Cold Blooded

The last gasp for Rick James, at one time the king of '80s punk/funk. He was close to the end by the time this came out, but got some fresh life from a surprising source. A ballad between James and Smokey Robinson, possibly the two least compatible male vocalists around, proved a big hit and regenerated James as a single artist for a few more years. But the remainder of the album marked his continual deterioration as a producer, arranger, songwriter, and performer. ~ Ron Wynn