Real Men... Wear Black
Real Men... Wear Black | ||||
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Studio album by Cameo | ||||
Released | June 11, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 40:35 | |||
Label | Atlanta Artists/Polygram Records | |||
Producer | Larry Blackmon | |||
Cameo chronology | ||||
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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
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [5] |
Los Angeles Times | [6] |
Chicago Tribune | [2] |
New York Times | (favourable)[1] |
USA Today | (favourable)[7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
People | (favourable)[9] |
Select | 2/5[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 that Real Men is another solid example of Cameo`s approach to the sound" of "black rock."[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
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
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Close Quarters" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 6:11 |
2. | "I Want It Now" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 4:32 |
3. | "Me" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 4:31 |
4. | "Attitude" | Larry Blackmon | 3:44 |
5. | "Get Paid" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Billy Allen | 4:58 |
6. | "Am I Bad Enough" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Tomi Jenkins, Billy Allen | 5:25 |
7. | "Time, Fire & Space" | Kevin Kendricks, Tomi Jenkins, Larry Blackmon | 3:40 |
8. | "Nan-Yea" | Jemeal Leftenant, Larry Blackmon, Nathan Leftenant | 4:36 |
9. | "Just a Broken Heart" | Larry Blackmon, Robert Smith, Tomi Jenkins, Billy Allen | 4:34 |
[3]
Personnel
- Backing Vocals – Charlie Singleton, Larry Blackmon, Nathan Leftenant, Tomi Jenkins, Willie Morris
- Bass – Aaron Mills
- Design – Reiner Design Consultants, Inc.
- Drums, Percussion – Larry Blackmon
- Engineer [Assistant] – Milton Chan, Paul Speck
- Engineer [Mixing] – Barney Perkins
- Engineer [Recording] – Barney Perkins, Christopher Rutherford
- Guitar – Charlie Singleton
- Keyboards – Charlie Singleton, Kevin Kendricks, Robert Smith, Billy Allen
- Lead Vocals – Larry Blackmon, Tomi Jenkins, Willie Morris
Photography By – David Vance
- Producer – Larry Blackmon
- Programmed By – Kevin Kendricks, Robert Smith, Billy Allen
- Saxophone – Melvin Wells
- Scratches – Smoove & Konduko
- Trombone – Jeryl Bright
- Trumpet – Nathan Leftenant[3]
Charts
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[4] | 84 |
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[4] | 18 |
References
- ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (August 19, 1990). "HOME ENTERTAINMENT/RECORDINGS: AND KEEP IN MIND". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Heim, Chris (July 1, 1990). "CAMEO "Real Men Wear Black"". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b c Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black. Atlanta Artists/Mercury Records. 1990.
- ^ a b c "Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black (Top Soul Albums)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ a b "Cameo: Real Men... Wear Black". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ a b Waller, Don (July 1, 1990). "CAMEO "Real Men Wear Black"". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Jones, James T (9 July 1990). "Rap works its way into vets' R&B". USA TODAY. p. 4D. ProQuest 306386869.
- ^ Linden, Amy (September 6, 1990). Cameo: Real Men Wear Black. Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Real Men Wear Black". people.com. People. July 16, 1990.
- ^ Perry, Neil (July 1990). "When Men Are Men And Larry's A Lamb". Select. p. 87.
- ^ "Cameo: I Want It Now (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ "Cameo: Close Quarters (Hot R&B Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- v
- t
- e
- Larry Blackmon
- Anthony Lockett
- Aaron Mills
- Tomi Jenkins
- Charlie Singleton
- Jeryl Bright
- Michael Burnett
- Thomas Campbell
- Wayne Cooper
- Merve de Peyer
- Gary Dow
- Eric Durham
- Gregory Johnson
- Kurt Jeter
- John Kellogg
- Kevin Kendrick
- Arnett Leftenant
- Nathan Leftenant
- Damon Mendes
- Stephen Moore
- William Morris
- Eric Nelson
- Jeff Nelson
- William Revis
- Charles Sampson
- Robert L. Smith
- Billy Allen Jr
- Melvin Wells
- Gregory B. Johnson
- Cardiac Arrest (1977)
- We All Know Who We Are (1978)
- Ugly Ego (1978)
- Secret Omen (1979)
- Cameosis (1980)
- Feel Me (1980)
- Knights of the Sound Table (1981)
- Alligator Woman (1982)
- Style (1983)
- She's Strange (1984)
- Single Life (1985)
- Word Up! (1986)
- Machismo (1988)
- Real Men... Wear Black (1990)
- Emotional Violence (1991)
- In the Face of Funk (1994)
- Sexy Sweet Thing (2000)
- Nasty (1996)
- Live: Word Up (1998)
- Original Artist Hit List (2003)
- Nasty, Live & Funky (2007)
- Word Up! Greatest Hits – Live (2007)
- Keep It Hot (2007)
- Shake Your Pants (1992)
- The Best of Cameo (1993)
- The Best of Cameo, Volume 2 (1996)
- Best of Cameo (1998)
- The Ballads Collection (1998)
- Greatest Hits (1998)
- 12" Collection and More (1999)
- Anthology/Gold (2002/2005)
- Classic Cameo (2003)
- The Best of Cameo (2004)
- The Definitive Collection (2006)
- "Rigor Mortis"
- "Shake Your Pants"
- "She's Strange"
- "Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck"
- "Attack Me with Your Love"
- "Word Up!"
- "Candy"
- "Back and Forth"
- "I Want It Now"
- "Loverboy"