Earth Wind And Fire

Electric Universe

SOME CRAZY SPACE [STUFF] (1.5 Stars)

Review Score:

(4/10)
Oh no! What happened to the greatest band of all time??? Yes, this is the album that broke The Fire's back. I bought it just the same though, because there are just some groups that are so tight that you want to be there for both the ups and the downs of their career. And this is most certainly a down. I approached this album with a wide open mind, aware of the meat grinder that black music was put through in the early 80's resulting in the Billy Oceans, Ray Parker, Jrs. and Eugene Wildes who became dependent on pop sounds to keep the bills paid. But what kind of impact could it possibly have on a legendary funk/soul band with 5 consecutive multi-platinum albums already under their belts? Walk with me...

The answer is Electric Universe, an album leaps and bounds from EW&F's forte, and vision of the great Maurice White, who is no stranger to change by any means. The sad part about this album is that it is very much along the lines of what pop music was at the time. Those crazy kids of the 80's, what was on their minds??? Unfortunately, in order to make this change, EW&F had to sacrifice a load of creativity, authenticity, and most importantly, funk.

Magnetic - 5 - Why is Maurice singing like that??? The obvious single if they at all expected their fans to get used to an album like this. Musically, the song is not impossible to accept, but it is a stretch. Vocally, 'Reece seems to adjust his soulful format to accommodate the track as he is singing over it. Far from a top-notch EW&F performance, but it can grow on you.

Touch - 8 - Actually the best song on the album. Though the cut still has a pop feel, plenty of soul is pumped into it with Maurice's free-flowing vocals and Verdine's thorough bass work. This should have been worthy of some Billboard visibility, if nothing else.

Moonwalk - 4 - The bassline is not catchy and the arrangement is type cheesy, but Maurice rides it, making it halfway listenable. Good tenor sax by Andrew Woolfolk. The hook is still too empty and the Emotions sound howeeble in the background, almost like they are in separate booths singing different songs.

Could It Be Right - 7 - Pretty smooth cut that toes the line between R&B and mainstream sound. The synth sounds take away from how good this song could have been, and is, in effect, a preface to a sound that would continue to surface in future EW&F releases.

Spirit Of A New World - 2 - As on all EW&F albums, there must be at least one song where they stretch themselves out creatively. Much to my dismay, they chose this ultra-alternative (euro) rock cut, which evokes unpleasant images of infinite slam-dancing on some distant planet. You can hear Maurice stretching to hit notes that are high even for him. This cut is a major misstep, especially for EW&F and is nauseating at best, from the incompatible sax solo to the Flash Gordon-like intro. And if I don't stop singing "step into the dance" under my breath, I will go to my local butcher and fall on his sharpest cutlery. It doesn't get any worse than this.

Sweet Sassy Lady - 1 - I stand corrected. Another off-key vocal performance, which is uncommon for EW&F and any affiliates. Maurice's game is depleted on this track, as he complements a woman's outer appearance, which he never really had to do in the past. Again, musically, the track suffers from an un-attention-getting arrangement. Wack music, wack lyrics, wack vocals. I'd say my rating was generous.

We're Living In Our Own Time - 6.5 - The one song with Phillip Bailey on lead vocals. Yeah. That's one way to curb sales. This one has an airy feel to it, and is downright soothing to the ear, but it sounds like he's singing over a pre-recorded track. The background vocals are nicely spread out and strategically placed, but this could not qualify as an EW&F cut. If this were on any of their prior albums, it would probably be my least favorite.

Electric Nation - 3.5 - Tries to mimic "The Changing Times" from the Raise! album in almost every way, but is not as catchy nor as creative as the former. Mo does a li'l voice drop thing in the verse, which is OK, but little else to keep you interested. If this is all you have, you can pretend it's "Changing Times" if you have sufficient imagination.

I will put this as truthfully as I can: This album is like a public toilet. Yes, you can use it, but the missed targets are obvious and can disgust you if you hang around for too long. There are no tracks that musically hit the nail on the head, like "Getaway" or "Fantasy", nor any must-have cuts if you are a true fan of EW&F's core music. From a fundamental standpoint, this album is just not tight, which is also very much unlike EW&F. There are a couple good ones, but there is also significant filler, even for an 8-cut album. As far as inspirational lyrics, spiritual upliftment, empowerment of the soul and life messages, you can forget about any of that on this album! Let's be honest, what does this group know about life in outer space? Just for the record: Pop is short for popular, so if nobody listens to your music, theoretically IT'S NOT POP! Electric Universe is the definition of "some crazy space [stuff]" if I have ever heard it, and probably needs its own genre called just that. If you buy it, concentrate on recognizing the good in it or it's astronomical theme might "suck you in, you'll never last".

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