm programming (1, 3, 5, 9, 13, 15), keyboard programming (2), synthesizer programming (2), drum programming (2, 10), additional programming (12), synthesizers (15)
 * Verdine White – bass guitar
 * Ralph Johnson – percussion
 * Andrew Woolfolk – saxophones
 * Gary Bias – saxophones
 * Reggie C. Young – trombone
 * Ray Brown – trumpet

Additional musicians
 * Nicky Brown – keyboards (1, 10), synthesizers (3, 15), rhythm arrangements (10)
 * Michael McKnight – synthesizer programming (1-3, 5-7, 9-15), rhythm programming (1, 3, 9, 15), keyboard programming (2), keyboards (7), synth bass (7, 14), drum programming (7, 14), synth horn arrangements (7), arrangements (14), synthesizers (15)
 * Bill Meyers – keyboards (4, 16), acoustic piano (5), synthesizers (5, 11, 12, 15), rhythm programming (5), horn arrangements (5, 10, 12, 15), synth horn and string arrangements (11), acoustic piano solo (13), synth bass (15)
 * Freddie Ravel – synthesizers (5, 8), breath synthesizer solo (5, 8), synthesizer arrangements (5), drums (8), percussion sound design (8), arrangements (8),
 * Don Wyatt – keyboards (6, 11, 14), synth bass (11)
 * Darnell Spencer – synthesizer programming (6), synth bass (6), drum programming (6), rhythm arrangements (6)
 * Rex Salas – keyboards (7), synthesizer programming (7), synth bass (7), drum programming (7), rhythm arrangements (7)
 * Burt Bacharach – additional keyboards (7)
 * Claude Gaudette – additional keyboards (7)
 * David Lawrence – keyboards (9), rhythm programming (9)
 * Prince – keyboards (12), drum programming (12), backing vocals (12), rhythm arrangements (12)
 * Frankie Blue – synthesizers (13), synthesizer programming (13), rhythm programming (13)
 * Brad Cole – synthesizers (13)
 * Thom Bell – keyboards)14)
 * Michael Thompson – guitars (1, 2, 5, 12, 14)
 * Jorge Strunz – acoustic guitar (8)
 * Dimitric Collins – drum programming (11, 14)
 * James "Timbali" Cornwell – percussion (1, 9)
 * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 15), additional percussion (8)
 * Dan Higgins – saxophones (1, 9, 12)
 * Gerald Albright – saxophones (5, 7)
 * Larry Williams – saxophones (12)
 * Ronnie Laws – sax solo (15)
 * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (1, 9, 12)
 * Gary Grant – trumpet (1, 9, 12)
 * Jerry Hey – trumpet (1, 9, 12), horn arrangements (1, 9)
 * Michael "Patches" Stewart – trumpet (2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 15)
 * Tom "Tom Tom 84" Washington – horn arrangements (2, 13)

Strings (Tracks 3 & 5)
 * Tom Tom 84 – arrangements (3)
 * Bill Meyers – arrangements (5)
 * Bruce Dukov – concertmaster
 * Larry Corbett, Steve Erdody and Suzie Katayama – cello
 * Bob Becker, Roland Kato and Herschel Wise – viola
 * Ron Clark, Bruce Dukov, Henry Ferber, Armen Garabedian, Berj Garabedian, Endre Granat, Clayton Haslop, Peter Kent, Dimitrie Leivici, Sid Page, Barbra Porter and Haim Shtrum –

Production

 * Maurice White – producer (1-14, 16)
 * Freddie Ravel – producer (8)
 * Frankie Blue – producer (13)
 * Bill Meyers – producer (15)
 * Paul Klingberg – recording
 * Guy DeFazio – additional engineer
 * Ray Blair – assistant engineer
 * Mark Fergesen – assistant engineer
 * Judy Kirschner – assistant engineer
 * Keith Kresge – assistant engineer
 * Terry Reiff – assistant engineer
 * Lee Watters – assistant engineer
 * Mick Guzauski – mixing (1-3, 5, 7, 9-11, 13-15)
 * Vachik Aghanisntz – mixing (4, 8, 16)
 * Keith Cohen – mixing (6, 12)
 * Jeff Graham – mix assistant (1-3, 5, 7, 9-11, 13-15)
 * Anas Allaf – mix assistant (4, 8, 16)
 * Tommy Daugherty – mix assistant (6, 12)
 * Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc (Hollywood, California)
 * Art Macnow – project supervisor
 * Richard Salvato – album coordinator
 * Reiko Yoshida – artwork coordinator
 * Kim Champagne – art direction
 * Tadanori Yokoo – illustration
 * Terushia Tajima – computer supervisor
 * Bob Cavallo – management