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Real Men... Wear Black

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Real Men... Wear Black
Studio album by
Cameo
ReleasedJune 11, 1990
Recorded1989–1990
Studio
  • Bazooka Studios (Miami, Florida)
  • Encore Studios (Burbank, California)
Genre
Length40:35
LabelAtlanta Artists/Polygram Records
ProducerLarry Blackmon
Cameo chronology
Machismo
(1988) 		Real Men... Wear Black
(1990) 		Emotional Violence
(1991)

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]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
Chicago Tribune[2]
New York Times(favourable)[1]
USA Today(favourable)[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
People(favourable)[9]
Select2/5[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

[edit]

I 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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Close Quarters"Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen6:11
2."I Want It Now"Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen4:32
3."Me"Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen4:31
4."Attitude"Larry Blackmon3:44
5."Get Paid"Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen4:58
6."Am I Bad Enough"Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Tomi Jenkins, Billy Allen5:25
7."Time, Fire & Space"Kevin Kendricks, Tomi Jenkins, Larry Blackmon3:40
8."Nan-Yea"Jemeal Leftenant, Larry Blackmon, Nathan Leftenant4:36
9."Just a Broken Heart"Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Tomi Jenkins, Billy Allen4:34

Personnel

[edit]

Cameo

  • Larry Blackmon – lead vocals, backing vocals, drums, percussion
  • Tomi Jenkins – lead vocals, backing vocals
  • Nathan Leftenant – backing vocals, trumpet

Additional musicians

  • Billy Allen – keyboards, programming
  • Kevin Kendricks – keyboards, programming
  • Charlie Singleton – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
  • Robert Smith – keyboards, programming
  • Aaron Mills – bass
  • Melvin Wells – saxophones
  • Jeryl Bright – trombone
  • Smoove & Konduko – scratches
  • Willie Morris – lead vocals, backing vocals


Production

[edit]
  • Larry Blackmon – producer
  • Barney Perkins – recording, mixing
  • Christopher Rutherford – recording
  • Milton Chan – assistant engineer
  • Paul Speck – assistant engineer
  • Sterling Sound (New York, NY) – mastering location
  • Reiner Design Consultants, Inc. – album design
  • David Vance – photography
  • Fleur Thiemeyer – fashion
  • Anderson Phillips – hair

[3]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1990) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[4] 84
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[4] 18

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (August 19, 1990). "HOME ENTERTAINMENT/RECORDINGS: AND KEEP IN MIND". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c Heim, Chris (July 1, 1990). "CAMEO "Real Men Wear Black"". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ a b Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black. Atlanta Artists/Mercury Records. 1990.
  4. ^ a b c "Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  5. ^ a b "Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
  6. ^ a b Waller, Don (July 1, 1990). "CAMEO "Real Men Wear Black"". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ Jones, James T (9 July 1990). "Rap works its way into vets' R&B". USA TODAY. p. 4D. ProQuest 306386869.
  8. ^ Linden, Amy (September 6, 1990). Cameo: Real Men Wear Black. Rolling Stone.
  9. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Real Men Wear Black". people.com. People. July 16, 1990.
  10. ^ Perry, Neil (July 1990). "When Men Are Men And Larry's A Lamb". Select. p. 87.
  11. ^ "Cameo: I Want It Now (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  12. ^ "Cameo: Close Quarters (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
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