"This Is the Right Time" is a song recorded by British singer Lisa Stansfield for her 1989 album, Affection. It was written by Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Coldcut. The song was released as the first European single on 31 July 1989. It included "Affection," "Big Thing" and remixes created by David Dorrell, CJ Mackintosh, Paul Witts and Eddie Gordon. The music video was directed by Big TV!. One year later, on 30 July 1990, "This Is the Right Time" was issued as the third North American single. It included previously unreleased track, "My Apple Heart" and new remixes created by Shep Pettibone and Yvonne Turner. The second music video for the North American market was directed by Jimmy Fletcher. In September 1990, just before Stansfield's European tour, the double A-side single "This Is the Right Time"/"You Can't Deny It" with new US remixes was released in selected European countries. In Japan, "This Is the Right Time" was released as a single on 3 October 1990. The song was commercially successful reaching number twelve in Canada, number thirteen in the United Kingdom, number seventeen in Germany, number twenty in Austria and number twenty-four in Italy. In the United States, it peaked at number twenty-one on the BillboardHot 100, number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs and number thirteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In 2003, it was included on . In 2014, the remixes of "This Is the Right Time" were included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Affection and on People Hold On... The Remix Anthology.
Critical reception
The song received favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor Alex Henderson noted the song as a "disco masterpiece" and a "love-and-togetherness anthem". Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote that "the Jazz/Soul flavoring in her brand of Pop gives the music a distinctive sound polished off by the stunning vocal talent of this singer/songwriter. With songs this hot, Lisa and her partners Ian Devaney and Andy Morris should be getting lots of time—make that air time in the years ahead." Music & Media described the song as a "commercial 70s sounding disco single convincingly produced by Coldcut." The Network Forty stated that "this latest single from her Rolling Stone four-star rated LP maintains Stansfield's stunning soul licks while adding more tempo and house sounds than any of her previously released tracks. A great all-demo track that picks up where "All Around The World" left off, then digs a little deeper." Reading Eagle wrote that the track "boasts an irresistible romantic lilt." Marisa Fox from Spin said it was "in a similar vein" like "People Hold On" and called it "perfect pop rollicking over a regal R&B rhythm. The tune bubbles up to your head, filled with inspiration and hope." John Nichols from Toledo Blade picked the song as one of the "standout" tracks on Affection and noted that it "has a infectious Latin beat."
