One to One

One to One is the third studio album released by American R&B singer and songwriter Syreeta Wright in February 1977 by Motown. It serves as her first album Wright released where former husband Stevie Wonder did not oversee most of its production, instead only being involved with the song "Harmour Love", which was released as a single. Background By the time of its release, Wright was a noted yet overlooked artist on the Motown label. Initially established as a session backing vocalist for such Motown stars such as Diana Ross and the Supremes and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, she also had gained recognition in the music industry for co-writing several of the label's hit singles including The Spinners' "It's a Shame" and her first husband Stevie Wonder's hits, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" and "If You Really Love Me", and also writing the lyrics to most of Wonder's compositions for his albums, Where I'm Coming From, Music of My Mind, and Talking Book. Wright's first two albums of her own merit, Syreeta and Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta, were critically acclaimed releases but didn't gain any commercial success, though the latter album found success with several of its numbers becoming hits in the United Kingdom. In 1975, Wright and Wonder wrote and produced a reggae-flavored love song titled "Harmour Love". Because Wonder was busy working on his own ambitious project, Songs in the Key of Life, Wright decided to work on most of the material of her third album without him. Hip-hop group G-Unit sampled "I Too Am Wanting" in their single "Smile" from their debut album Beg for Mercy. Rapper Curren$y's hip-hop group, Jet Life, also takes a sample of "I Too Am Wanting" in their song "1st Place", released as the first single from their collaboration album Jet World Order (2011). Recording Hiring Leon Ware, with whom she had worked with in the past, and her then-second husband bassist Curtis Robertson Jr., to help collaborate on her next album, Wright decided to take production duties herself for the first time in her career. Most of the material was recorded at Motown's recording studios in Los Angeles, California and was inspired by a 1975 trip to Ethiopia where Wright served three months as a "transcedental meditation" teacher. Upon her return, Wright began to wear braids and was emotionally inspired by her three-week stay. Wright and Robertson wrote most of the songs with Ware arranging the music and production.