45 REVELATIONS
On attitude alone, Cameo’s “Word Up” walks away with Single of the Month honors. Clearly the hippest sound in the room. Refining the warped, almost arrhythmic rap style they fashioned on “Attack Me With Your Love,” the trio concocts a psychological romance pairing a garage-style punk-funk bass line (much misused term—punk-funk, not bass line —but for once it fits here) with a host of dry on-the-one-liners.
45 REVELATIONS
KEN BARNES
BY
On attitude alone, Cameo’s “Word Up” walks away with Single of the Month honors. Clearly the hippest sound in the room. Refining the warped, almost arrhythmic rap style they fashioned on “Attack Me With Your Love,” the trio concocts a psychological romance pairing a garage-style punk-funk bass line (much misused term—punk-funk, not bass line —but for once it fits here) with a host of dry on-the-one-liners. It’s Cameo’s “Super Freak,” and with a more receptive climate for adventurous black hits, it should cross pop with more impact than Rick James’s 1982 monument managed.
“What About Love” highlights Aimee Mann’s vocal resemblance to Chrissie Hynde like no ’til tuesday record before. It’s also rather majestic, while the flip, “Will She Just Fall Down,” sounds like Emitt Rhodes at his best. A superb doublesider.
The Beach Boys themselves add little to “California Dreamin’,” but Roger McGuinn’s 12-string is celestial, just about the most transcendent moment on a Beach Boys record since they met the Maharishi. Producer Terry Melcher who worked with both parties, earns big points for putting them together.