At the time of his death in 2004, the indomitable Rick James was in the process of unleashing yet another wave of freakiness on the general populace. He had penned 10 songs, half of what he hoped would become a double-disc... more » set, and holed himself up in his L.A. home studio to record them. Though the project never came to fruition as he envisioned it, Deeper Still culls the tracks he had in the can plus a single cover, and it opens wide a window on the freak-master's mindset in his final days. The gentle title song swerves away from empty come-ons and excessive suavity to celebrate romance and (of all things) commitment, and a later track, "Sapphire," again dispenses with signature slinkiness in favor of affirmation--here, strong black women see some love. Evidence of James's fabled "sex, drugs, and funk & soul" lifestyle peek through on the steamy "Do You Want to Play" and the autobiographical cuts "Taste" and "Stroke," but mostly Deeper Still represents a mellowing. "Guinnevere," the cover, is a great example: James, who was still in fine vocal form, gets comfortable with a meandering David Crosby meditation on a green-eyed lady who longs, above all, to be set free. --Tammy La Gorce« less
At the time of his death in 2004, the indomitable Rick James was in the process of unleashing yet another wave of freakiness on the general populace. He had penned 10 songs, half of what he hoped would become a double-disc set, and holed himself up in his L.A. home studio to record them. Though the project never came to fruition as he envisioned it, Deeper Still culls the tracks he had in the can plus a single cover, and it opens wide a window on the freak-master's mindset in his final days. The gentle title song swerves away from empty come-ons and excessive suavity to celebrate romance and (of all things) commitment, and a later track, "Sapphire," again dispenses with signature slinkiness in favor of affirmation--here, strong black women see some love. Evidence of James's fabled "sex, drugs, and funk & soul" lifestyle peek through on the steamy "Do You Want to Play" and the autobiographical cuts "Taste" and "Stroke," but mostly Deeper Still represents a mellowing. "Guinnevere," the cover, is a great example: James, who was still in fine vocal form, gets comfortable with a meandering David Crosby meditation on a green-eyed lady who longs, above all, to be set free. --Tammy La Gorce
"I picked up "Deeper Still" just out of respect commemorating the Late legendary funkster Rick James thinking that this would be just an mediocre Cd.
BOY...I WAS WRONG!!!
The title track "Deeper Still" just blew me away when I heard it but "Taste" had me totally in Awwwwww!
I couldn't believe that this is the same person who released Master Cuts like "Mary Jane, "Give It To Me Baby" & "Super Freak", Etc.
Every since Rick got out of prison and left cocaine alone (So he says...but I'm not judging) his music & style has changed.
His Music that he was feeling before his death is definitely what we call "GROWN FOLK MUSIC" nice melodic rhythms & melodies as you will hear not only on the 2 songs I mentioned earlier but check out "Stop It", "Do You Wanna Play" & "Sapphire".
Now on the other hand. Rick did go back to his Funk roots with "Stroke & "Funk Wit Me".
The reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating is because the other songs that I didn't name were just listenable but really didn't do much for me but overall this is a very good Cd and I would highly recommend it.
R.I.P Rick James
"
A Delightful Surprise
John L. Hughes, Jr. | Nashville, TN | 05/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"DEEPER STILL is Rick James at his romantic best. The title track and "Stop It" simmer with funk and salsa, while the funky "Taste" and "Stroke" cleverly blend in details from his troubled 1990's run-ins with the law. The biggest surprises here are Mr. James' soulful reading of Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Guinnevere" and "Sapphire", a heartfelt tribute to strong black women. And of course Rick's sexy side comes through on "Do You Wanna Play" and "Funk With Me". Musicianship is top-notch throughout, especially on the hopeful ballad "Maybe". The best part about DEEPER STILL is that the whole album is 52 minutes, a great length for an album that doesn't overstay its welcome."
Album of the year
mistermaxxx@yahoo.com | usa | 05/30/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Rick James Dominated the funk in the 80's and he pretty much single handly kept the Funk Alive back in the day. he has never gotten his due because others stole his Concepts and Ideas. well on this Album Rick played a whole different hand and it works. Rick already did Funk, R&B,Blues, Jazz, Pop,Rap and everything else in between. He is a Underrated Smooth Singer. Rick has some of the tightest slow Jams Ever. the Man was a Musical Genius. He understood style. the title track along with 'Taste" are on point."Sapphire" is a Great tribute Song to Black Women. Rick was a strong Poet and never afraid to show his emotions. you ain't gonna catch Rick James having to Perform behind a Sheet on National Tv or something. he was striaght to the Point and direct. He should Win more Grammys and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was One of a Kind and he left a lasting impact. he was Soulful. He was a Strong Soul Brother who understood changing the game up. His game got stolen,but Rick this time went into a whole different direction and it works. RIP to Brother Rick James. the Genius Lives on."
Rick James : Gone but not forgotten!!
Sylvester Lee | Mempis, Tn. | 05/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I recently purchased the late legendary Rick James new cd, "Deeper Still", and let me tell you that this is without a doubt his best work since his glory days of pinning classic albums like 1981's "Street Songs", 1983's "Cold Blooded", 1982's "Throwin' Down, and 1978's "Come Get It". I know that some fans were probably turned off by Rick's embarrassing performance months before his untimely death on the BET Awards where he attempted to sing his classic duet "Fire and Desire" with R&B ivory queen and also legendary Teena Marie, I definitely was. But being one of Rick James biggest fans, I decided to give his new cd a chance anyway. On this instant classic, tracks like "Deeper Still", "Stop It", "Taste", "Not Alone" and the love ballad "Do You Wanna Play", are all Slick Rick at his very best. It's unlikely that it will go platinum, because today's younger generation does not identify with an oldschool legend like Rick James. But anyone who loved Rick in his prime will undoubtedly enjoy "Deeper Still". Check it out, you won't be dissappointed!!!"
Awesome recording!
Eric Robinson | DETROIT, MI | 10/03/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The funkmaster himself proves that he hadn't lost a beat. Pretty much every track on this cd is slammin'. I found myself crusing in my car while enjoying this nice piece. Rick definitely laid it down. I urge any Rick James fan to go out and cop this project before it somehow ends up out of print. After all, we all know how the industry can get far as letting good albums and cd's no longer be available to purchase."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
