The first two tracks are definitely a cut above anything the group had put out since the start of the decade, but overall they can't sustain the momentum throughout the entire album. Generally, you can gauge the lack of quality control by the uptick in seriousness (the back-to-back schmaltzy ballads "A Good-Bye" and "I'll Never Look At Love"), and there's still these silly reggae tangents (the sub-standard taunt "Little Boys - Dangerous Toys"), making this another mixed bag overall.
After the previous, rather lackluster effort, Cameo begins to stake out their own identity amongst the backdrop of the ever-formless contemporary 1980's R&B scene. However, the material feels better suited for late-night dance floors and/or chill-downs with no obvious hits, and the inclusion of "Tribute to Bob Marley" turns out to be a languid, bloated thing that should have been left on the cutting floor.
After years of releasing albums which had more in common with P-Funk and Rick James, this record sees Cameo exploring Prince's new wave-edged sound, along with going down from 11 to 5 members. Tracks like "Soul Army" retain much of the personality from the previous albums, though. Another decent effort.
The cover and title matches the lavish sounds inside, as Cameo continued to deftly bridge the transition between excesses of the 70's and the more streamlined and tech-obsessed 80's.
