Rick & Friends

RELEASE
April 28, 1992
LABEL
Priority
GENRES
Rhythm & Blues, Urban, Funk

Album Review

An 11-song collection of Rick James productions that includes solo releases and tracks featuring James working with the Mary Jane Girls, Teena Marie, and Smokey Robinson. Rick explodes on "Super Freak," "17," "You and I," "Give It to Me Baby," "Bustin' Out" (with its spacy dope beat), and "Mary Jane," Rick's funky homage to marijuana. The Mary Jane Girls and Rick flirt with eroticism on "In My House" and "All Night Long," two underrated hits by the sensuous trio. "Ebony Eyes," James' shimmering duet with Smokey Robinson, is butter smooth. And his classic "Fire and Desire" is as thrilling as a good off-Broadway drama, Rick and Teena Marie sparkling like precious jewels on arguably the best R&B duet ever recorded.
Andrew Hamilton, Rovi