| Destiny | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 47:05 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer |
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| Chaka Khan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Destiny | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B[2] |
Destiny is the sixth studio album by AmericanR&B/funk singerChaka Khan, released onWarner Bros. Records in 1986.
Destiny was Khan's follow-up to the platinum-sellingI Feel for You and was as high tech as its predecessor—symptomatically and characteristically for its period with more producers and sound engineers credited in the liner notes than musicians—but was musically more geared towards rock and pop than soul and R&B, most prominently on tracks such as "So Close", the self-penned title track "My Destiny", "Who's It Gonna Be" and "Watching the World" featuringPhil Collins on drums and backing vocals.
The album spun off five single releases, the first being "Love of a Lifetime", co-written, co-produced and featuring backing vocals byGreen Gartside of British bandScritti Politti (US Pop number 53, US R&B number 21, UK number 52). The second single "Tight Fit" was a midtempo R&B ballad, just like "Eye to Eye" fromI Feel for You produced byRuss Titelman, which reached number 28 on the US R&B chart. The satirical "Earth to Mickey" (When are you going to land?), featuring Khan both singing and rapping (and keyboardist Reggie Griffin rapping in the role of 'Mickey'), was released as the third single in early 1987 and only just made the Top 100 of the R&B chart, peaking at number 93. The dramatic ballad "The Other Side of the World", written byMike Rutherford ofGenesis andB. A. Robertson and which had first been released as part of theWhite Nights soundtrack album in late 1985, reached number 81. The fifth single "Watching the World" never charted. The album itself fared slightly better, reaching number 25 onBillboard's R&B albums chart, but stalling at number 67 on Pop and number 77 in the UK.Destiny however gave Khan anotherGrammy nomination in1987 forBest R&B Vocal Performance, Female. The track "My Destiny" was used as the theme song forRichard Pryor's motion pictureJo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling.
The closing track, the heavily edited one minute thirty-nine seconds "Coltrane Dreams", a tribute toJohn Coltrane, had a backing track mainly made up of samples of Khan's voice. The actual full-length version of the track (4:54) was only released as the B-side of the 12" single "Love of a Lifetime".
"Love of a Lifetime", "Tight Fit", "Earth to Mickey" and "Watching the World" were all released as 12" singles including extended remixes.
While the success of Khan's own single releases in 1986 was limited to the R&B charts, she appeared as featured vocalist/vocal arranger on two worldwide pop/rock chart hits that same year,Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" andRobert Palmer's "Addicted to Love"; on the latter she was only credited for 'vocal arrangement' in the liner notes. The song was originally recorded with Khan sharing lead vocals with Palmer but due to contractual problems betweenWarner Bros. Records andIsland Records her own vocals were removed from the final mix.[3]
Track 1 “Love of a Lifetime” Track 2 “Earth to Mickey” Track 3 “Watching the World” | Track 4 – “The Other Side of the World” Track 5 – “My Destiny” Track 6 “I Can't Be Loved” Track 7 “It's You” Track 8 “So Close” | Track 9 “Tight Fit” Track 10 “Who's It Gonna Be” Track 11 “Coltrane Dreams”
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| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] | 49 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 50 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] | 13 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] | 26 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 77 |
| USBillboard 200[9] | 67 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 25 |
