If My Heart Had Wings (album)

The album was executive produced by Arif Mardin and Michael Lippman.[8] Due to Manchester's work on the musical I Sent a Letter to My Love, the album was produced over a period of two years.[9] "If My Heart Had Wings" was written with Amy Sky.[10]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution	[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[13]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[15]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette	[16]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that "too often, the tunes on If My Heart Had Wings sound like bland anthems in search of a maudlin movie score."[14] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thought that "Manchester turns in a hopelessly-out-of-it performance that serves as a harsh reminder that having great pipes is no guarantee of success."[16] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution opined that it was "too bad Manchester couldn't take a cue from Bonnie Raitt, whose music has grown along with her shock of gray hair and her insight."[12]

AllMusic wrote that the album was "filled with big, dramatic ballads and widescreen production values."[11] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide considered the album to be "not a great work [but] representative of her talent."[15]

[17]

• Melissa Manchester – vocals, backing vocals (6), arrangements (6, 8)
• Robbie Kondor – keyboards (1), keyboard programming (1), arrangements (1), additional keyboards (7)
• Joe Mardin – additional keyboards (1), cymbals (1), hi-hat (1)
• Steve Skinner – additional keyboards (1), keyboards (5, 7), programming (5, 7), arrangements (5, 7)
• Scott Alspach – keyboards (2), programming (2)
• Jud Friedman – keyboards (2), programming (2), string arrangements (2)
• Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (3, 9, 10), arrangements (9)
• Claude Gaudette – keyboards (4, 6), orchestra programming and arrangements (4)
• Tom Salisbury – acoustic piano (6), backing vocals (6)
• Michael Lang – acoustic piano (8)
• John Putnam – guitars (1, 7)
• Teddy Castellucci – guitars (2)
• Tim Pierce – guitars (3, 10)
• Peter Hume – guitars (6), backing vocals (6)
• Dennis Budimir – guitars (8)
• Michael Landau – guitars (9)
• Will Lee – bass (1, 7)
• Cliff Hugo – bass (6)
• Chuck Berghofer – bass (8)
• Neil Stubenhaus – bass (9)
• Bob Harsen – drums (3, 10)
• Carlos Vega – drums (4, 6)
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (8, 9)
• Brian Kilgore – percussion (2)
• Efrain Toro – percussion (6)
• Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone (1)
• Andy Snitzer – tenor saxophone (1)
• Danny Wilensky – alto saxophone (5)
• Doug Norwine – saxophone (6)
• Gary Foster – clarinet (8)
• Charles Loper – trombone (8)
• Jimmy Hynes – trumpet (1)
• Frank Szabo – trumpet (8)
• Melissa Hasin – cello (7)
• Jimbo Ross – viola (7)
• Margaret Wooten – violin (7)
• Richard Greene – violin solo (7)
• Arif Mardin – arrangements (1, 7-9), string arrangements (7), orchestration (9)
• David Campbell – string arrangements (2)
• Gene Orloff – concertmaster (9)
• Johnny Mandel – string arrangements (10)
• Christopher Tate – choir master (1, 3)
• Deborah A. Alexander, Beverly Dangerfield, Ettamaria Ellis, Warren Harrington, Dewayne C. Knox, Charles May and Linda T. Willis – backing vocals (1, 3)
• Jerry Barnes – additional backing vocals (1)
• Katreese Barnes – additional backing vocals (1)
• Rachele Cappelli – additional backing vocals (1)
• Sue Holder – backing vocals (6)
• Carolyn Willis – backing vocals (6)
• Peggi Blu – backing vocals (9)
• Ollie Cregget – backing vocals (9)
• Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (9)
• Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (9)
• Witnley Phipps – vocals (10)