Duophonic (album) explained

Duophonic is the debut album by American vocal duo Charles & Eddie, released in August 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."

Personnel

• Charles Pettigrew – lead vocals (1–4, 6–8, 10–13), backing vocals (2–4, 6–8, 10–13), all vocals (5)
• Eddie Chacon – lead vocals (1–4, 6–8, 10–13), backing vocals (2–4, 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, 6–8, 11, 12)
• Jeff Anderson – bass (1–4, 6–8, 10, 12)
• Lonnie Hillyer – wah bass (4), guitars (13), bass (13)
• Yossi Fine – bass (11)
• Gene Lake – drums (1–4, 6–8, 11, 12)
• Carla Azar – drums (10)
• Daniel Sadownick – percussion (1–4, 6, 8, 10–12)
• 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

Samples

• "NYC (Can You Believe This City?)" samples "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1992–93)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	83
US Billboard 200[1]	153

Year-end charts

Chart (1993)	Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[2]	36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[3]	73
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4]	51
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[5]	40

Notes and References

1. Charles & Eddie, TLP. Billboard. October 8, 2020.
2. Web site: Jahreshitparade Alben 1993. austriancharts.at. October 8, 2020.
3. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993. dutchcharts.nl. October 8, 2020.
4. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. German. GfK Entertainment. offiziellecharts.de. October 8, 2020.
5. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993. hitparade.ch. October 8, 2020.