Funky st.

Rip It Up, Issue 68, 1 March 1983, Page 24

Funky st.

Skyy Skyyjammer (Salsoul) A tough followup to Skyyline. the album that featured fab 'Call Me'. This eight-piece is*at its best as the three Dunning sisters cook. Try 'Miracle' or 'Skyyjammer'. This band is fast becoming a favourite. Superb clutter-free production. 'Freak Outta' with Skyy. MC Kook & the Gang As One (Delite) Twelve months after their last essay on dance etiquette Kool is back. To pass grades this year ya attend classes on location, in the

streets ('Street Kids') and in the park ('Let's Go Dancin'). Intellectually stimulating? Yes, I'm leamin' to understand the man that spells cool with a K. He ain't dumb. But people who says he is, are. Two albums back 'Celebrate' was the only great track. There were three on Something Special and on As One there's the two I've mentioned and TJig Fun' and Hi De Hi, Hi De Ho'. Great grooves.MC Jeffrey Osborne (A&M) Jeffrey Osborne used to be the singer in LTD. He sings pretty good. So why isn't this a better record? Well, slumming jazzbo producer George Duke may think anything goes in the pop/R&B world, but once you're over, say, five years old, choruses of 'Eenie Meenie Minie Mo', catchy though

they may be, are not really on And Osborne not only doesn't fight against the sappiness of this material, he wallows in it. Mine you, when he does get a groove to dig into and a decent tune to apply his agile voice to, you're on to a winner witness 'I Really Don't Need No Light' and a couple of others. But for the rest all the classy playing by Louis Johnson and the! other studio stars can't rescue the pap. AD Evelyn King ? ! Get Loose (RCA) Diana Ross beat out Evelyn King for the American Music Awards' favourite female soul vocalist. Which shows where there taste is. As dancefloor singles go, 'Love Comes Down' makes 'Muscles' look weedy. And it's

only the first track on an album that's strong all the way through. Not bad from a 22-year-old who, just a few years back, was discovered cleaning bathrooms in Gamble-Huff studios. PT George Clinton Computer Games (Capitol) The man behind the aggregation known as Funkadelic, Bootsy, Parliament and Brides of Frankenstein has finally recorded as George the daft doodler of funk. The 12 minute 'Loopzilla' sums up George's current loopy concept: Like ‘Planet Rock' we just don’t stop We gonna drive you nuts For nutty humour step this way. You get 'Pot Sharing Tots', 'Atomic Dog' to name just two repetitive ditties that fuel your

doubts as to whether George is a tuneless fraud or the Pope of funk. As the multitude dithers Frank Zappa and George Clinton sell records, maaan. MC Deniece Williams, Niecy (CBS) Over the past decade, Williams' beautiful voice has graced albums from Stevie Wonder to Weather Report, as well as five of her own. On Niecy, Philly-master Thom Bell's production, instead of going rhythm heavy, highlights her vocals with his deft and economic orchestrations. Yet, although Williams' original material is good, it's her remake of the Royalettes' oldie, 'lt's Gonna Take A Miracle', that provides the best transport to MOR heaven. PT Dionne Warwicke Heartbreaker (Arista) The Bee Gees provide nine of their creamy confections, Barry Gibb produces and Dionne Warwicke blends smoothly into the flow. A little too smoothly, perhaps. She can't quite stamp her personality on the project. The personality that is stamped all over Heartbreaker is, of course, Barry Gibb and Dionne Warwicke is, in the end, a considerable improvement on the familiar Bee Gees bleat. AD Janet Jackson (A&M) Sixteen-year-old Janet debuts without any of the brothers on

. hand though Michael's influence at least is certainly present. 'Say You Do' is a fair attempt at bouncing Off The Wall and one of two good ballads lifts a hookline from 'Ben'. Janet admires Michael's phrasing too but lacks his vocal strength, sounding like anyone, from a young Diana Ross to a slightly breathless Brandi Wells. PT The Time What Time Is It? (Warner Bros) This band are proteges of Prince and also hail from Minneapolis". They provided the fine funky backing for the recent album by girl group, Vanity 6. But too often their excellent playing is adorned with unbecoming lyrics. 'The Walk' would be great if it wasn't for the talk. MC Smokey Robinson Touch The Sky (Motown) After the huge success of 'Being With You' Robinson seems willing to settle for a career as the hip Johnny Mathis. Nearly everything is medium tempo, but written and sung with his usual care and intelligence. The originals are still better than the others and, thankfully, there's relatively more on TTS. He's also back to producing himself again so, even if we may never get another masterpiece like Warm Thoughts, at least things are a lot healthier than on 1982's soporific Yes It's You Lady. PT