Search - Nile Rodgers :: Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove

Rodgers Solo

disco75 | State College, PA United States | 09/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alongside his 80s production duties with Bowie, Madonna, B52s, etc, and his own group's Chic lps of 81, 82, and 83, Rodgers made some idiosyncratic forays on his own or in groups highly attuned to the NY club scene. There are four of these club-oriented projects that constitute a "Nile Rodgers" project for the 80s: Material's *One Down* of 81, Rodgers' solos of 83 and 85, and Outloud's eponymous 87 lp recorded as a trio with Phillippe Saisse and Felicia Collins. Together, they comprise a surprisingly cohesive sound and personal statement. 1983's *Adventures* uses the club sound for a clever examination of male-female intimacy. The Good Groove plays a metaphor on both the rhythm and anatomy of sex. The sound ranges from fast electronic grooves to mid-termpo percussive meditations to a gorgeous ballad; the subject matter involves a man's blindness in sex tripping him up and then revealing deeper emotions. A very tight recording, sadly overlooked at the time. Why these Rodgers projects were overlooked is a mystery. Just as the three Material tracks sporting the imprimatur of Rodgers stumbled saleswise ("I'm The One" hitting only #43 on the Dance chart), *Adventure's* tracks did not chart on Dance, R&B, or Pop charts. These would have been easily paired with the Prince and Yaz, ESG and Peech Boys cuts of the day."