Oddball Fun
Zachary Guzman | 05/05/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Gregg Diamond always had a knack for making some rather unusual disco music. He had a distinctive style and this album is an excellent example of it. His lyrics could be a bit out there, but that's Mr. Diamond. Bionic Boogie was one of the names he used for the studio musicians he employed. The title track "Hot Butterfly" shows that he could be sensitive when need be without resorting to schmaltz. Measured and dreamy, it feels like the perfect closer after exhausting your body on the dancefloor. It also has a sweet lead performance by the late Luther Vandross, three years before he started his solo career. "Chains" is Diamond in his more quirky mode. It has a driving, rock-tinged beat layered with unison singing by the four excellent session singers employed on the album, namely David Lasley, Cissy Houston, Zachary Sanders & Luther Vandross. "When the s**t hits the fan (Pocket- rocket)" is one of the two silly filler tunes included on this six-song set. "Paradise" is a fast-tempo latin-influenced dancer with David Lasley's falsetto bouncing all over it. It's a catchy, busy tune. "Cream (always rises to the top)" is a mid-tempo dancefloor classic with soft, but insistent drumming and jazzy guitars flowing throughout. The song also has some of the most puzzling lyrics that Diamond ever wrote and Zachary Sanders lead vocal has lots of character to add to the piece. The album concludes with the goofy "Fess up to the boogie", which includes thought-provoking lyrics such as "The Wizard of Oz is number one because he fessed up to the boogie." Deep. Overall, it's a disco classic that has been transferred to cd with wonderful clarity. Last but not least, there's that freaky-looking album cover. In case you couldn't tell, that is a drag queen on the cover, looking quite fierce. She's obviously a Rocky Horror Picture Show fan."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1