Cameo Albums (17)
What The Critics Say
Like fellow '70s funk alums Kool and the Gang, Cameo survived and thrived during the '80s, thanks to the pop smarts needed for crossover success. That ability stayed miraculously intact on Sexy Sweet Thing, which, despite its truly awful cover -- Larry Blackmon and co. as little Cupids - actually turned out more consistent than any of the band's previous few offerings. The band is in top form on the lovely, Stevie Wonder-ish ballad "Time for Love" and the densely-arranged "She Wants Some More," which uses rock guitar and horns to piledrive home a killer riff. Of course, the thing that waylaid many of Cameo's R&B peers during their '90s comebacks was the misguided desire to show they could hang with the young guns, resulting in lots of cameos by big-name rappers, to little effect. But "I Wake Up," a sexy, skittering slow jam, matched anything the kids could offer, while the simplistic hip-hop-style title track proved the group could throw the funk down as well as ever in new musical duds. Only a few dated-sounding clunkers that had the feel of leftovers from the New Jack Swing era of a decade earlier kept this disc from being on par with Cameo's catalog of certified classics. ~ Dan LeRoy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Nasty, Cameo's first live recording, showcases Larry Blackmon's musical creativity and futuristic-sounding love songs. Everything is on time -- the horns, the sometimes hokey vocals -- and that cool New York-flavored lead bass struts on every cut. Guitarist Charlie Singleton's slicker-than-butter falsetto shines on the crowd favorite "Why Have I Lost You." Tomi Jenkins' tenor is steady on the moving and romantic "Sparkle." "Skin I'm In," with its staccato vocals and socially significant lyrics, makes you think. Delight at Larry Blackmon's Sugar Foot Bonner-sounding vocal on the heavily sampled "Candy." Two studio cuts augment the live songs: "Come Fly With Me" and "Nasty." Nasty's caboose is a 6:27 mega-mix of the live sides. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The big single on Cameosis, the stimulating "Shake Your Pants," provokes body moves from the animated group vocals to the rump-shakin' groove. The vivacious number "We're Going out Tonight" is a man's salute to his lady. Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins sing in unison throughout the body of the song, with first tenor Wayne Cooper soaring in the vamp. The group puts a different twist on a remake of their own "Why Have I Lost You." Tomi Jenkins imparts a compassionate rap in the intro before crooning his way through the imaginative lyric, where Wayne Cooper reaches one climax after another. Like the original version, it, too, never graced the charts but found a home on radio. The sleeper on this album is "I Care for You." Anthony Lockett took the vocal lead on this tear-jerking ballad, in which a man tolerates his woman's questionable behavior. From Lockett's execution to the song's overall arrangement, this is a must-listen. ~ Craig Lytle, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cameo was one of the leading groups proffering funk and R&B, with hits like 1980s "Shake Your Pants" and 1985's "Single Life." But as their most successful single, "Word Up," put a little too much pop in the mix, their main audience grew weary of them. So much so the group's great 1990 single, "I Want It Now," didn't get airplay and barely made a dent on the charts. Emotional Violence, their first effort for Reprise, has the group as a trio featuring Larry Blackmon, Charlie Singleton, and Tomi Jenkins. They all get lead vocals here. Despite the best intentions, Emotional Violence is business as usual, but without the innovative edge. But fans may be surprised to find out some good work is here. The hard-edged title track has producer Blackmon deftly mixing the group's classic sound with hip-hop flourishes. "Raw But Tasty" is one of their playful, funky tracks and has a killer hook and great guitar solos from Singleton. The song also has a minute-long rap segue that diminishes its appeal. "Another Love" is reminiscent of their 1987 hit, "Don't Be Lonely," but without the charm. Surprisingly despite all of the rhythmic adventures, Emotional Violence most assured track is a ballad. "Love Yourself" has their customary, off centered melodic sense and has them getting their messages across without being pedantic. The last track, the horn laden, "That Kind of Guy," with its Earth Wind and Fire sanguinity, seems an odd way to close an album steeped in ambivalence. Emotional Violence unfortunately doesn't have many tracks of distinction and has the group not trusting their own gifts. ~ Jason Elias, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the late '80s, most of the great funksters who had emerged in the 1970s knew that their best days were behind them. Sure, many of them were receiving royalty checks when young hip-hoppers sampled their classic recordings (assuming that they had kept their publishing rights), but they were no longer seeing their names at the top of the charts. But Cameo was another story. Unlike other horn bands that were formed in the 1970s, Cameo had no problem reinventing itself as a high-tech, downsized, hip-hop-influenced synth-funk/urban contemporary trio. 1986's Word Up!, in fact, is one of Cameo's finest and most essential albums. Word Up! was an incredibly tough act to follow, and the album that followed it, 1988's Machismo, isn't as strong or as consistent. Machismo isn't a bad album; a few of the tunes are excellent, including "Skin I'm In" (a poignant commentary on racism), the rock-influenced "Promiscuous," and the jazz-minded "In the Night" (which features the late jazz trumpet innovator Miles Davis). But Machismo isn't as successful when Cameo tries to recycle Word Up!; there can only be one Word Up!, and when Larry Blackmon and his colleagues try to recycle it, they end up sounding formulaic. But while Machismo isn't among Cameo's essential releases, it has more plusses than minuses and fared well among its hardcore fans. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Many of the funk bands that were big in the 1970s had a hard time surviving in the 1980s, especially if they were horn bands. Having a killer horn section was something that a lot of 1970s funk outfits prided themselves on, and it was no fun when, in the 1980s, they were told that their horns sound dated and that urban contemporary audiences only wanted to hear synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines. But Cameo, unlike many funk bands that emerged in the late '70s, really thrived in the 1980s. Lead singer/producer Larry Blackmon insisted on changing with the times, and he did so by making Cameo more high-tech and seeing to it that albums like 1985's Single Life and 1986's Word Up! were relevant to the urban contemporary and hip-hop scenes. Nonetheless, Cameo still sounded like Cameo; Word Up!, in fact, is one of its best albums. The wildly infectious title song was a major hit, and Cameo is equally captivating on other funk treasures that include "Fast, Fierce and Funny," "Back and Forth," and "Candy." To the young urban contemporary and hip-hop fans who bought Word Up! in 1986, Cameo's funk was fresh and cutting edge; and at the same time, slightly older fans that Cameo had won over in the late '70s were still buying its records. Both commercially and creatively, Word Up! was a major triumph for Cameo. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the late '70s and very early '80s, Cameo was the epitome of a horn-driven funk band. Like Parliament/Funkadelic (a major influence), the Ohio Players, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, Tower of Power, and so many other bands that defined funk in the '70s, Cameo was famous for its horn section. But when horn bands went out of style and urban contemporary audiences started craving synth-funk and electro-funk, Cameo leader Larry Blackmon was determined to change with the times and remain on the charts. Thus, the Cameo of 1985's Single Life is a lot more high tech than the Cameo of 1978's We All Know Who We Are or 1980's Cameosis. Blackmon felt that the market called for a downsized Cameo, which is why the Cameo he leads on this LP is a trio consisting of Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, and himself. Single Life isn't devoid of horns, but the horn players are strictly guests -- not actual Cameo members -- and the group's sound is built around synthesizers and electric bass. Some funk fans missed the old horn-powered Cameo, but Single Life had no problem appealing to urban contemporary audiences. Although not quite as essential as 1986's Word Up!, this album is generally excellent. The infectious title song was a major hit, and Cameo is equally impressive on other synth-funk offerings like "I've Got Your Image" and "Attack Me With Your Love." Much to Blackmon's credit, the album is fairly diverse and unpredictable. "A Good-Bye" is more of a rock ballad than an R&B ballad, while "Little Boys, Dangerous Toys" is a political reggae gem inspired by the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. And one of the album's best songs is "Urban Warrior," a fun yet idealistic rap tune about a hip-hopper who travels the world partying and promoting world peace. Single Life was a welcome addition to Cameo's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By 1984, African-American popular music had become extremely high tech. The horn-powered funk bands that were huge in the 1970s were out of style, and young audiences were demanding hip-hop, electro-funk, and urban contemporary -- not horn bands that sounded like the Ohio Players or Tower of Power circa 1975. Horn bands were still in vogue only in the home of the go-go explosion: Washington, DC. But these changes in the marketplace didn't hurt Cameo; both commercially and creatively, 1984's She's Strange was a winner. Thankfully, Cameo leader Larry Blackmon isn't afraid to try different things on this excellent album. The mysterious title song (a major hit) and the sociopolitical "Talking Out the Side of Your Neck" find Cameo responding to hip-hop's popularity by including a lot of rapping, while "Lé Ve Toi!" is very rock-minded -- it's still funk, but funk laced with lots of rock. "Tribute to Bob Marley" is a reggae gem that salutes the Jamaican legend, and "Hangin' Downtown" is a smooth, jazzy number with a definite quiet storm appeal. When She's Strange soared up Billboard's R&B albums chart, one had to admire Cameo's durability. Other bands that had emerged in the 1970s were hurting, but with She's Strange, Cameo had no problem maintaining both its freshness and its popularity. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
R&B was experiencing a year of transition in 1983. Soul music was evolving into urban contemporary, R&B producers were becoming increasingly high tech, and horn funk was losing ground to synth-funk and electro-funk. Also, the hip-hop factor could not be overlooked -- some old-timers insisted that hip-hop was a passing fad, but younger R&B producers realized that rap was becoming the music of choice for many young African Americans and paid close attention to hip-hop production techniques. Inevitably, all of these things affected Cameo. Released in 1983, Style is more high-tech than 1979's Secret Omen or 1980's Cameosis but not as high-tech as 1985's Single Life or 1986's Word Up! It is also an LP that finds singer/producer Larry Blackmon leading a downsized Cameo -- while the band had ten members at the start of the 1980s, it only has four on Style: Tomi Jenkins, Charles Singleton, Nathan Leftenant, and Blackmon himself. (And by Single Life in 1985, Cameo would only be a trio.) Having cut way back on the horns on Style, Blackmon makes sure that keyboards and synthesizers play a major role on snappy funk items like "Cameo's Dance," "Aphrodisiac," "Slow Movin'," and the hit title song. On Cameo's late-'70s albums, keyboards took a back seat to horns -- on Style, it's just the opposite. Even on a remake of the standard "Can't Help Falling in Love" (a ballad that had been recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to Doris Day), Cameo is more technology-minded. Style isn't among Cameo's essential albums, but it's an enjoyable effort that will appeal to die-hard fans. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
