djzyonseven
Cameo’s Word Up! was another one of those albums you could just put on and let it ride.
I love the title track.
But my absolute favorite!
Candy.
Something about that bassline when it hits.
Man… that takes me right back to high school. 🎧
Then Back and Forth comes on, and there’s another classic groove.
Their music was no joke.
Cameo was THAT group in the ’80s.
And my love for them goes all the way back to their first album, Cardiac Arrest, released in 1977.
By the time Word Up! arrived in 1986, they already had years of music behind them.
This was a group that kept finding new things to do with funk.
Larry Blackmon was that dude.
The voice.
The haircut.
The outfits.
And yes, that red codpiece. 😂
You couldn’t confuse him with anybody else.
But what I appreciated about Cameo was how creative they were with their sound, too.
They could change the look, bring in sharper electronic rhythms, and still give you a record with some serious FUNK in it.
Released through Atlanta Artists and Mercury, Word Up! was produced by Blackmon, with Tomi Jenkins and Nathan Leftenant alongside him in the core lineup.
Seven songs, about thirty five minutes.
Enough room for the grooves to develop without wearing out their welcome.
The title track comes in with that hard beat and Larry’s unmistakable delivery.
He and Tomi Jenkins wrote it together, and they made something that sounds like an invitation and an instruction at the same time.
Get up.
Move.
You heard the man. 🕺🏾
And here’s a little video trivia.
That’s LeVar Burton playing the police detective in the Word Up! video.
With Cameo, even getting chased by the police could turn into a dance party.
But let’s move on to Candy.
That bassline is the part that gets me first.
It has this bounce to it that makes the whole record feel good before you even get into the singing.
Then the voices come in, trading those phrases and filling out the hook.
Blackmon and Jenkins wrote this one, too.
And that saxophone solo is Michael Brecker.
There’s a lot to enjoy beyond the part everybody knows.
The album version gives us more than five and a half minutes of it.
And I’m good with that.
Very good with that. 🍬
That groove had a life beyond this album, too.
Mariah Carey built Loverboy around Candy in 2001 and brought Cameo in to sing with her.
I can understand wanting a piece of this record.
Then there’s Back and Forth, written by Blackmon, Jenkins, Leftenant and Kevin Kendrick.
The album version stretches past six minutes, letting that rhythm keep working while the vocals move around it.
That’s another good classic groove.
Put those first three tracks together, and you understand why this album stayed with me.
But keep listening. Don’t Be Lonely brings a softer change of pace, and She’s Mine, Fast, Fierce & Funny and You Can Have the World complete the album.
I love the hits, but the whole record deserves the play.
The album made its mark on the charts, too.
These were its peaks:
For me, Word Up! brings together so much of what I love about Cameo.
The personality, the creativity, and musicians who knew how to make a groove count.
I still say put the album on and let it ride.
But when Candy comes on!
Turn that one up a little.
That bassline deserves it. 💜
djz7
Direct Listening Links 🎧
Spotify · Full album
YouTube Music · Full album audio
Apple Music · Full album
Candy · Official music video
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