Originally Posted by
grangertim
One other thing I would fix is the much-derided Workin' Overtime.
The concept - moving into House/Dance/Jack-swing - is a sound idea. Look at what was about then, and the sound of Workin' Overtime was on-trend. I am thinking Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul - hell, even Madonna was into it at the time.
The biggest problem was Workin' Overtime, the lead track. What the hell...? A song about working hard? Nile should have said a firm NO. Imagine WO without the insipid and senseless lyrics, instead it being a song with strong street cred, about - I don't know, maybe the AIDS epidemic, or homelessness, or rising gun or knife crime - something urban and topical. I mean, musically, WO is on trend. It just needed better lyrics - *much* better lyrics [[oh, and to ditch the gimmicky scratching record sound effect).
Some other songs on that album are pretty good. Paradise is a good song. I always wondered to whom the lyric was targetted. Was Tracee or Rhonda acting up?
This House could have been a hit, with its sparse instrumentation, and soaring vocals. Its problem is that Miss Ross' vocal on it sounds thin and strained. She is capable of much, much better. I wonder what went wrong with the recording? Why did she allow that vocal to be cut?
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