So I just got this cd yesterday and I was surpised with the way it sounds. It's sounds like a cross between new wave and r&b. On some tracks he sounds like Prince and there are a couple where he sounds like Cameo. His singing style in general just sounds different to me. What do you guys think of this cd?

Wonderful aka The White Flag album. The album where he surrenders to Prince and cops his sound and style of dress. A dark moment in Rick James history many of us Rick fans would rather forget.
[Edited 11/10/05 11:04am]

intha916 said:

"loosey's rap" was on there, wasn't it? i remember seeing the video for it and it was just so prince-esque, i was expecting the brotha to make some sorta cameo in it.

"Sexual Luv Affair" was nice, but yeah, he did decide to go the Prince route and cop P's dressing style. Rick off drugs - Crap. Rick on drugs - Brilliant.

Aftershock said:

Sad, but true..

Yeah, I was REALLY surprised that Rick went the P way. I was like "What the fuck is Rick doin'?!" I was like Bruce Lee and shit "why? why? why? why?". It fit when P was biting off of Rick but not the other way around. Very much like Parliament and George biting off of Outkast. What the fuck?

I remember seeing a TV interview with Rick around that time and he said Prince and him settled their disputes and were cool again. But when I saw the ruffled shirts, King Edward long trench coat, eyeliner and mascara..I was like "wait a minute" - lol. "Loosey's Rap" I think was the last song by Rick that got a lot of radio airplay. Didn't even know it was him until my mother brought the LP home.

intha916 said:

ok, cool so i'm not tripping.....

but what do you think of the music? Some of the songs are good i suppose but it aint no cold blooded or street songs.

blackguitaristz said:

it is very odd that he started dessing and sounding like him. wonder what brought that on?

dancerella said:

Cocaine. It's a helluva drug.

dancerella said:

Obviously Rick was digging P's Purple Rain/Hendrix thing. P was popular as hell and had ran off and left Rick in the dust. Rick's thinking must have been "If u can't beat them...".

Did rick release anything around 1990-1993? Rick jumping onto newjack and biting teddy riley could be good. Tell me

It's OK but it sure as hell ain't Rick James at his best. The song that sounds like Cameo is called "So Tight" and is one of the stronger cuts on the album. The title track "Wonderful" and "Loosey's Rap" are OK also but the rest of the album is pretty tame.

thesexofit said:

I believe he did release a cd in the 90's but I don't think it was new jack swing. Maybe just funky r&b.

I remember Rick during the time of "Glow", "The Flag", and "Wonderful" saying that he was off drugs. My friends and I used to joke around saying "Somebody please get this motherfucker some drugs cause he needs 'em!!"

When Rick was on drugs, he seemed to be at his best. I would love to hear some stuff he made around the time of his arrest, if he made anything.

dancerella said:

In UK, no one has heard of him. Shame. I may have to order it.

He made a song called "This Magic Moment" in 1989 which is a remake of the old song from years ago. It sounds like something that would have come off the "Wonderful" album. I never knew the song existed until I saw the 45 in my brother-in-law's record collection and burned me a copy of it. It says on the 45 that it is from an album called "Rock, Rhythm, & Blues", which David Eye told me is an album of remakes by various artists.

There is an unreleased Rick James album from either 1989 or 1990 called "Kickin".

That album was called "Urban Rapsody" from 1997. It consists of mostly midtempo songs and ballads.

"Good Ole Days" is OK. It's a song featuring Charlie Wilson about the "good ole days" when Rick was touring and doing drugs. He mentions groups in the song such as The Gap Band, The Barkays, Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls, Chaka Khan, Frankie Beverly and Maze, etc. that he used to be cool with.....

We were groovin' with the mary jane, kickin' back drinkin' pink champaign....in the good ole days.....

"Player's Way" is an OK song featuring Bobby Womack about being a pimp.

"Mama's Eyes" is OK also. It's a song about his mother and how much he missed her after she died.

"Bring On The Love" is another decent one.

My favorite on the album is the ballad "Never Say You Love Me Again". It's a duet with Jo Jo from The Mary Jane Girls. It was originally supposed to be a duet with Teena Marie.

The album did have some bad moments such as having two or three hip hop sounding tracks on the album. I could have put my foot in Rick's ass for having someone like Snoop Dogg on one of the tracks.

Anyway, it's OK for an album that was made in one of the worst musical decades in history....the 1990s. The problem was there was no funk on the album. Dammitt, when I buy a Rick James album, I want funk.

vainandy said:

oh yeah, i got that one somewhere. It was pretty good, and i dont like that sorta music either. I guess he was in choke(y?) during the early 90's eh?

Yeah, during the early and mid 1990s, he was locked up.

vainandy said:

Yeah "Glow" was his first joint while being off the narcotics...and it showed - horribly. LOL! In the video, Rick looked like a crackhead version of the Lion in "The Wiz"...dressed up in leopardskin and shit. Damn shame.

SPYZFAN1 said:

I remember this interview.In 1988,Rick was on Warner Bros. and he said that he and Prince sat down,ironed out their differences and were cool with each other.Too bad their "truce" didn't last long,lol.

Aftershock said:

Damn, now that sounds like quite a sight! I've never seen that video. I need to check that out.

dancerella said:

Best thing about that video is the little dramatic scene at the beginning. Where Rick actually delivers his now infamous line "I'm Rick James"! Only thing missing was the "bitch" lol

thesexofit said:

I've listened to the unreleased 1989-Kickin-set , which captures some powerfunk and some other tracks which pictured the music-style from that era .

http://music.aol.com/arti...mid=218590

http://www.artistdirect.c...-1,00.html


Fave track of mine on "Urban Rhapsody" is "Favorite Flava" , with that sexy female flint-voiced rap at the intro .

During the "Urban"-release , James had done an impressive comeback-concert in New York . One of his later bandmembers included keyboard-wiz Bryan Loren . And James his partner-in-funk , saxophonist Danny Lemelle had some major input in the Urban-project .

About the Glow-vid .... great to see the Stone City brothers doing their thang , and background-diva Val Young sho looks fine
[Edited 11/13/05 10:23am]