Madonna Funky St

Rip It Up, Issue 77, 1 December 1983, Page 24

Madonna

Funky St

Madonna Sire This is an album that dares to be disco and proud of it. It reminds me of great tracks like Chic's 'Good Times' and Anita Ward's 'Ring My Bell' and that's good company. Madonna is the current darling of the New York , disco scene, hanging out at the Funhouse, picking up tips from the Peech Boys and Arthur Baker. So the album has a very modern sound with the outstanding production of Reggie Lucas and John 'Jellybean' Benitez showing Madonna's strong white voice at its best. A real fun dance album with a nice tight groove to every track, especially the Benitez-produced

Think of Me' and the closing track 'Everybody'. This is the sort of thing I'd like to hear on my radio all summer long. Kerry Buchanan Rick James . _ Cold Blooded Motown Every time I listen to this I hear the refrains of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Not that this album sounds anything like Jackson's it stands as its opposite. Where Thriller is light and. accessible, Cold Blooded is a dark and difficult product, in many ways more a continuation of the themes of Streetsongs than the limp Throwirf' Down^f^SSßßtS A balanced collection of ballads and dance tracks that revolves around the themes of street life, sex and a mystical concept of unity. It becomes a bit forced when compared to something like Marvin Gaye's latter work, as if James is trying too hard to make a grand statement. This shows in the music, with the rhythm being too rock-orientated and ponderous for a black album. The tracks I do like are 'Ebony Eyes' (a duet with Smokey Robinson) and the title track, which is available on 12-inch. Kerry Buchanan

James Ingram It's Your Night (Warner Brothers) The cliche that session players make polished but dull records is confirmed once again. Session singer James Ingram records his first solo album and the result is

competent but characterless. Producer Quincy Jones mixes up his standard formula: a little funk, a couple of ballads, a duet or two, but Ingram fails to stamp any personality on the process.. Id hesitate to call it soulless but it's definitely less than arresting.AD