its a shame that this album wasnt very well recieved/

i checked it out expecting the worst after reading some reviews and i was pleasantly suprised.

i credit roger for sticking with the formula that works instead of taking his sound in a confusing direction a-la prince.

now there are some lackluster tracks (a few forced ballads.but all of the uptempo grooves are quality productions imo)

maybe he figured the talkbox sound was going out of style and for whatever reason he never recorded another album.

seeing how popular autotune is these days im sure if he was still around he could have scored another hit.(solo or as a feature such as california love)

rip roger

You never heard "California Love"? He's on there with the talk box. It never went out of style for him, he just got disillusioned from doing anymore albums. Maybe he WAS told to change his style but refused. He and Zapp were still recording when he was killed.

Roger perfected the use of the talkbox, but trends didn't lend itself to the use of the talkbox. Sure, Dr. Dre and others paid tribute to Roger by utilizing the talkbox style as an instrument, but it became rare to hear an entire song played using a talkbox.

If Roger had been around to see the explosion of autotune, he might could have revived his career to a younger audience.

of course i have heard california love ( made mention of it in first post) but that was a collaboration with two of the biggest names in the industry at the time it was released.

sticking to the topic i would actually say that i think Bridging the gap is a strong contender for Rogers best solo album.

check it out!

I loved "take me back" from this album

Love this album. I always thought that "You Should Be Mine" could have been a single...David Gamson did some great production work on that track in particular.

I still find the Roger Troutman story so sad. I was genuuinely stunned when I heard of his murder and the circumstances. I also regret not going to see him live when I had the chance.

Caramelpfe said:

jjam said:

I really dug this album. You Should Be Mine was the jam. EPMD
sampled this cut for their song The Crossover. The problem with
this album wasn't the album itself because it was good.
The problem may have been more the label. You noticed that Reprise
was basically a graveyard for popular R&B artists during the late
80's early 90's period i.e Cameo,Atlantic Starr,Rick James(no pun intended),
Zapp-Roger.

I really dug this album. You Should Be Mine was the jam. EPMD
sampled this cut for their song The Crossover. The problem with
this album wasn't the album itself because it was good.
The problem may have been more the label. You noticed that Reprise
was basically a graveyard for popular R&B artists during the late
80's early 90's period i.e Cameo,Atlantic Starr,Rick James(no pun intended),
Zapp-Roger.[/quote]

I agree. "You Should Be Mine" SLAMS. I remember walking into the wrecka sto that week & just "stumbling" upon this album. There had been no adavance buzz....and although VERY pleased to find it (grabbed that fucker so fast almost broke my hand....lol)....I was shocked that there had been no promotion. Didn't fade the album tho.....great stuff & was very refreshing at the time.

Great album. My favorites are "Breakthrough", "Victim Of Love", and "Everybody (Get Up)".

That his his big sellout moment. He needed his ass beat during that time for slumming with trash.

vainandy said:

I thought the same thing.

Also worth checking out is the 12" for "Everybody Get Up".....another severe jam & I thought the mixes were an improvement for a change.

vainandy said:

Why is it a sellout? I hate that term! He got paid big time for doing that. Good for him.

vainandy said:

Take Me Back and Curiosity also.

Roger was still bringing it while most veteran
R&B acts were falling victim to the changing times
around 1991. This album was by far better than the
weak Emotional Violence album that Cameo released
on Reprise around this time.

Working with gutter trash shit hoppers. I'd rather see him working with Shitney Houston rather than slumming around in garbage cans with trash.
.
.
.
[Edited 1/5/10 8:49am]

vainandy said:[quote]

Working with gutter trash shit hoppers. I'd rather see him working with Shitney Houston rather than slumming around in garbage cans with trash.
.
.
.
It's pathetic. These artists are SO MUCH more talented than being reduced to backing up MUCH lesser artists merely for a paycheck.

Same thing with Charlie behind Snoop...or Lakeside behind Coolio. That shit with Charlie / Snoop on SNL made me wanna cry. I remember saying "My God....has it come to THIS???"

[quote]

JamFanHot said:

Exactly. Instead of trying to beat the enemy, they turn around and join them. It's a damn shame.

JamFanHot said:[quote]

vainandy said:

Are you talking about recently? Or about 10 years ago?

Well, we must remember this, most of those old school acts didn't make a lot of money like the guys do this day and time. Today, these young guys get product endorsements and actually KNOW how the business works. I'm sure artists like Lakeside don't get that much money from royalities and constantly tour so they can make a decent living.

It doesn't bother me if a younger artist reaches back and samples or works with an older artist. It not only give the older artist exposure to a younger audience, but it also gets them paid.

Think about someone like Stevie Wonder. Stevie didn't really have to work in the 90s and 00s. Mostly because he was sampled by Coolio, and Ja Rule and songs like "All I Do" and "Lately" were remade to death. Steve got PAID for those hits. When you talk to these older artists like Steve, you get that they just want to get paid and that's what makes the world go round.

I don't care if they get sampled. If the no talent shit hoppers sample them, then they should get paid for it...plus anything to see that shit hoppers make less money off it it for themselves. But to go into the studio and actually work with them, is absolutely horrible. Yes, people need money but I'd have more respect for somebody selling ass on the corner than selling out to shit hop. Shit hop's success is the reason the funk acts aren't making money anymore. Never forget your enemy and never lay down with them.

vainandy said:

I feel ya. The person sampling the song doesn't usually care that much about getting paid less. All they care about is marketing themselves to get a hit.

As for working with them, some of them actually do go in the studio and work with the artist. I know Snoop and Charlie and the other members of the Gap Band have actually worked together. Same for Roger and Dre. Roger heard they were doing California Love and he went in and worked with Dre and Pac.

Roger also did that with the Sounds of Blackness. When they sampled "Doo Wah Diddy" for their song "Hold On", Roger heard the song and went to MPLS and remixed it.

And when these funk artists bend their asses over in front of these shit hoppers' dicks, they don't need to complain about having to go out and tour places like casinos and outdoor music festivals in order to make a living because they have helped the shit hoppers become more successful by working with them. Let the little no talent bastards come up with grooves and music of their own and when they can't do it, they'll be dropped. But a style change will never happen as long as real artists help the shit hoppers get a hit.

vainandy said:

Well, I know a lot of them turn the new guys down. That's only when the artist was BIG in their hey-day and still have money.

I've heard Millie Jackson state that she didn't care as long as she got paid for her samples. She does well enough for her to go write a check for cash for that new Cadillac. I think she said she paid $50K or $60K CASH for it.

From my understanding, they get paid up front and then royalties.

vainandy said:

Stop dude,you killin me.

vainandy said:

I have to admit I was a little taken back that Roger was on 2Pac's shit.