Now, Then & Forever

Now, Then & Forever is the twentieth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on September 10, 2013, by Legacy Recordings/Sony Music.^[1] The album reached No. 11 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[2][3]

Now, Then & Forever
Studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire
Released	September 10, 2013
Recorded	2012–2013
Studio	NuVintage Recording Studio A (Tarzana, California) Mungo Bungo Studio (Rancho Cucamongo, California) Blakeslee Studios and NRG Studios (North Hollywood, California) Ritesonian Recording Studio (Van Nuys, California) The Mix Room (Burbank, California) Vivrant Street (Los Angeles, California) Germano Studios (New York City, New York) Dunn-Elliott Studios TheHotPurplePettingZoo (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	R&B, funk
Length	43:21
Label	Legacy
Producer	Philip J. Bailey Philip D. Bailey Larry Dunn Myron McKinley Justin Paraniello Walt B. Neal Pogue
Earth, Wind & Fire chronology
S.O.U.L. (2013) Now, Then & Forever (2013) Holiday (2014)
Singles from Now, Then and Forever
"Guiding Lights" Released: 2012 "My Promise" Released: 2013 "Sign On" Released: 2013

Overview

This is the first Earth, Wind & Fire album without musical input from founder Maurice White, although he supplied a note in the album's liner notes:^[1]

As we see today’s technology uniting the world wide web, sometimes it seems that the hearts of men are growing more distant from each other. It is my hope that this music will continue to tie past to future, reminding us of the love that united us to our ancestors, and to our descendants, and to each other. Peace,

— Maurice White

Larry Dunn, a former Earth, Wind & Fire bandmember, features as a keyboardist on the album.^[4] A deluxe edition came coupled with a compilation album.^[5]

Singles

The track "Guiding Lights" rose to No. 16 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart and No. 30 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart.^[6][7] Another single, "My Promise", reached No. 28 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart.^[8][9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Exclaim	(8/10)[11]
Popmatters	(favourable)[12]
People	(favourable)[13]
Daily Record	(3/5)[14]
RTÉ	(4/5)[15]
Daily Mirror	[16]
Record Collector	[17]
Blues & Soul	(9/10)[18]

Matt Bauer of Exclaim gave the album an eight out of ten rating, noting that "Now, Then & Forever is a more than worthy addition to the Earth Wind & Fire catalogue."^[11] With a four out of five rating, Harry Guerin of RTÉ called Now, Then & Forever "One of the surprises of the year."^[15] Elias Leight of Popmatters wrote "Now, Then & Forever has all the old colors and grooves, an impeccable rhythm section, prominent guitars, and indomitable horns that trace and re-trace motifs, dancing rings around everything."^[12] With a three out of five stars rating, Gavin Martin of the Daily Mirror exclaimed "Elements of greatness remain but the songs aren't classics."^[16] Daryl Easlea of Record Collector gave a four out of five stars rating and found that "Now, Then And Forever, is a splendid diversion that recalls – in spirit alone, of course – Rick Rubin’s recent work with Black Sabbath. It also sounds like a lost album that should have come out after 1979’s I Am: a very shrewd approximation of the EWF we know and love, it’s crammed with sophisticated R&B, gossamer-light jazz and powerful, soulful vocals with a positive message.^[17] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave a three out of five stars rating saying "Now, Then & Forever demonstrates the lasting value of the band's classic sound."^[10] With a three out of five rating the Daily Record called Now, Then & Forever "a worthy effort, and EWF are clearly using old glories as inspiration for the future."^[14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Sign On" (Feat. Daniel McClain)	Philip D. Bailey, Sharlotte Gibson, Austin Jacobs, Daniel McClain, Neal H. Pogue, Darrin Simpson	4:17
2.	"Love Is Law"	Allen Bundy, Lee Hutson, Jr., Jairus Lemuel-Jada Mozee, Ric'key Pageot, Eric Rousseau, Meg Todd	4:20
3.	"My Promise"	Siedah Garrett, Austin Jacobs, Darrin Simpson	3:22
4.	"Guiding Lights"	Philip D. Bailey, Austin Jacobs, Daniel McClain, Darrin Simpson	6:24
5.	"Got to Be Love"	Philip D. Bailey, Philip J. Bailey, Ralph Johnson, Myron McKinley	3:41
6.	"Belo Horizonte"	Raymond Crossley, Frederick A. Johnson, Ralph Johnson, Morris O'Connor	1:50
7.	"Dance Floor"	Philip D. Bailey, Sondria Bailey, Justin Panariello	4:59
8.	"Splashes"	Philip D. Bailey, Justin Panariello	5:21
9.	"Night of My Life"	Philip D. Bailey, Jevon McGlory, Justin Panariello	4:00
10.	"The Rush"	Philip J. Bailey, Larry Dunn, Allee Willis	5:07

Target edition bonus tracks^[19]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Hero As He Rose"	Philip D. Bailey, Jevon McGlory, Justin Panariello	4:00
12.	"Whirlwind"		5:37

Best Buy bonus tracks^[20]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Can't Hide Love (Masters at Work Remix)"	Skip Scarborough
12.	"Shining Star (DJ Jin Asakusa Samba Remix)"	Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White

French bonus track^[21]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"My Promise" (featuring Omar Sy)	Siedah Garrett, Austin Jacobs, Darrin Simpson	3:25

Deluxe edition bonus tracks^[5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Boogie Wonderland" (featuring The Emotions)	Jon Lind, Allee Willis
12.	"Sing a Song"	Al McKay, Maurice White
13.	"September"	Al McKay, Maurice White, Allee Willis
14.	"Let's Groove"	Wayne Vaughn, Maurice White
15.	"Got to Get You into My Life"	John Lennon, Paul McCartney
16.	"After the Love Has Gone"	David Foster, Jay Graydon, Bill Champlin

International edition Disc 2^[22]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Can't Let Go"	Bill Meyers, Maurice White, Allee Willis
14.	"Runnin'"	Maurice, White, Larry Dunn, Eddie DelBarrio
15.	"Shining Star"	Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White
16.	"Turn It Into Something Good"	Valerie Carter, James Newton Howard, Maurice White
17.	"Power"	Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire
18.	"You And I"	Maurice White, Allee Willis, David Foster
19.	"Fantasy"	Maurice White, Verdine White, Eddie DelBarrio

Japan Limited Edition Disc 2^[23]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Can't Let Go"	Bill Meyers, Maurice White, Allee Willis
14.	"Runnin’"	Maurice, White, Larry Dunn, Eddie DelBarrio
15.	"Shining Star"	Philip Bailey, Larry Dunn, Maurice White
16.	"Turn It Into Something Good"	Valerie Carter, James Newton Howard, Maurice White
17.	"Power"	Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire
18.	"You And I"	Maurice White, Allee Willis, David Foster
19.	"Fantasy"	Maurice White, Verdine White, Eddie DelBarrio
20.	"Can't Hide Love"	Skip Scarborough
21.	"September"	Al McKay, Maurice White, Allee Willis
22.	"September (DJ KOMORI Remix)"	Al McKay, Maurice White, Allee Willis
23.	"Let's Groove (TJO & YUSUKE from BLU-SWING Remix)"	Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn

Personnel

Adapted from the album's text.^[1]

Philip Bailey — producer, executive producer, lead and background vocals, percussion Trinity Bailey — A&R Jon Barnes — trumpet Duane Benjamin — trombone Gary Bias — alto and tenor saxophones Mathieu Bitton — design Terence Blanchard — trumpet Errol Cooney — guitar Sal Cracchiolo — trumpet Tishaun Dawson — cover art, creative director Reggie Dozier — horn engineer Larry Dunn — engineer, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, handclapping, keyboards, Minimoog, Moog synthesizer, grand piano, producer, soloist, synthesizer Jennifer Feinberg — project director Chuck Findley — flugelhorn, trumpet James Ford — trumpet Matthew Fronke — trumpet Siedah Garrett — background vocals Jerry Hey — horn arrangements J.R. Hutson — producer Dr. Billy Ingram — insert photography Fred Jackson, Jr. — flute, tenor saxophone Munyungo Jackson — percussion Austin Jacobs — Producer, composer, keyboards, programming, synthesizer Ralph Johnson — drums, percussion Eric Jorgensen — trombone Wendell Kelly — trombone Paul Klingberg — engineer Nicholas Lane — trombone David Leach — percussion Daniel McClain — background vocals Jevon McGlory — background vocals

Myron McKinley — Fender Rhodes, keyboards, producer, synthesizer Justin Merrill — engineer Gregory Moore — guitar Kenny Moran — engineer, percussion engineer, synthesizer Jarius Mozee — guitars Vernon Mungo — vocal engineer Morris O'Connor — guitars Jeremiah Olvera — mixing assistant Don Pace — cover art Ric'key Pageot — keyboards, synthesizer Justin Panariello — producer John Pappenbrook — trumpet Jim Parham — project director John Paris — drums, background vocals Dave Pensado — mixing Neil Pogue — A&R Neal H. Pogue — additional production, engineer, handclapping, mixing, percussion, producer Satnam Ramgotra — tabla David Rideau — engineer Darrin Simpson — Producer, guitar, Hammond B3, handclapping, horn arrangements, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizer Damien Smith — A&R Jubu Smith — guitars Michael "Patches" Stewart — trumpet Randee St. Nicholas — photography Juan F. "Jef" Villaluna — guitar Mark Visher — baritone and tenor saxophones Wait B — handclapping, producer Verdine White — bass, executive producer, handclapping, mixing assistant B David Whitworth — background vocals, percussion Benjamin Wright — conductor, horn arrangements Reggie Young — bass and tenor trombones

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2013) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 75 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 171 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 121 French Albums (SNEP)[27] 94 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 55 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] 34 South Korean Albums (Circle)[30] 26 Italian Albums (FIMI)[31] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] 35 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 85 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[34] 96 UK Albums (OCC)[35] 25 US Billboard 200[36] 11 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[37] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[38] 80

Singles - Billboard (US)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2012	"Guiding Lights"	US Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs[7]	16
		US Billboard Adult R&B Songs[6]	30
2013	"My Promise"	US Billboard Adult R&B Songs[8]	28
		US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs[9]	30

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[39]	Gold	100,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Earth, Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever. Sony Music. September 2013.
2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
3. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
4. Music News Desk. "FIRST LISTEN: Earth, Wind & Fire's New Single 'Sign On'". broadwayworld.com.
5. Earth, Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (Deluxe ed.). Sony Music. September 2013.
6. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Guiding Lights (Smooth Jazz Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
7. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Guiding Lights (Adult R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
8. "Earth, Wind & Fire: My Promise (Adult R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
9. "Earth, Wind & Fire: My Promise (Adult Contemporary Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
10. Kellman, Andy. "Now, Then & Forever - Earth, Wind & Fire - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
11. Bauer, Matt (September 6, 2013). "Earth, Wind, and Fire: Now, Then & Forever". exclaim.ca. Exclaim.
12. Leight, Elias (September 22, 2013). "Earth, Wind and Fire: Now, Then & Forever". popmatters.com. Popmatters.
13. Arnold, Chuck (October 7, 2013). "Picks and Pans Review: Quick Cuts". people.com. People.
14. "Album Reviews: The latest tracks from Katy Perry + James Blunt + Andrea Bocelli + Earth, Wind & Fire + Polica". dailyrecord.co.uk. Daily Record. November 8, 2013.
15. Guerin, Harry (October 23, 2013). "Earth, Wind & Fire - Now, Then & Forever". rte.ie. RTÉ.
16. Martin, Gavin (20 September 2013). "The making of the man: Having survived skin cancer, the soul star put everything into his new solo album MUSIC TALK with JOHN TURRELL Music". The Daily Mirror. p. 7. ProQuest 1433951239.
17. Easlea, Daryl. "EARTH, WIND AND FIRE NOW, THEN AND FOREVER". recordcollectormag.com. Record Collector.
18. Baird, Emerys. "REVIEW EARTH, WIND & FIRE: NOW, THEN & FOREVER (SONY)". bluesandsoul.com. Blues & Soul.
19. Earth Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (Target ed.). Sony/Legacy. 2013.
20. Earth Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (Best Buy ed.). Sony/Legacy. 2013.
21. "Deezer is coming soon!". Deezer.
22. Earth Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (International Edition Disc2). Sony/Legacy. 2013.
23. Earth Wind & Fire: Now, Then & Forever (Japan Limited ed.). Sony/Legacy. 2013.
24. "Austriancharts.at – Earth Wind And Fire – Now, Then & Forever" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 04, 2013.
25. "Ultratop.be – Earth, Wind & Fire – Now, Then & Forever" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
26. "Ultratop.be – Earth, Wind & Fire – Now, Then & Forever" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
27. "Lescharts.com – Earth Wind And Fire – NOW, THEN & FOREVER (ALBUM)". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 05, 2013.
28. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved October 06, 2013.
29. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2013-09-23" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
30. "South Korea Circle Album Chart". On the page, select "2013-09-14" to obtain the corresponding chart. Circle Chart Retrieved October 19, 2013.
31. "Italiancharts.com – Earth, Wind & Fire – Now, Then & Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
32. "Dutchcharts.nl – Earth Wind And Fire – Now, Then & Forever" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
33. "Swisscharts.com – Earth Wind And Fire – Now, Then & Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 06, 2013.
34. "Spanishcharts.com – Earth Wind And Fire – Now, Then & Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
35. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
36. "Earth, Wind & Fire Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
37. "Earth, Wind & Fire Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
38. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
39. "British album certifications – Earth Wind & Fire – Now Then & Forever". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2022.