I remember finding this album on vinyl in a record shop when I was a kid of probably ten or eleven. The only reason I bought it was the cover; the dude looked like the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I still think it’s a great cover, but what lies within is even better. Street Songs is an explosion of funk, soul, and R&B that thanks to the remastered CD (released in 2002) I picked up recently, sounds even better today than it did 28 years ago. Rick James is, of course, the original super freak; he always looked like he was ready to party and his music was the perfect soundtrack for his own 24/7 lifestyle.
A native of Buffalo, New York, James arrived on the scene in a big way with his solo debut LP, 1978’s Come Get It! The album spawned a megahit for James with the eight minute funk anthem “You And I.” By the time Street Songs was released, he had put out four albums in three years and was well and truly at the top of his game. This is essentially a concept album dealing with life in the ghetto and all of its vices, including prostitution, parties, sex, drugs, and the night life in general. The whole disc is expertly written and produced by James himself and is probably his best ever effort, just nudging out his debut and Bustin’ Out Of L Seven (from 1979).
Street Songs kicks off with the R&B #1 hit, “Give It To Me Baby,” which is sleazy, sexy, and damn funky all at once. The song sets the tone for what is to follow perfectly and remains one of James’s most loved tracks. “Ghetto Life” is a slick funk groove punctuated by some horns featuring features one of his most personal lyrics: “When I was a young boy, growing up in the ghetto / Hanging out on corners, singing with the fellas / Looking for the cute chicks, trying to find the big fun / Looking for some trouble, anyone who’d give me some.”
“Make Love To Me” is the most romantic song to be found here, musically at least. The lyric is more sex than love but I ain’t complaining one bit. It’s given a kind of Barry White style arrangement, complete with a string section and Rick’s singing is truly soulful. “Mr. Policeman” is all funk and tells the story of a trigger-happy, drug stealing cop at war with the locals. It sports one of Rick’s funkiest bass lines ever.
“Super Freak” is, of course, the song that the late Rick James is best remembered for. MC Hammer famously sampled the song for his mega-selling rap single “U Can’t Touch This,” but nothing beats the original. The song is insanely catchy and boasts one of James’s cheekiest lyrics while remaining radio friendly enough to spend ten weeks in the Top 40. The romantic in Rick appears again dueting with Teena Marie for the soaring but sweet ballad “Fire And Desire.” I’d suggest Prince was taking notes, since he would revisit this style of love song often throughout his career.
“Call Me Up” is pure funk and it’s all sex: no love, no romance, just sex. It has the most minimal arrangement of all the material here, and Rick is singing right at the top of his range on this one. The album closes out with the frantically-paced funk of “Below The Funk (Pass The J).” This one brings his story to an end with James getting high and talking to his boys about the ghetto and girls. However, being the most up-tempo of all the tracks here, it clocks in at just over two minutes, so it could have been longer. The album just ends a little too quickly which is a shame, because it’s so much fun.
Rick James was one of the most talented all-around artists of his time. The guy had a great voice, looked great, could play almost anything, and his expertise in the studio meant he could write and record pretty much whatever he wanted without being compromised at all. His live shows (at his peak) had to be seen to be believed. Rick unfortunately found his vices far too hard to give up, though, and passed away much too young as a direct result of his lifestyle. Luckily for us, he left behind a wealth of material that includes some of funk music’s greatest ever albums; Street Songs is just one of them.