"Raise!" is the eleventh studio album by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released on November 14, 1981, by ARC/Columbia Records. The album was highly successful, spending 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA and Gold in both the UK and Canada.
The album's artwork was designed by Roger Carpenter, with illustrations by Shusei Nagaoka. The front cover features an Egyptian-inspired female figure, while the back cover displays a modern, sarcophagus-like design with a two-tone color scheme. Interestingly, the album's title is not present on the front cover, but appears on the back.
Produced by bandleader Maurice White, Raise! marked the return of rhythm guitarist Roland Bautista, who had last played with the band on their 1972 album Last Days and Time. The album was later reissued in 2015 with seven bonus tracks.
The lead single from Raise!, "Let's Groove," became a massive hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other notable tracks include "I've Had Enough," which reached No. 29 on the UK Pop Singles chart, and "Wanna Be with You," which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
