Madam Butterfly (album)

Commercial performance

By this stage in the group's career, they had become known as a disco act due to successful singles such as "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel", "Whodunit" and "More Than a Woman." However, Madam Butterfly is noted for its lack of anything approaching disco material, and, as such, is considered to be more akin in style to the group's 1973-'75 albums than to their '76-'78 Freddie Perren-produced output.

"Never Had a Love Like This Before", one of several slow jams on the album, became a top 5 R&B hit and has subsequently become a quiet storm classic, while tracks such as "I'm Back for More" are more funk-based than listeners had come to expect from Tavares. Madam Butterfly performed respectably on the R&B chart, peaking at #13, but failed to achieve substantial sales in the crossover market. Its reputation has grown over the years and it is now considered among the group's best.

Track listing

1. "Straight From Your Heart" (Len Ron Hanks, Zane Grey) - 4:23
2. "Games, Games" (Sam Dees) - 4:30
3. "Madam Butterfly" (Johnny Simon, Kenny Stover) - 4:29
4. "Let Me Heal the Bruises" (Sam Dees) - 4:24
5. "Never Had a Love Like This Before" (Len Ron Hanks, Zane Grey) - 4:32
6. "One Telephone Call Away" (Benorce Blackmon) - 4:22
7. "My Love Calls" (Sam Dees) - 5:05
8. "Positive Forces" (J. Reaves, L. Reaves) - 2:56
9. "I'm Back for More" (Kenny Stover) - 2:58

Singles