Naughty is the second solo album by American R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1980.

Overview

By the early '80s Chaka Khan and producer Arif Mardin had a great working relationship that was responsible for her hit solo debut, 1979's Chaka... Naughty presents the two in a more centered working relationship... most of Naughty represents Khan in a holding pattern, without much material to accommodate her widening range. That being said, Naughty is only a few songs away from being a bona fide classic. Three singles were released from Naughty: the club hit "Clouds" (penned by Ashford & Simpson, who also wrote Chaka's "I'm Every Woman"). "Clouds" features background vocals performed by a 16-year-old Whitney Houston and her mother Cissy Houston (US R&B #10), "Get Ready, Get Set" (#48) and the big hit "Papillon (a.k.a. Hot Butterfly)" (#22). The album track "Our Love's in Danger" featured prominent background vocals from Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston.

Chart performance

On Billboard's charts, the album reached #6 on Black Albums, #43 on Pop Albums. Naughty garnered Khan her first American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist at the 8th American Music Awards in 1981. Following the release of Naughty, Khan reunited with Rufus for the recording of 1981's Camouflage. Her third solo album, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me, followed later that same year.

Reissue

Naughty finally saw a United States CD re-release in 1998 as part of the Warner Bros. Black Music Ol' Skool series.

Legacy and impact

Naughty was ranked at number 65 on The 80 Greatest Albums of 1980 by Rolling Stone magazine.

Track listing

Personnel

Track 1 “Clouds” Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Charlotte Crossley, Cissy Houston, Mark Stevens, Whitney Houston Track 2 “Get Ready, Get Set” Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens Bass – Willie Weeks Electric Piano – Don Grolnick Guitar – Steve Khan Guitar, Soloist – Hiram Bullock Track 3 "Move Me No Mountain" Backing Vocals – Chaka Khan, Cissy Houston Guitar, Sitar, Soloist – Jeff Mironov Guitar, Soloist – Phil Upchurch Tuba – Robert Stewart, David Bargeron, Howard Johnson, Joseph Daley Track 4 “Nothing's Gonna Take You Away” Backing Vocals – Luther Vandross, Mark Stevens, Hamish Stuart Guitar – Steve Khan Percussion – Sammy Figueroa Track 5 “So Naughty” Bass – Marcus Miller Track 6 “Too Much Love” Bass – Mark Stevens Guitar, Soloist – Hiram Bullock Percussion – Naná Vasconcelos, Sammy Figueroa Track 7 “All Night's All Right” Violin [Electric] – Noel Pointer Track 8 “What You Did” Bass – Mark Stevens Guitar – Hiram Bullock Percussion – Sammy Figueroa Tuba – Robert Stewart, David Bargeron, Howard Johnson, Joseph Daley Track 9 “Papillon (Aka Hot Butterfly)” Backing Vocals – Cissy Houston, Luther Vandross, Mark Stevens, Ullanda McCullough, Hamish Stuart Bass – Willie Weeks Harmonica, Soloist – Hugh McCracken Piano – Don Grolnick Alto Saxophone, Soloist [Alto Fill] – Eddie Daniels Track 10 “Our Love's in Danger” Backing Vocals – Charlotte Crossley, Cissy Houston, Hamish Stuart, Luther Vandross, Mark Stevens, Whitney Houston Synthesizer – Richard Tee

Production

Charts

Weekly charts