Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Oz View Post
"Blurred Lines" might be for Robin Thicke what "Word Up" was for Cameo. A surprise crossover hit that either changes the group/singer into a pop act [[followed by pop music, which neither of them performed prior to crossing over) or makes them a one-hit wonder on the pop charts because they choose to dance with the one that brung them: R&B or urban music. I loved Cameo for coming out with "Skin I'm In" on their next album because Larry Blackmon clearly decided that he wasn't going for greater success at the sake of craft.
Having that huge crossover hit can also kill an artist. The audience has a tendency to place people with a certain sound they like in a box. If you swerve out of that box, people can reject you. At other times, it's a matter of timing. They were steadily on the rise starting in 1981 in the R&B wolf, and had their taste of crossover success as they steadily rose. Then, Cameo came out with the "Machismo" album when their unique sound was no longer in sync with what people wanted to hear. I personally didn't like the album because the somgs were too long and drawn out. They also tried to repeat the formula of "Word Up!" with the lead-off single "You Make Me Work".