THE BEST OF THE MARY JANE GIRLS: MILLENNIUM COLLECTION
For me this new CD compilation is a NO BRAINER.
I am a fan of the Mary Jane Girls :)
And for the rest of you who are fans of the group, unless you already own all of the Mary Jane Girls LP's, then there is NO EXCUSE why you shouldn't own this handy little package.
Last year when I reviewed Dawn Silva's "All My Funky Friends", there were a few people who objected to the fact that I stated that Dawn's CD was the BEST album I had heard from a female funk artist since the Mary Jane Girls.
Some folks took that to be a put down of Dawn.
Funny, when I mentioned this to Dawn Silva, she told me that she took it as a compliment to be compared to the Mary Jane Girls.
(which was exactly what I was trying to do cuz I am a REAL BIG fan of the Mary Jane Girls!!!!!!)
Anyhow, here is my track by track review of :
THE BEST OF THE MARY JANE GIRLS: MILLENNIUM COLLECTION
1. ALL NIGHT LONG
Of course this song might just be the SEXIEST song in the HISTORY OF FUNK (sorry Prince...LOL). With JoJo McDuffie on lead vocals, this SUPER SLOW SEXY STANK NASTY FUNKY song is practically a FUNK ORGASAM on disc. The music, featuring yall's boy "Danny" on the EROTIC SAX is a perfect match for JoJo's angelic/whorish voice. I remember having the 12 inch version of this that went on for something like 12 minutes? It's badd (Sorry I can't type about this damn song any more) .."COME ON UP BOY, DON'T BE LATE, WHAT I GOT FOR YOU WON'T WAIT ..."
(you don't have to tell this funkateer twice, I'll be RIGHT THERE ..."ALL NIGHT LONG)
2. BOYS
What can you say about as song with lyrics that say "just come and lay your head on my breast and let my love just do the rest..". The song itself is a great dance cut featuring bass and guitar (but who cares?...LOL)
3. CANDY MAN
Now just who do you suppose the "Candy Man" is?...LOL
Like most of the songs on this CD, "Candy Man" contains that trademark Rick James groove that JUST WON'T QUIT. (That's because all the songs here are produced and arranged by Slick Rick himself). It kinda feels like "skipping rope" when you are dancing to this song! A point to be made here is the sheer sultriness of JoJo's voice, she's a damn good singer.
4. JEALOUSY
This song is kind of average and to me sounds more like the Mary Jane Girls are trying to do a "Go Go's/Bangles Girl group kinda thang". They are far too good to have a need to do that. (so I'll give them a pass this time..LOL
5. YOU ARE MY HEAVEN
Ahhh finally a ballad. Now we will find out if the Mary Jane Girls can actually sing. And they don't disappoint us. This song isn't great, but it's passable
6. ON THE INSIDE
This song has lyrics "borrowed" directly from Smokey's "Here I Go Again", but I'm sure that Smokey didn't mind helping out his good buddy Rick James? This is a pretty cool slow jam (theis is good GRINDING material) that had it been released as a single may have done well chart wise. I wonder why they didn't give it a shot. I would have brought it :)
7. IN MY HOUSE
Damn..this song is also a SUPER SLOW SEXY STANK NASTY FUNKY song is practically a FUNK ORGASAM on disc. "I'll be your sugar in the morning and the sweet stuff you need at night". The lyrics of this song are so risqué that I'm surprised that Berry Gordy ever released it. It's probably the second sexiest FUNK jam of all time. It was also a MONSTER HIT RECORD and today you will hear snippets of this song at least 2-3 times each day on the radio. It's got to be one of the most sampled songs in the history of rap music?
Back in the mid 90's I heard Isaac Hayes interview JoJo and she stated that she was pissed off because of the lack of props the "hip hop generation" has given to the Mary Jane Girls, she was quite vocal about the whole issue of sampling, royalties, etc She was quite articulate and sincere (hopefully one of these days I will also get a chance to meet her?)
8. BREAK IT UP
(filler)
9. WILD AND CRAZY LOVE
I remember when this song first came out. Once again it's got the trademark Rick James groove and risqué lyrics. Cool dance cut too. Just not in the same league as either "In My House" or "All Night Long". I like it, I like it a lot. But it just isn't as good as two of the best Funk jams of all time.J
10. SHADOW LOVER
Imagine if Mary Wells had still been recording for Motown in the 1980's? (maybe she would have sounded like this?) I like this song a lot, it should have been released as a single
11. WALK LIKE A MAN
Now at first blush, this song seems like it might be a joke, right? A remake of the old Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons pop music smash of the 1960's being remade by the Mary Jane Girls, during the 1980's? Well..(it's no joke at all). This song works, try it and you will see what I mean!
This is a fun CD, it's something that you should have playing in your car, during the summer with your convertible top down.
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Bob Davis
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