Rick JamesReviewed on this page:Come Get It! - Bustin' Out Of L Seven - Fire It Up - Garden Of Love - Street Songs - Throwin' Down - Mary Jane Girls - Cold Blooded - Starchild - Only Four You - Glow - Too Sharp - The Flag - Wonderful - Urban RapsodyNever an innovator, borrowing heavily from P-Funk and later Prince, but in his prime Rick James came up withsome excellent funky tunes, several of which hit the chartsagain after being sampled by hip hop artists. James grew up inBuffalo, and after a brief 1960s stint in a Byrds clone, the Mynah Birds, with Neil Young, he resurfaced in the late 70s asa funkateer. During his peak years he also produced big hits forother artists, including Eddie Murphy, Teena Marie, and hiscreation, the Mary Jane Girls. He didn't last at the top too long,and since he's not particularly gifted as a singer orinstrumentalist, and didn't have an individual production style,that's not too surprising. Personally James was thoroughlyreprehensible, making Ike Turner look like a great humanitarian,and it's hard to laugh off the relentless sexist and pedophilicimagery in his music after his prison term for abduction and sexualassault (which he tried to blame on his girlfriend). After getting out,he denied most of the charges and blamed the rest on his cocaine abuse.But whatever you think of him, the grooves still hold up. I caught his 1997-1998 tour - after prison, but before a stroke that curtailed his comeback efforts - and reviewed it on our no-punches-pulled concert reviews page. He shot back into the public eye after a lengthy piece mocking him appeared on TV's Chapelle's Show, which he took in good humor, before his death in 2004.The official Rick James site has interviews and other good stuff; for the latest on the Mary Jane Girls, check out Yvette Barlowe (formerly Marine)'s personal site.(DBW)Personnel:The Stone City Band - Daniel Le'Melle, saxophone; Levi RuffinJr., keyboards; Tom McDermott, guitar; ErskineWilliams, keyboards; Oscar Alston, bass; LaniseHughes, drums.Mary Jane Girls - Joanne McDuffie, lead vocals; Candice Ghant,Kim Wuletich, Yvette Marine, vocals. Come Get It! (1978)James got off to a fast start with this release, which soared upthe charts behind two singles - "You And I" and "Mary Jane" - whichillustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the disc. "You and I" hasa terrific funk riff (later sampled by Salt-N-Pepa) attached to a pop-sounding chorus, and the tune is padded out to eight minutes withan intermittently interesting jam. "Mary Jane" is a funk ballad - a genre James perfectedwith "All Night Long" - with a magical vocal hook in the chorus, butthe verses are boring, and again it goes on way past the point whereyou're paying attention. Also on the disc are two versions of "StoneCity Band," which is the most blatant P-Funkimitation you'll ever hear, but is still fun; the dull overlong ballad "Hollywood"; and another ballad, "Dream Maker," which is notable forthe faked female orgasmic moans which would later become a Prince trademark. Produced by James andArt Stewart. (DBW) Bustin' Out Of L Seven (1979)I'll give James credit for stretching himself here: he throws ina lengthy jazz fusion jam ("Fool On The Street"), an atmospheric link track ("Love Interlude") and a ballad suite ("High On You Love"). Thenthere's the usual P-Funk ripoff ("Bustin' Out") and light funk ("Spacey Love"). The problem this time is no great tunes - everything's listenable, but there's nothing that digs itselfinto your head and keeps you coming back for more. Produced by Jameswith Art Stewart; the musicians are the Stone City Band plus Wali Ali,Dorothy Ashby, and a high-powered hornsection including the Brecker Brothers. (DBW) Wild And Peaceful (Teena Marie: 1979)James's first outside production venture was for soul singer Teena Marie. James wrote almost everything here, asidefrom a disco cover of the Temptations' "Don't Look Back," and he sings most of the vocals on the opening duet"I'm A Sucker For Your Love." Half the tunes are dull love songs ("Turnin' Me On") while the rest are light funk (almost disco), all with his usual absurd sexual licentiousness, but without any of the variations or killer hooks that make his better albums irresistable. Teena Marie gives the material everything she's got, but her over the top emotionalism can't disguise the fact that her voice is ratherthin. All the songs run far too long (the shortest is the pseudo-torch jazz "I'm Gonna Have My Cake (And Eat It Too)" at 5:30), confirming the hypothesis thatJames just didn't have a lot of ideas here. The last James/Stewart production; Teena Marie soonparted ways with James and began producing her own records.(DBW) Fire It Up (1979)Art Stewart had disappeared; from this point James produced all his ownwork. All the experimentation of the previous release is gone, but theP-Funk ripoffs continue: the title track is a shameless knockoff of Bootsy's Rubber Band, right down to the distortedbass licks and sped-up children's voices. The album's best tune, "LoveGun," manages to rip off Parliamentconceptually, KISS lyrically, and WildCherry musically, while "Lovin' You Is A Pleasure" borrows from theOhio Players. Side two looks ahead tothe next two albums, with the lengthy riff-filled "Come Into My Life" aprecursor to "Give It To Me Baby" and the endless ballad "When Love IsGone," which would have fit right in on Garden Of Love. It's alllistenable enough, but with no irresistable hooks, James couldn'tdeliver the lascivious good time he was promising. This was a relativeflop, barely cracking the Top 40; it was also Daniel Le'Melle'sdebut with the band as sax player, arranger and musical contractor.(DBW)In 'N' Out (Stone City Band: 1980)Written and produced by James, this includes three versions of the title track, plus more hedonistic tunes like"South American Sneeze." (DBW)Lady T (Teena Marie: 1980) Garden Of Love (1980)This missed the Top 40 altogether, and it's not hard to see why: forsome reason, James eschewed funk in favor of incredibly dull ballads("Island Lady"), and there aren't even any duets to liven things up,just minute after minute of Rick's overdone emoting ("Summer Love").He'd already shown he was capable of creating masterful slow tunes, butthere aren't any here. The album is bracketed with dance tracks, a lameoverlong "I'm a star" tune James didn't even write ("Big Time"), and aneven lamer, even longer "She's a freak" tune he did write("Mary-Go-Round"). Don't say I didn't warn you. Personnel is the StoneCity Band with no notable guests. (DBW)Irons in the Fire (Teena Marie: 1980) The Boys Are Back (Stone City Band: 1981)Again, James produced and arranged; he also wrote three tunes while band members contributed the rest(aside from the gimmicky light-funk cover of "All Day And All Of The Night"). Thanks to the spread of sources,though, there's more range than on most of James's own albums: reggae ("Ganja," "Funky Reggae" - both by James),ballads (Levi Ruffin Jr.'s "Lovin' You Is Easy"), steel guitar (from Buddy Cage) on Oscar Alston's "Keep Love Happy." There's even full-bore jazz fusion on guitarist Tom McDermott's "TinSoldier," featuring Larry Hansen on violin, Narada Michael Walden on drums and LennyPickett on lyricon.All of which just makes Rick's usual hard-edged funk stand out more than ever ("Freaky," Ruffin's "Feel Good About Yourself").Definitely worth checking out for fans.(DBW) Street Songs (1981)James rocketed to his commercial and artistic peak here, with his twobiggest and most memorable hits: "Give It To Me Baby" and "SuperFreak," both raunchy midtempo funk with killer bass lines andcatchy vocal mannerisms. ("Super Freak" was later absorbed into MCHammer's massive hit "U Can't Touch This.") He overuses the formulaa bit ("Below The Funk") but also stretches himself: "Mr.Policeman" is convincing reggae with a streetwise political messageand Stevie Wonder on harmonica; "Fire AndDesire" is a ballad worthy of Barry White, performed as a duet withTeena Marie. Other guests include the Temptations, Gerald Albright on sax (thoughLe'Melle plays all the solos, including the memorable "Blow Danny!" on"Superfreak"), and Narada Michael Waldenon drums. The Rick James album to have. (DBW)It Must Be Magic (Teena Marie: 1981) Throwin' Down (1982) James decided to see how far he could push the formula: all sixpop/funk tracks feature the same artificial handclap sound from"Super Freak" - "Hard To Get" is practically a note-for-note copy - andthe three ballads all sound alike (but "Teardrops" is the corniest). Itsounds like it was cut in a hurry and there's not a satisfying riff onthe entire record. The Temptations are back on "Standing On The Top,"which was released as a single under their name; Albright, Waldenand Grace Slick all drop by. (DBW) Mary Jane Girls (1983)This was James' version of a female funk act: he either stole the ideafrom Prince's Vanity 6 or the other wayaround, depending on who you believe. James hit the jackpot incommercial terms - this sold far better than Vanity 6, Apollonia 6 oreither of George Clinton's girl groups (Parlet and Brides Of Funkenstein) - and it's apretty good album. The hit was the slow, funky "All Night Long" which was later sampled on LL Cool J's "Around The WayGirl," and two catchy dance/funk numbers, "Candy Man" and "Boys,"also got Urban Contemporary airplay. The rest of the material is fairto poor: "Prove It" has a sinister funk bassline but doesn't go anywhere;the ballads "Jealousy" and "You Are My Heaven" are painful, and the slow"On The Inside" has a fine vocal performance from JoJo, but no melodyto speak of. (DBW)Out from the Shadow (Stone City Band: 1983) Cold Blooded (1983)Mostly this the same mix of "punk funk" and ballads as the previous tworecords, but James brings in a ton of guest artists to obscure thatfact: Billy Dee Williams adds bedroom patter to "Tell Me (What YouWant)"; Smokey Robinson duets on the fine lovesong "Ebony Eyes"; Grandmaster Flash raps on the embarrassing Don't BeA Ho PSA "P.I.M.P. The S.I.M.P." The big problem, again, is a lack ofgreat hooks or clever arrangements: James relies on the same programmingtricks and synth patches, as on the dull title track, the silly "U BringThe Freak Out" - both were singles - and the simply dull "Doin' It." Ifyou're into his sleaze factor, "1,2,3 (U, Her And Me)" has plenty ofit... Rick's version of David Crosby's "Triad,"you might say. The closing "Unity," with James backed by only a piano,is inane, vapid and self-congratulatory in that classically 80s "We AreThe World" way. (DBW)Reflections (1984)A greatest hits, the source of the terrific riff tune "17." (DBW) Starchild (Teena Marie: 1984)Several readers have told me to give Teena Marie extra credit because she was the best white soul singer of her era, which seems bizarre to me: should I rate Ray Charles's 80s records higher because hewas the best black country-western singer of his era? A race-blind comparison to her contemporaries - Angela Winbush; Patrice Rushen, whose 1984 Now is an exact genre match for this disc - shows Teena Marie behind in everyarea. Heck, for what it's worth, Jill Jones, who sings backup here, is a better white soul singer.Anyway, by now Teena Marie was writing, arranging and producing by herself, and this is synth-heavy dance funk recalling Prince's 1999 - the hit single "Lovergirl" is a careful copy of his"I Wanna Be Your Lover," right down to the ending pseudojam and trademark "girl/world" rhyme. She has a good ear for arrangements - sturdy bass underpinning "Youngblood"; a terrific guitar solo closing "Alibi"; the patchwork ofMarvin Gaye quotes on the tribute "My Dear Mr. Gaye" - but comes up short as a singer and songwriter. As before, her vocals are enthusiastic but erratic, and full of annoying affectations (the "lips-uhhh!" on "Jammin'"), and her tunes are just dull (the overlong James-style duet ballad "We've Got To Stop (Meeting Like This)," featuring Ronnie McNeir). So unless you're big on early 80s nostalgia, you won't get much out of repeated listens. She played some parts herself, but there are a ton of backing musicians; the big namesare Narada Michael Walden, Ernie Watts, Walter Afanasieff and who else but Paulinho Da Costa.(DBW) Only Four You (Mary Jane Girls: 1985)Damn, this is good stuff. James put a lot into this project, which hasmore variety than most of his own releases. And it doesn't hurt thatsupple-voiced lead singer Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie is a better singer thanJames will ever be. Side one kicks butt, with the Top Ten hit "In MyHouse," the funky "Break It Up," and the ballads "Shadow Lover" and"Lonely For You," all sung by McDuffie, who also starts off side twowith the excellent, riff-filled "Wild & Crazy Love" (with a nod to rap).Unfortunately, James lets each of the backup singers take a turn at themike: Yvette "Corvette" Marine and Kim "Maxi" Wuletich can't sing atall, and though Candice "Candy" Ghant seems to be capable enough, hertune "I Betcha" is a lame crossbreed of New Wave and funk. This soldbetter than the MJGs' first effort, and it's worth a listen; from thisdisc, you'd never guess that James was about to slide completely off themap. A third MJG album titled Conversation was recorded, and even assigned a catalog number, but was neverreleased. Also this year James produced the major hit "Party All The Time"for Eddie Murphy's debut album - it rocketedto #2, higher than any of James' own singles ever went. (DBW) Glow (1985)Sales fell off sharply with this one, but it's not a bad outing at all: the title track brings together great riffs, heavy guitars and softsynths; the ballad "Moonchild" has a fat, grinding bassline; "Somebody" (complete with a James timbale solo) and "Rock And Roll Control" are fun if typical funk numbers; and "Melody Make Me Dance" is a worthy though obtuse experiment with angelic backing vocals and stutteringdrum machines. The weak points are the first two tracks, both horribleflirtations with corporate rock and the Phil Collins snare sound ("Can't Stop" and "Spend The Night With Me"), and the atrocious ballad"Sha La La La La." Still, this is a listenable record that shouldhave sold better than it did. (DBW) Too Sharp (Process and the Doo Rags: 1985)In theory this spinoff was James's take on doo wop ("Daddy's Home"), though it plays more like his answer to the self-parody of The Time... He borrows "Jungle Love"'s sustained keyboard washes and chants ("Stomp And Shout"), and James Hawkins (aka Process) goes straight after Morris Day's oblivious would-be ladies' man persona (title track). The best tune, though, comes when they drop all the pretense and just sell a solid 80s urban love song ("Searching For Love").Apart from a couple of covers (Marvin Gaye's "The Bells"; "Thin Line Between Love And Hate") everything's by James, and he and his band laid down the instrumental tracks as well. (DBW)Emerald City (Teena Marie: 1986)I often see this loose concept album cited as an unrecognized classic, but in truth it's exactly like Starchild, only heavier on Minneapolis Sound borrowings ("Once Is Not Enough," a close cousin of "The Glamorous Life") and a touch of jazzbo pretension ("Sunny Skies"). As before, the basic problem is a lack of solid tunes, once you strip away the production gimmicks and goofy, overdone vocalizing ("You So Heavy").(DBW) The Flag (1986)With James standing in front of a red, black and green flag, and songtitles like "Freak Flag" and "R U Experienced," you might expect a Hendrix-influenced Black Power record. But it'sjust a routine collection of boring love songs ("Slow And Easy") andriffless funk jams ("Forever And A Day"). Like Throwin' Down,he's reusing his formulas (MJG-type ballads, the same programmed drumsound on every track), but doesn't come up with any of the solid-goldriffs that are all over his better work. The only nod to socialconsciousness is the anti-arms race "Funk In America/Silly Little Man,"which starts with a recitation that's clearly modeled on "The Revolution Will Not BeTelevised." The one stylistic development is a brief dalliancewith Indian music ("Rick's Raga"); the high point is "Free To Be Me," afunk tune with a fine piano solo and (I think) Maceo Parker on sax - Ihave this on cassette and personnel aren't listed. Even fans shouldprobably steer clear of this one. (DBW)Colorful Changes (Process and the Doo Rags: 1987)James produced most but not all of this followup: The Aleem twins, best known to Hendrix maniacs as The Ghetto Fighters, produced four cuts including their own "Change Your Name To Mine." (DBW) Wonderful (1988)Not exactly. Aiming for a comeback, James started imitating Prince in earnesthere, draping the album cover in purple and flowers, and posing ina bright red outfit with a Hendrix-styleruffled shirt. He drops his earlier bass, horn and guitar driven soundfor a synth-heavy approach reminiscent of theTime ("Judy," title track), also finding time for a blatantripoff of Cameo ("So Tight"). He tries to draw in hip hop fans with"Loosey's Rap" featuring a guest rap by Roxanne Shanté, butwithout any decent hooks, the record never really gets off theground. (DBW) Urban Rapsody (1997)James' first album after his jail sentence, and he sounds like an artistwith something to prove: the grooves are hardhitting andscrupulously up to date, with tons of hip hop vocabulary ("ain't nothin'but a West Coast thang y'all") and Snoop Doggy Dog brought in to addcredibility. James covers as much ground as he can: bass-heavy funk withriffing horns (title track, "Good Ol' Days"), New Jack Swing ("Back In You Again"), nasty love songs ("So Soft So Wet"), a tender ode to his mother ("Mama's Eyes"), you name it. Enough tracks work that it's a good value, despite some weaknesses ("Favorite Flava" uses a very familiar bass line; "Bring On The Love" is a lame Stop The Violence tune; the overwrought torch number "Never Say You Love Me" wastes JoJo's still considerable talents). Though he's still putting down Prince, he's not above reusing the melody from "Gett Off" in "Somebody's Watching You," a slam against his prison guards. Produced with Daniel LaMelle; other guests include Charlie Wilson, Bobby Womack, and rappers 4-Tay and Neb Love. (DBW)Deeper Still (2007)A posthumous collection, including a cover of David Crosby's "Guinnevere."(DBW)Gimme that sweet, funky stuff. Main page
Rick James – Deeper Still (2007)
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