8

6.1

UK release date 12.07.2007

Whether you liked him or not (for me, it was the latter) James Johnson Jr. was one of black music’s most controversial figures during the 80s, playing a defining role in the progression of funk music, attaining cult status in 1981 with the release of his triple-platinum album ‘Street Songs,’ which spawned his biggest hit single ‘Super Freak.’ Drug offences, draft dodging, alleged sexual abuse, and ultimately imprisonment curtailed his career, and he’d been out of the limelight for so long that his untimely death in 2004 (as a result of ‘existing medical conditions’) caused minimal interest.

So, for a number of reasons, the idea of a new Rick James release excited me not one little bit, and I certainly wasn’t expecting his final piece of work to be anywhere near as good as this. Sure, there are a couple of quirky cuts that help to reinforce my doubts about him, but there are at least half a dozen that make this album seem like the work of a genius. I can’t forgive him for sounding like Meatloaf on ‘Maybe,’ but I do wonder at the polish he brings to the intricate ‘Guinnevere,’ a typical early 70s rock ballad that Yes or King Crimson might have tucked away on one of their albums. The rest is pure class though, particularly ‘Stop It,’ ‘Do You Wanna Play’ and ‘Secrets,’ and the autobiographical ‘Taste’ standing out as possibly his finest ever moment.

Hopefully, he’ll rest in peace now.
Words Steve Hobbs