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Nile Rodgers album "Adventures in
the land of the good groove"
Along with coproducer-bassist Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers has cranked
out hits for Chic (their own studio and performing group), Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Norma Jean, Debbie Harry, Sheila B. and Devotion. Adventures in the Land of the Good
Groove, Rodgers' first solo album, is a synthesis of Sixties R&B, Chic-like
Seventies ballads and electronic, Eighties-style rock. Written, arranged
and produced by Rodgers, the LP moves at a brisk pace. Every cut, from the
trans-African, electronic Linndrum groove of the title track to the triple-time,
be-bop coda of "Most
Down," demonstrates the Rodgers-Edwards theory of style as substance.
"Rock Bottom,"
which showcases Edwards' unmistakable bass and the lockstep funk of Chic
drummer Tony Thompson, is polyrhythmic rock & roll at its best. "My
Love Song for You" focuses on the tight interplay between Sarah Dash's
lilting vocals and Rodgers' almost ethereal arrangement, highlighted by
ex-Chic keyboardist Raymond Jones' sparkling, Duke Ellington-type nuances
on acoustic piano. And "Beet," a sparse dance-and-roll number,
sounds like James Brown meets Jan and Dean. Even "Yum Yum"–the album's weakest track–works,
thanks to the hypnotic quality of the schoolyard chanting. Perhaps Adventures in the Land
of the Good Groove will revive the semiconscious Chic, whose career
is at a low point, and transport Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards back to
the top of the charts with their next album. |
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