Real Men... Wear Black
1990 studio album by Cameo
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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]
- Bazooka Studios (Miami, Florida)
- Encore Studios (Burbank, California)
| Real Men... Wear Black | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 11, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1990 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:35 | |||
| Label | Atlanta Artists/Polygram Records | |||
| Producer | Larry Blackmon | |||
| Cameo chronology | ||||
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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 "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]
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 |
Personnel
Cameo
- Larry Blackmon – lead vocals, backing vocals, drums, percussion
- Tomi Jenkins – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Nathan Leftenant – backing vocals, trumpet
Additional musicians
- Billy Allen – keyboards, programming
- Kevin Kendricks – keyboards, programming
- Charlie Singleton – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
- Robert Smith – keyboards, programming
- Aaron Mills – bass
- Melvin Wells – saxophones
- Jeryl Bright – trombone
- Smoove & Konduko – scratches
- Willie Morris – lead vocals, backing vocals
Production
- Larry Blackmon – producer
- Barney Perkins – recording, mixing
- Christopher Rutherford – recording
- Milton Chan – assistant engineer
- Paul Speck – assistant engineer
- Sterling Sound (New York, NY) – mastering location
- Reiner Design Consultants, Inc. – album design
- David Vance – photography
- Fleur Thiemeyer – fashion
- Anderson Phillips – hair
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[4] | 84 |
| US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[4] | 18 |