Above Street Level

Rip It Up, Issue 11, 1 May 1978, Page 15

Above Street Level

Peter Thomson.

Rufus with Chaka Khan Street Player ABC

As an album title it’s rather misleading. The band has never sounded further away from the raw, rough energy we normally associate with street-life. The cover photo suggests the music’s style more closely: some folks may be playing basketball but group leader Tony Maiden wears a smart white suit as he dances with an elegantly gowned Ms Khan. What, no more bare midriff and denims? Have they sold out, plumped for Las Vegas? I don’t think so. It’s more that this album continues what seems to have become a carefully modulated change of focus. The funkin’ excitement is still there but it tends to be channelled into more sophisticated settings now. And, as the beat becomes

more complex and the arrangements more subtle, the band itself is playing with a greater restraint and cohesion. It’s as if there's a reliance on power coming through instrumental interaction, rather than simply the sum of individual output. But does it work? On the whole, yes, and largely because Rufus’ most effective instrument is still the remarkable voice of Ms Khan. (It’s no coincidence that two of the least successful tracks are the instrumental and the title song on which she provides only support vocals.) As a singer she’s got it all: power, pitch, range, fine-phrasing, and the taste not to show off by indulging in gratuitous pyrotechnics. She, too, has modified her style however. On a number of tracks one is more likely to compare her to Dionne Warwick than Aretha Franklin. Nonetheless, her performances are a joy to hear.

Inevitably I suppose, because of the changing style, there will be some old Rufus/Khan fans who will feel disappointed with this album, bemoaning the ‘weakening’ of the band’s earlier, more earthy sound. Yet Rufus has always been a very eclectic outfit, performing an assortment of styles and often with considerable success. On Street Player they continue to borrow and with no less achievement; it’s just that they’re drawing from different sources now. So, if you lament the use of strings although I find they work well -then enjoy say, the crisp and tasty horn work. If you think something's lost, something's also gained. There are no bad tracks here and some are outstandingly good. The whole album is thoroughly professional. I’m pleased to own it.