Real Men... Wear Black is a studio album by the funk group Cameo released in 1990 on Atlanta Artists/Mercury Records.[3] The album reached No. 18 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.[4]
| Real Men... Wear Black | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 11, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:35 | |||
| Label | Atlanta Artists/Polygram Records | |||
| Producer | Larry Blackmon | |||
| Cameo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Los Angeles Times | [6] |
| Chicago Tribune | [2] |
| New York Times | (favourable)[1] |
| USA Today | (favourable)[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| People | (favourable)[9] |
| Select | 2/5[10] |
Jon Pareles of the New York Times stated that "Larry Blackmon's cracked nasal voice keeps the band funny and unpretentious, especially when kicking up its well honed midtempo funk".[1] Allmusic gave the album a three out of five star rating.[5] Chris Heim of the Chicago Tribune noted "The sound is a bit harder and the themes a bit lighter, but this new album basically continues down the path Cameo has followed since trimming down to a trio in the early 1980s. It was then that the group began seriously to experiment with what Blackmon tagged ”black rock,” a musical mix Cameo has never really been adequately credited for helping create. ”Real Men” is another solid example of Cameo`s approach to the sound."[2] Don Waller of the Los Angeles Times also proclaimed "using a krazee-quilt combination of synthetic/organic keyboards ‘n’ hipshot! percussion, greazy basslines and goofbawl vocals, (heavy on the minor sevenths), Cameo rolls back the rug for a wall-to-off-the-wall dance party".[6]
Singles
editI Want It Now reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.[11] Close Quarters also reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Close Quarters" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 6:11 |
| 2. | "I Want It Now" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Me" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 4:31 |
| 4. | "Attitude" | Larry Blackmon | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Get Paid" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 4:58 |
| 6. | "Am I Bad Enough" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Tomi Jenkins, Billy Allen | 5:25 |
| 7. | "Time, Fire & Space" | Kevin Kendricks, Tomi Jenkins, Larry Blackmon | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Nan-Yea" | Jemeal Leftenant, Larry Blackmon, Nathan Leftenant | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Just a Broken Heart" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Tomi Jenkins, Billy Allen | 4:34 |
Personnel
edit- Backing Vocals – Charlie Singleton, Larry Blackmon, Nathan Leftenant, Tomi Jenkins, Willie Morris
- Bass – Aaron Mills
- Design – Reiner Design Consultants, Inc.
- Drums, Percussion – Larry Blackmon
- Engineer [Assistant] – Milton Chan, Paul Speck
- Engineer [Mixing] – Barney Perkins
- Engineer [Recording] – Barney Perkins, Christopher Rutherford
- Guitar – Charlie Singleton
- Keyboards – Charlie Singleton, Kevin Kendricks, Robert Smith, Billy Allen
- Lead Vocals – Larry Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins, Willie Morris
Photography By – David Vance
- Producer – Larry Blackmon
- Programmed By – Kevin Kendricks, Robert Smith, Billy Allen
- Saxophone – Melvin Wells
- Scratches – Smoove & Konduko
- Trombone – Jeryl Bright
- Trumpet – Nathan Leftenant[3]
Charts
edit| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[4] | 84 |
| US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[4] | 18 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (August 19, 1990). "HOME ENTERTAINMENT/RECORDINGS: AND KEEP IN MIND". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Heim, Chris (July 1, 1990). "CAMEO "Real Men Wear Black"". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b c Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black. Atlanta Artists/Mercury Records. 1990.
- ^ a b c "Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ a b "Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ a b Waller, Don (July 1, 1990). "CAMEO "Real Men Wear Black"". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Jones, James T (9 July 1990). "Rap works its way into vets' R&B". USA TODAY. p. 4D. ProQuest 306386869.
- ^ Linden, Amy (September 6, 1990). Cameo: Real Men Wear Black. Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Real Men Wear Black". people.com. People. July 16, 1990.
- ^ Perry, Neil (July 1990). "When Men Are Men And Larry's A Lamb". Select. p. 87.
- ^ "Cameo: I Want It Now (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Cameo: Close Quarters (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.