The DeBarges

The DeBarges is the debut album of DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on April 6, 1981. It saw limited success and stalled on the charts; the group felt it was not properly promoted.^[4] As a result, they revisited The DeBarges by including two songs on their subsequent recordings: "Queen of My Heart" was included on their third album, In a Special Way,^[5] while "Share My World" would be included on their fourth, Rhythm of the Night.

The DeBarges
Studio album by The DeBarges
Released	April 6, 1981
Recorded	August 1980 – March 1981
Genre	R&B
Length	36:45
Label	Gordy
Producer	El DeBarge, Bunny DeBarge, Bobby DeBarge
The DeBarges chronology
The DeBarges (1981) All This Love (1982)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	A−[2]
Tom Hull – on the Web	B+ ()[3]

Track listing

Side A.

1. "What's Your Name" (Bobby DeBarge, Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge) - 4:35
2. "Dance The Night Away" (Mark DeBarge, Randy DeBarge) - 4:50
3. "You're So Gentle, So Kind" (Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge) - 4:40
4. "Queen of My Heart" (El DeBarge) - 3:49

Side B.

1. "Hesitated" (Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge, Mark DeBarge, Randy DeBarge) - 3:42
2. "Saving Up (All My Love)" (Bill Gable, Jon Lind) - 4:16
3. "Share My World" (Bunny DeBarge, El DeBarge) - 5:39
4. "Strange Romance" (Joe Blocker, Reggie Andrews) - 5:00

Personnel

The DeBarges

• Bunny DeBarge – lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1–7)
• El (Eldra) DeBarge – Fender Rhodes, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1–7), rhythm arrangements
• Bobby DeBarge – keyboards, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1–7), rhythm arrangements, horn and string arrangements
• Randy DeBarge – bass, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1–7)
• Mark DeBarge – percussion, lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1–7)

Additional personnel

• Reggie Andrews – keyboards, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements (8)
• Larry Von Nash – keyboards
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizer programming
• Todd Cochran – synthesizer programming
• Charles Fearing – guitars
• Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitars
• Nathan East – bass
• Eddie Watkins, Jr. – bass
• Ollie E. Brown – drums
• Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums
• Harvey Mason – drums
• Joe Blocker – vocal arrangements (8)
• Eric Butler – horn and string arrangements
• Clare Fischer – horn and string arrangements

Production

• Producer – Bobby DeBarge
• Co-Producers – Bunny DeBarge and Eldra DeBarge
• Engineer – Bobby Brooks
• Assistant Engineer – Michael Johnson
• Recorded and Mixed at Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA).
• Art Direction – Johnny Lee
• Design – Ginny Livingston
• Photography – Matthew Rolston

References

1. The DeBarges at AllMusic
2. Christgau, Robert. "The DeBarges". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
3. Hull, Tom (April 19, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
4. Williams, Chris. "DeBarge would skyrocket into another realm of superstardom with 1983's In a Special Way". waxpoetics.com. Wax Poetics Magazine. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
5. Williams, Chris. "DeBarge would skyrocket into another realm of superstardom with 1983's In a Special Way". waxpoetics.com. Wax Poetics Magazine. Retrieved 2015-04-22.