Our Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs list looks at a singer and songwriter. She got her start singing in the 70s. She is known for singing r&b, soul, jazz, dance and pop music. She was one of the first Latinas to earn crossover success in an Urban/Pop world. Angela Bofill was compared to singer Phyllis Hyman. They had to compete for the same audiences because they had similar styles. Some of her hits include “Angel of the Night,” “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “Tonight I Give In,” “I Try,” “Let Me Be the One,” “Break It to Me Gently” as well as others.
Angela Tomasa Bofill was born May 2, 1954. She grew up listening to Latin music as well as African American music. She studied classical music as a child. She began her professional career when she was a teenager. She performed with Ricardo Morrero & the Group and the Dance Theater of Harlem chorus. While she was singing with the Dance Theater of Harlem chorus, she met Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen from GRP Records. They signed her to their label where she released her first album.
Angie was released in 1978. The album peaked at number 20 on the R&B charts and number 47 on the Billboard 200 charts. It features the single “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter.” The album was a hit for the songbird. Angel of the Night was released in 1979. The album would go on to sell more records than her previous work. The album peaked at number 10 on the R&B charts and number 34 on the Billboard 200 charts. It features the singles “What I Wouldn’t Do (For the Love of You),” “Angel of the Night,” “People Make the World Go ‘Round” and “I Try.”
Something About You came out in 1981. She ended up switching labels when she recorded this album. She signed with Arista Records. She worked with Narada Michael Walden. He was most famous for writing with her famous label mate Whitney Houston. The album peaked at number 13 on the R&B charts and number 61 on the Billboard 200 charts. It features the singles “Something About You,” “Time to Say Goodbye,” “Holdin’ Out for Love,” “Only Love,” “Break It to Me Gently” and “You Should Know By Now.” Too Tough came out in 1983.
This album performed better than her last album. It peaked at number six on the R&B charts and number 40 on the Billboard 200 charts. It features the singles “Too Tough,” “Rainbow Inside My Heart,” “Tonight I Give In” and “Song for a Rainy Day.” Teaser was released in 1983. The album peaked at number 20 on the R&B charts and number 81 on the Billboard 200 charts. The album features the singles “I’m on Your Side,” “Gotta Make It to You,” “Special Delivery” and “Call of the Wild.”
Let Me Be the One came out in 1984. David Frank and Mic Murphy from the group the System produced the album. She changed up her style to fit with the 80s. The album peaked at number 39 on the R&B charts. It features the singles “Can’t Slow Down,” “No Love in Sight,” “Let Me Be the One,” “Love Me for Today” and “Who Knows You Better.” Tell Me Tomorrow was released in 1985. George Duke produced the album. The album peaked at number 53 on the R&B charts. It features the singles “Tell Me Tomorrow,” “(If You Wanna Love Me) You’re On,” “I Don’t Wanna Come Down (From Love)” and “Still in Love.”
Intuition came out in 1988. It features the singles “I Just Wanna Stop,” “Everlasting Love” and “Love Is in Your Eyes.” I Wanna Love Somebody was released in 1988. It peaked at number 51 on the R&B charts. It features the albums “I Wanna Love Somebody,” “Never Too Much,” “Te Amo” and “I Still Believe in Love.” Love in Slow Motion came out in 1996. It features the singles “Slow Motion,” “Real Love,” “Galaxy of My Love” and “Guess You Didn’t Know.” This is the last album she recorded before she had a stroke.
Angela Bofill had the potential to be a bigger star than she was. She went on to make history by being one of the first Latina singers to have crossover success in the Urban/Pop world. She had to compete with artists like Phyllis Hyman, Teena Marie, Randy Crawford, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker as well as others. She had to cut her career short because of her health issues, but she deserves her flowers for what she accomplished in music. Our list is a chance for her to receive the recognition she deserves. Our Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs list features her best songs.
# 10 – Something About You
The first song on our Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs list is “Something About You” from the album of the same name. The song has an r&b beat. The cautious song is about her not wanting to get involved in another relationship because her heart was broken many times. She meets the one person who changes her mind. There are things about him that she realizes she finds irresistible. She decides to take a chance on him and fall in love. The lyrics give her a chance to show her vulnerable side. She decides to let down her guard and fall in love again.
The song will hit you differently if you have been hurt by love before. You might feel the way she did and put your walls up. This song will encourage you to get back into the dating game. She will give you the strength to let down your guard. The track was recorded during the post-disco era so you can still hear a little bit of the disco sound in it. The music is too good to ignore.
They throw everything at you and that’s a good thing. The melody is similar to Cheryl Lynn’s hit “Got to Be Real” and Mariah Carey’s “Emotions.” If you close your eyes, you can hear the similarities to those songs. Angela Bofill’s voice is flawless on this track. She sings the bouncy track as if it were a ballad. She projects her voice throughout the song. Angela Bofill sings in two octaves in the song. She sings in her soprano voice as well as in her lower soprano voice.
# 9 – I Just Wanna Stop
The next song on our Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs list is “I Just Wanna Stop” from the album Intuition. The song has a jazz beat. The plaintive song is about a woman who wants to tell the man she used to be with that she wants to be back with him. She lets him know that her world isn’t right without him. She wants to stop so she could let him know how she really feels about him. She doesn’t want to waste another day without telling him how she feels about him. If you want to tell a former lover how you feel, you can use this song to guide you. She can do the speaking for you.
Gino Vannelli recorded this song before Angela Bofill. This is one of his biggest hits so she took a chance covering his song. She kept the concept of the song the same. She sings it from a woman’s point of view instead of a man’s point of view. Gino Vannelli’s version sounds like soft rock and jazz music while Angela Bofill’s version sounds like a mix of jazz and r&b music.
The horn section dominates Angela Bofill’s version of the track when it opens. Once she starts singing, the music gets lower. Angela Bofill sings the song with a lot of passion. Gino Vannelli sings the song with more soul, but she sings the song with more passion. His voice is a little stronger than hers on his version of the track, but she sounds beautiful. She does save some surprises for the end. She holds notes that he doesn’t hold in his version. Despite the issue we had with her vocals, she did a very good cover of the song. She may not make you forget Gino Vannelli’s version, but her version is worth checking out.
# 8 – Too Tough
The longing song is from the album of the same name. The song has an r&b beat. The desirous song is about a woman who is interested in a man who people think isn’t good enough for her. He is considered a tough guy who will hurt her. She doesn’t want to listen to the warnings because she wants to be with him anyway. She will take the chance of getting hurt because she wants to be with him. Women who have been in love with people who other people don’t approve of will know exactly what she means when she talks about her man in this song. She doesn’t want to miss out on a chance to be with the man she loves. She wants to follow her heart.
This track gives Angela Bofill a chance to make people dance. She sings a lot of ballads so this gave her a chance to change things up by doing an up-tempo song. She made the right call because this song was a hit for her. “Too Tough” was one of Angela Bofill’s biggest dance and r&b hits. The song has excellent production. The music fits in with the 80s sound. The music is vintage without sounding too dated. The track is very bass heavy and that was a wise choice.
The song is similar to Prince’s style of music. This song was recorded decades ago, but it can still get people on the floor to dance. She sounds sassy on this song. She gives this song the right amount of attitude that it deserves. She sings the song in her upper register. Her vocals soar up to the sky. She commands your attention until the song is done. The song could be a little shorter, but other than that it’s a good song that will have you on the floor dancing.
# 7 – What I Wouldn’t Do (For the Love of You)
The unrequited song is from the album Angel of the Night. The song has an r&b beat. The regretful song is about a woman who loses the love of her life. She wants to do anything she can to get him back. She wishes she could turn back time and let him know how much he means to her. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to get him back in her life. If you’ve lost a love, then you know you aren’t alone. If you have ever regretted letting someone go, Angela Bofill is singing this song to you. It may feel like the songwriter was following you around and getting your thoughts about this subject.
This song was recorded during the disco era so it has a disco sound. The music is similar to The S.O.S. Band’s song “Just Be Good to Me.” The verses sound similar to “Object of My Desire” by the group Starpoint. The midtempo song will give you a chance to move around to it. This song was overshadowed by “Angel of the Night,” but it’s worth checking out. The music is infectious and hypnotizing.
The piano, horn section, the strings and the drums dominate the song. Angela Bofill’s vocals will amaze you. She shows versatility on this song. She sings in two octaves throughout the song. She starts the song in her upper register and sings the chorus in her lower register. She belts in the chorus and she sounds incredible. She doesn’t hold any notes, but she didn’t need to do that. The background singers do an excellent job keeping up with her.
# 6 – Break It to Me Gently
The heartwrenching song is from the album Something About You. The song has an r&b beat. The tearful song is about a woman who doesn’t believe that her relationship is ending. If he’s going to leave her, she wants him to be kind about it. Her heart can’t take him hurting her by leaving.
She’s in love with him and doesn’t want him to leave. She doesn’t want him to cause her any unnecessary pain. She wants him to leave her with her pride and spare her feelings. This love song is unique because she loves him and doesn’t want him to break her heart. She’s not alone in this thing called love. No one wants the person they love to break their heart by leaving them. The best thing to do is break the news gently.
As we mentioned in our Top 10 Cissy Houston Songs list, Angela Bofill covered this track. Cissy Houston recorded the song before she did. We also mentioned that Angela Bofill’s version is arguably the best-known version of the song so we had to add it to her list. Angela Bofill’s version has an r&b and jazz sound to it. She is at home with this type of music. The music is soft and gentle. The instrumentation is superb on this song.
The music sounds romantic so you could forget this is a heartbreaking song about the end of a relationship. If you listen to the music, it sounds like a romantic track. It’s time to talk about Angela Bofill’s vocals. Her vocals are stellar on this track. She shows excellent control over her voice. She starts the song softly and then she reaches for the stars. She chose to sing this song without any background singers. It was a good decision because she is the star of the track.
# 5 – Angel Of The Night
The next song on our Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs list is “Angel of the Night” from the album of the same name. The song has an r&b and disco sound. The upbeat song is about someone who will be there for you. She’s the angel who will look out for you. She is the guardian of love. If you need an angel in your life, this song is exactly what you need. You can interpret the lyrics the way you see fit. She doesn’t come out and say the angel appearing is for a lover. The angel could be for a friend or a relative. The songwriter kept the meaning vague so you can take from the track what you want.
The song has a bumping disco beat. It starts with the string section. The song begins slowly and then picks up the pace after the first chorus. The song comes alive once it becomes a disco jam. The music is impossible to listen to without dancing to it. The song practically commands you to get up and move around to it. The producers made the right choice to start the song off softly and let it build up to a bouncy jam.
The musicians added a Latin flare to the track to take her back to her roots. Angela Bofill had the opportunity to sing Latin lyrics with this party song. She uses the last part of the song to sing in Spanish. You could easily forget that she has a Latin background because she sings most of her tracks in English. She sounds very mature on this track. She recorded this song in her 20s and she sounds like she was in the business for years.
# 4 –This Time I’ll Be Sweeter
The brokenhearted ballad is from the album Angie. The song has an r&b and soul beat. The poignant song is about a woman who loses the man she loves. She makes a promise to him that she will be a different person if she gets him back. She lets him know that she will love him better this time around. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes she made when they broke up. She wants to show him how much she cares about him. Men are usually the ones who sing about wanting to be better for the women they love. This song gives men a chance to hear a woman promise to do the same thing for them.
Different artists recorded the song. Martha Reeves, Linda Lewis, SuZanna Teo, Roberta Flack, Angela Bofill, Isaac Hayes, Maxine Miller, Nia Peebles, and Deniece Williams as well as other artists covered this track. Angela Bofill’s version might be the most recognizable track. We’re not surprised because this song hits all of the right notes. The music is perfect for the track.
The song has a somber beat, which is perfect for the sincere lyrics. The guitar is unmistakably beautiful. The violin gives the song a beautiful touch. Angela Bofill seems to be channeling her inner Martha Reeves. She sings the lyrics similar to Martha Reeves. This song appears on her debut album, but she sounds like she was in the business for a long time. Angela Bofill didn’t sing this song with background singers. She sang it alone and we applaud her for that decision. Her vocals are strong on this track. She holds brilliant notes at the end of the song. She definitely saved the best for last on this song.
# 3 – I Try
The silky song is from the album Angel of the Night. The song has an r&b and jazz beat. The bitter song is about her relationship ending. She lets him know that she did everything she could for him, but it wasn’t enough. She wants him to know that he’s hurting her. She wants the pain to stop. She wants him to open up to her if he wants to prove that he cares for her. She lets her man know that she is trying her best to make their relationship work even though he wants to hurt her. The song will do something to you if you can relate to it. This is the type of track you can listen to when you are hurting and need something to make you feel better.
“I Try” is the type of song that will never get old. It can still be heard on quiet storm radio. Fans of smooth r&b and jazz music have most likely heard this track at one point in their lives. Angela Bofill did such a phenomenal job on this track that other artists have covered it. Will Downing, Peabo Bryson, Leela James and Maysa covered her song. Angela Bofill proved that people can rarely outdo original songs. Her version is arguably the best version of this song.
The music caters to her vocal strength. The musicians know when to play softly and when to build up to a crescendo. Angela Bofill utilizes her vocal ability. She goes up and down throughout the song. She is in her 20s, but she sounds more mature than her years. She holds notes in every key that she sings in and we applaud her for doing that.
# 2 – Tonight I Give In
The amorous song is from the album Too Tough. The song has an r&b and soul sound. The compassionate song is about her falling in love. She’s ready to give in to her feelings for the man she loves. She is ready to take the relationship to the next level. She talks about loving her man in a way that sounds sensual and not distasteful. This is the jam that you can play when you want to have a romantic night with the person you love. Things might heat up between you and your lover once this song is playing. This is perfect bedroom music. This track will allow you to give in to your feelings.
The lyrics are amazing. This song will never get old. As long as people continue to fall in love, this type of song will never go out of style. The music is tender and smooth. It will keep you in a trance until the end of the song. The arrangement of the song is beautiful. There are other versions of this ballad, but nothing compares to hearing Angela Bofill’s song.
She sounds seductive on this track as she tells her man that she’s ready to be with him. She uses her 3 ½ octave range on this track. She sings from the top to the bottom of her voice. It will be hard not to sing the song with her. She has an instrument that’s a gift from God. Angela Bofill sings her heart out on this song. This flawless track could have been number one, but we went in a different direction for the top spot.
# 1 – Let Me Be the One
The number one song on our Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs list is “Let Me Be the One” from the album of the same name. The song has an r&b and soul sound. The sentimental song is about her wanting a guy to be with her. She’s been thinking about the guy and wants to be with him. She feels she’s waited too long for him to choose her. She doesn’t want him to deny his feelings for her because he’s the only one wants. The lyrics are written in a way that doesn’t make her come off desperate. She wants him to be in her life.
The song is the perfect blend of soul, jazz and synth pop. The producers did a fantastic job with the arrangement of the song. David Frank and Mic Murphy (from the group the System) produced this gem. This music is similar to their tracks. If you listen to the song carefully, you may notice the musical style is similar to their music. There is a saxophone solo in the middle of the song that shouldn’t be missed. Angela Bofill co-wrote this track and she did a wonderful job staying in character with it.
She sings the song as if it were to someone in her life. Her vocals are stellar. She sings in her 3 ½ octave range on this song. She knows when to switch up the tone of her voice. She goes up and down without missing a beat. She tries to turn the song into a power ballad after the bridge. She holds beautiful runs at the end of the song. This underrated song deserves to be at the top of our list.
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Top 10 Angela Bofill Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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