The late Rick James keeps the funk coming
By Steve Jones, USA TODAY
Two years after his death, Rick James is still funking up the charts.
Deeper Still, the hard-grooving first single from an upcoming album by the R&B star, was just released and is busting out at urban adult radio.
LISTEN UP: Share your thoughts on the late, great James
The song, which features sultry Spanish-language vocals by singer Ivonne Contreras, was one of many James had finished before he died of a heart attack at age 56. The single and the still-untitled album of new material will be released this spring on James' independent Stone City Records. The music was co-written and co-produced by longtime collaborator and saxophonist Danny LeMelle.
With James' estate finally settled, more James projects are on the way:
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The singer's autobiography, Memoirs of a Superfreak, is due April 15 from Amber Communications, business manager Ron Kramer says. James wrote most of it from 1993 to 1995 while in California's Folsom Prison for kidnapping and assaulting two women in separate incidents. He updated the book later.•Screenwriter Sheldon Turner (The Longest Yard) is developing a script for a movie based on James' hedonistic life and grim death, Kramer says. According to the autopsy report, James had methamphetamine, cocaine, Vicodin and Xanax in his system.
Though there had been talk of a biographical project by comedian Dave Chappelle, James wanted a more serious take on his life, Kramer says.
"Sheldon Turner has some real interesting ideas about depicting Rick's life," Kramer says. "David Chappelle actually offered Rick a movie, but Rick's fear was that Dave was going to do a caricature of him, and he did not want to be made fun of."
James enjoyed renewed popularity before his death, thanks in part to a recurring Chappelle parody skit based on James' wild life. "I'm Rick James, b — - — - ," which James himself often repeated when intoxicated, became a catchphrase. The musician even participated in the fun by famously repeating another frequent saying on the show, "Cocaine is one hell of a drug."
"He thought the Chappelle stuff was hilarious," LeMelle says. "But he was parodying the old persona of Rick, and believe it or not, that was 100% Rick at the time.
"That's what made it so funny, and that's why Rick dug it. He didn't take it as an insult."
On the new album, James delves into richer musical vocabulary beyond the funk of such classics as Mary Jane, You and I and Super Freak, LeMelle says.
"In the past, he never really allowed himself to truly record what he is really capable of," LeMelle says. "Rick had a really strong sense of rock 'n' roll and Americana music. Probably for the first time, we were letting that kind of stuff seep into the music.
"Rick would pick up an acoustic guitar and write an incredible song. If he would've just left it with acoustic guitar, he could sing it and bring tears to your eyes. But then somebody would ask him if it was funky, and he would go back and (after imposing his signature funk) the song would be gone."
James' first band, the Mynah Birds, featured Neil Young and future Steppenwolf member Nick St. Nicholas. He worked as a Motown songwriter and producer before and after becoming a star. A bassist and keyboardist, James launched the careers of Teena Marie and the Mary Jane Girls and influenced a host of bands in the '70s and '80s.
On the coming disc, James' vocal talent is showcased on ballad Do You Want to Play with R&B stars Howard Hewett and Johnny Gill.
The fresh tunes may not be the last we hear from James. Still in the vaults are a funk-drenched collection called McBooty's Bump and Grind Revue, two rock albums and other material.
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