The Promise (Earth, Wind & Fire album)

The Promise is the eighteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire released in May 2003 on Kalimba Music. The album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.

Overview
The Promise was executively produced by Maurice White. Artists such as Angie Stone, The Emotions, Gerald Albright and Paulinho Da Costa featured on the LP. The album's cover art was also designed by Morito Suzuki.

"Where Do We Go from Here" and "Dirty" were originally recorded during the I Am sessions and remixed for this album. "Dirty", in particular, in its original form with blues legend Junior Wells, already appeared on the 1992 box-set The Eternal Dance.

Singles
The track "All in the Way" featuring The Emotions reached No. 13 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 25 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

The songs, "Never" and "Why?" peaked at Nos. 17 and 19, respectively, on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. "Hold Me", produced and written by Tim & Bob, reached No. 28 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. "Hold Me" was also Grammy nominated for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

Critical reception
People called The Promise a "musically rich 17-track set (including five trademark instrumental interludes) that blows away most of today’s R&B." With a three out of five star rating Chairman Mao of Blender proclaimed that EWF "maintains their trademark buoyancy on a classy collection of mid-tempo numbers and sweeping ballads." Rob Theakston of AllMusic gave a three out of five star rating and declared the album is "extremely soulful and soothing". With a 3.5 out of five star rating Steve Jones of USA Today wrote "with horn-kissed ballads and infectious jazz funk grooves, the band seems to have regained its spark". Renee Graham of the Boston Globe noted that "unfussy and sincere, this is well-crafted R&B for grown ups". David Peschek of The Guardian also gave a 4 out of five star rating and described The Promise as "17 tracks of immaculately smooth, meticulously detailed mid-tempo pop-soul and thoroughly intoxicating in its lushness."

Personnel
Earth, Wind & Fire
 * Philip Bailey – backing vocals (1, 2, 16), lead vocals (2, 5, 8, 9, 12)
 * Maurice White – lead vocals (1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 14, 16), backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 16), kalimba (1, 13, 15), horn arrangements (1, 14), vocals (13, 15)
 * Verdine White – bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16)
 * Ralph Johnson – percussion, backing vocals, drum programming (13, 15)

Additional musicians
 * Wayne Vaughn – keyboards (1, 11), drums (1, 11), backing vocals, horn arrangements
 * Gregory Curtis – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 16), keyboards (2, 4, 5, 9, 16), drum programming (2, 4, 9, 16)
 * Preston Glass – keyboard programming (3)
 * Robert Brookins – backing vocals (5, 12), keyboards (12), drum programming (12)
 * Alan Hewitt – keyboards (6)
 * Bill Meyers – acoustic piano solo (6)
 * Tim Kelley – keyboards (8), bass (8), drums (8), drum programming (8), arrangements (8)
 * Freddie Ravel – acoustic piano (9)
 * Raymond Crossley – keyboards (13, 15)
 * Wayne Linsey – keyboards (13, 15)
 * Myron McKinley – keyboards (14), rhythm section arrangements (14)
 * Tom Mgrdichian – keyboards (14), string arrangements (14)
 * Greg "G-Mo" Moore – guitars (1, 11, 12)
 * Eric Walls – guitars (2, 16)
 * Darrell Crooks – guitars (4, 9)
 * Chris Rodriguez – guitars (5)
 * Bob Robinson – guitars (8)
 * Carlos Rios – guitars (14)
 * Cameron Marcarelli – additional drum programming (3, 5)
 * John Paris – drums (5, 12, 14)
 * Daniel de los Reyes – percussion (2, 16)
 * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (4, 9)
 * Daryl "Munyungo" Jackson – percussion (11)
 * Gary Bias – saxophones (1, 5, 9, 11, 12), flute (11)
 * Gerald Albright – alto sax solo (4, 9)
 * Valerie King – flute (11)
 * George Bohanon – trombone (1, 11)
 * Reggie Young – trombone (1, 5, 9, 11, 12, 14)
 * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (5, 9, 12)
 * Andy Martin – trombone (14)
 * Ray Brown – trumpet (1, 11, 12, 14), horn arrangements (1, 5, 14), flugelhorn solo (12), flugelhorn (14)
 * Michael "Patches" Stewart – trumpet (1, 11, 14), flugelhorn (14)
 * Gary Grant – trumpet (5, 9, 12)
 * Jerry Hey – trumpet (5, 9, 12), horn arrangements (5, 9, 12)
 * Oscar Brashear – trumpet (14), flugelhorn (14)
 * Tollak Ollestad – harmonica (12, 14)
 * Benjamin Wright – horn arrangements (11)
 * Sheila Hutchinson – backing vocals (1, 4, 11)
 * Howard McCrary – backing vocals (1, 11)
 * Wanda Vaughn – backing vocals (1, 5, 11)
 * Fred White – backing vocals (4, 12, 14)
 * Angie Stone – lead vocals (5)
 * B. David Whitworth – backing vocals (5, 12)
 * Krystal Johnson – backing vocals (8)

Production

 * Ron Ellison – A&R direction
 * Maurice White – executive producer, producer (1, 2, 4-9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17)
 * Philip Bailey – executive producer (8, 12)
 * Wayne Vaughn – producer (1, 11), additional recording
 * Preston Glass – producer (2, 3)
 * Gregory Curtis – producer (4, 9, 16), additional recording
 * Paul Klingberg – producer (7), additional production (13, 17)
 * Tim Young – producer (8)
 * Bob Robinson – producer (8)
 * Robert Brookins – additional production (12)
 * Ralph Johnson – producer (13)
 * Cameron Marcarelli – recording, assistant engineer
 * Dave Dolimar – additional recording
 * Andrew Haller – additional recording
 * Will Mercer – additional recording
 * Jason Carson – assistant engineer
 * Dmitar Krijnac – assistant engineer
 * Dexter Simmons – mixing (1, 2, 16)
 * Paul Klingberg – mixing (3-7, 9-15, 17)
 * Tim Kelley – mixing (8)
 * Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc (Hollywood, California)
 * Herb Powell – A&R coordinator
 * Richard Salvato – production coordination, management
 * ja:Morito Suzuki – cover design
 * K.C. Blinn – art direction
 * Art Macnow – management

Charts
Singles