Tag: rick james

Various Artists – Money Talks: The Album [1997; Arista]

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Mixing rap, R&B, and soul, from Brand Nubian to Mary J. Blige to Barry White, the soundtrack to the ‘97 Charlie Sheen & Chris Tucker movie Money Talks rolls with a generally laid-back vibe, while moods both playful and pensive are supplied by the singers.  The variety ends up fitting together well, thanks to similarities in production and sampling (or sample sources, in the case of the James Brown and Barry White
tracks), but it still ends up feeling more like a late-’90s cross-cut of urban-aimed corporate interest than an assortment picked to fit the movie’s themes. 

Pop-ups like SWV, Mase, and Lisa Stansfield reinforce how of-the-time the soundtrack was, but aside from the inclusion of Refugee Camp All Star’s “Avenues” (their biggest single), there’s better material to be heard from practically every one of the included artists, and the most notable aspect of the release is probably that it gave Chris Tucker his only music production credit.

Rick James – Fire It Up [1979; Bellaphon, Gordy, Motown, Pathé Marconi EMI]

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On Rick James’ third album (released the same year as his Bustin’ Out Of L Seven), all but two of the song names invoke love in one form or another, starting with the barely-concealed double entendre of “Love Gun”.  The other main link is the songs’ ballsy brand of funk, placing James squarely at the center of focus, with the backing band feeling almost incidental despite their strong playing. 

It makes James come off as more of a rock star than a James Brown-styled ringleader, and in spite of the cocaine habit which was already in firm swing, he tempers the swagger (and occasional out-right shouting) with softness, sweetness, and soulfulness, which has the side effect of making the heavy love focus not seem quite so out of place.  And while the movement from song to song can seem a bit jarring, the full run through the album finds a weird but very effective balance to its energy and momentum, even with the lengthy spoken-word segment of “Stormy Love”.  Distinctive and impressive, with very little dead weight despite its unconventional shaping.