| Real Men... Wear Black | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 11, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| 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]
| 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 "The sound is a bit harder and the themes a bit lighter, but this new album basically continues down the path Cameo has followed since trimming down to a trio in the early 1980s. It was then that the group began seriously to experiment with what Blackmon tagged ”black rock,” a musical mix Cameo has never really been adequately credited for helping create. ”Real Men” is another solid example of Cameo`s approach to the sound." [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]
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]
| 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 |
Photography By – David Vance
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [4] | 84 |
| US Top R&B Albums ( Billboard ) [4] | 18 |
Cameo is an American funk band that formed in 1974. Cameo was initially a 14-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo.
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Machismo is the funk group Cameo's 1988 follow up to their album Word Up!. It includes the hits "You Make Me Work" and "Skin I'm In". The album reached No. 10 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 56 on the Billboard 200 Pop Albums chart, and No. 86 on the UK albums chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.
Single Life is a 1985 album by the funk group Cameo. The album reached No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 58 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. It contained the hit singles "Attack Me With Your Love", which reached No. 3 R&B, and the title track, "Single Life", which reached No. 2 R&B. "Urban Warrior" was the group's foray into the emerging Hip-hop scene. The videos for both singles included appearances from popular television soap opera actors and were tied together by a particular storyline; with the title track’s video being a continuation of the story that started in the "Attack Me With Your Love" video. The album was Cameo’s seventh to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.
Cardiac Arrest is the debut album by American funk band Cameo.
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Secret Omen is the fourth studio album by American funk band Cameo, released in June 1979. It was their first of nine albums, and the first of five consecutive albums to be certified gold in the US for sales of over 500,000 copies.
Cameosis is the fifth studio album by American funk band Cameo, released in April 1980.
Feel Me is the sixth album by the funk band Cameo, released in 1980.
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Alligator Woman is a 1982 album by the American funk band Cameo, released by Casablanca Records. It is the group's eighth studio album, and the first released after group leader Larry Blackmon reduced the band from 11 members to 5 (himself, Tomi Jenkins, Nathan Leftenant, Charlie Singleton, and Gregory Johnson. Alligator Woman combined Cameo’s traditional funk with elements of rock and new wave, and was the band’s fifth consecutive album to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. The cover artwork model is the Canadian singer/model Vanity.
Style is the ninth album by the funk band Cameo, released in 1983. It was their first album to introduce their Atlanta Artists label, with which they maintained their distribution through Polygram Records.
She's Strange is the tenth album by the funk band Cameo, released in 1984. It reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, number 27 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.
Nasty is a live album released by the funk group Cameo in 1996. In addition to the live material, two new studio tracks were included: "Come Fly With Me" and the album's title track, both written by Larry Blackmon. The "Mega-Mix" is a remix of the album's live tracks. The new studio tracks on this release were the only newly written material released by the band for the next five albums.
Anthology is a 2-disc greatest hits album released by the funk/R&B group Cameo in 2002. The collection is arguably the best representation of Cameo released to date, containing 23 of their 26 Top-40 R&B hits, though the top 5 single "You Make Me Work" is not present. This collection was repackaged and retitled as Gold three years later.
The Definitive Collection is the latest of many greatest hits albums by the funk/R&B group Cameo. It emphasizes the band's hits from the 1980s, similar to the European release Classic Cameo. A more comprehensive collection can be found in the 2005 release, Gold.
So Happy is the second music album by American comedian and singer Eddie Murphy, released in August 1989 by Columbia Records. A funk and soul effort with often humorous sexual lyrics, it was co-written and co-produced by Murphy with several high-profile contemporary musicians, such as Nile Rodgers and Larry Blackmon, at various recording studios in California, New York, Florida, and the Bahamas. The album was not a commercial success and received mixed reviews.
Keep It Hot is a live album released by the funk/R&B group Cameo in 2007. In addition to the live material, two studio tracks were included: "Come Fly With Me" and "Nasty", both written by Larry Blackmon. The "Mega-Mix" is a remix of the album's live tracks. This album is the third album in 2007 to be a nearly track for track re-release of Nasty from 1996. However, Nasty's "Mega-Mix" was left off in favor of three new tracks.
Word Up! Greatest Hits – Live is a live album released by the funk/R&B group Cameo in 2007. In addition to the live material, two studio tracks were included: "Come Fly With Me" and "Nasty", both written by Larry Blackmon. The "Mega-Mix" is a remix of the album's live tracks.
