Just Go

Lionel Richie

Singer, songwriter, worldwide tour headliner, producer, Oscar recipient and five-time Grammy award-winning Island recording artist Lionel Richie gets into a new groove on Just Go, his first new studio album in more than two years, arriving in stores on May 19th, 2009. Just Go features some of today's biggest writers and producers, including Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Stargate and Akon, with Lionel sharing writer credits with Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Ne-Yo, Akon, Johnta Austin, and Taj Jackson. Lead single "Good Morning," produced by The Movement, blasts out to Urban AC radio today. Just Go is Lionel Richie's long-awaited follow-up to the RIAA gold Grammy-nominated Coming Home (September 2006), his previous studio album. The latter made chart history as the first top 10 album debut of his 26-year solo career, and spun off the #1 Urban AC chart hit "I Call It Love." Three weeks after the album's release, he opened a 7-week, 17-city headlining North American tour, sponsored by United Way.

Lionel Richie's most recent project was Live In Paris (September 2007), his first concert DVD, which premiered on PBS television pledge drives across the country in August 2007, as part of the prestigious Great Performances series. The concert, taped at the Bercy Arena in May 2007, was made available on DVD with 19 live songs plus lots of extras: full-length videos for two songs from Coming Home, "I Call It Love" (shot in Los Angeles by director Jessey Terrero and starring daughter Nicole Richie) and "Just For You"; plus the ultra-rare clip of "Angel," from the 2001 album, Renaissance. Bonus material also included intimate, behind-the-scenes footage of Lionel and his team preparing for the Paris show. The DVD was issued separately and as part of a deluxe two-disc package coupled with the 14-song audio CD counterpart, entitled Live: His Greatest Hits, which was also issued on its own.

Lionel Richie became a core member of the Island Records family with the release of Renaissance in March 2001, his first album for the label (and sixth overall career solo album). Since then, he has released Just For You (May 2004), the live album Encore (September 2004), Coming Home (September 2006), Sound Of the Season (December 2006, his first Christmas album), and Live In Paris (September 2007).

Lionel Richie is a pop icon who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide in his career, and has the honor of owning an Oscar and Golden Globe Award (both for "Say You, Say Me," from White Knights) and a total of five Grammys (collectively for "Truly," Can't Slow Down, and "We Are The World"). Richie has the distinction of being the only songwriter in the modern pop era to write #1 song hits over the course of nine consecutive years: 1978 ("Three Times a Lady" with the Commodores), 1979 ("Still" with the Commodores), 1980 ("Lady" for Kenny Rogers), 1981 ("Endless Love" duet with Diana Ross), 1982 ("Truly"), 1983 ("All Night Long"), 1984 ("Hello"), 1985 ("We Are the World" with Michael Jackson for USA For Africa), and 1986 ("Say You, Say Me").

Lionel Richie's string of 15 consecutive top 10 R&B hits between 1981 and 1992 (five of which hit #1) - 13 of which were consecutive top 10 pop hits (also including five #1's) - stands as one of the most enviable achievements in chart history. His countless awards, also including multiple American Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards, People's Choice Awards, ASCAP Awards, the World Music Lifetime Achievement Award, and more, were capped when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2003. Lionel Richie is an iconic artist who refuses to live off of the greatness of past laurels. Upcoming TV Performances include "CBS Sunday Morning" on May 10th. Over 100 concerts planned for 2009 in US, Europe, Australia and Asia.