Risqué
Album by Chic
Released 30 July 1979
Disco / Funk
Label – Atlantic
Rating – 6.5/10
It’s the first special review of the festive period, and how appropriate, because Chic’s ‘Risqué’ is all about good times!
The disco balls, the colour-changing dancefloors, one of the greatest helpings of nostalgia for those who lived through the late ‘70s is surely disco. They say disco is dead, but it lives on through the legacy of those who pioneered the movement and genre, particularly one the grooviest, funkiest outlets of the time, Chic!
Like Sly mastered his Family Stone, like George Clinton jammed his P-Funk in our faces, Chic had its puppet master – oh, make that ‘masters’, as while many individuals groomed their ‘70s dance music desires, for Chic, it was an iconic duo.
Writing and producing partners Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers overlooked the sound, style and songwriting of much of Chic’s music, including 1979 smash hit album ‘Risqué’. Truth be told, there was nothing necessarily risqué’ about Chic’s sound, or the album itself – there are so many more appropriate descriptors you could use – instantly-gratifying, fun-kay, shoe-shuffling, stuff-strutting – it’s the dance album’s dance album, the music takes over your body, forcing you to move, not caring how uncomfortable that may or may not make you feel.
And so, ‘Risqué’ is unapologetic, but it’s also beautifully-produced, full of chunky, attention-grabbing basslines curtesy of Edwards, scintillating strings and guitar twangs from Rodgers. The vocals are handled by an array of sources, and the rhythms are quintessential disco, always moving and shaking, if not totally simplistic.
Many would look to opening track ‘Good Times’ for an example of how in-charge Bernard Edwards was when it came to his bass playing, and that’s absolutely fine, because it’s a bassline that bops, sure to suddenly turn a room of individuals into a room of bopping individuals, enough to become iconic, enough to inspire John Deacon’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ bassline. But ‘Can’t Stand to Love You’ is just as impressive in terms of how technical and constant the bass playing is. The bass guitar on the track doesn’t seem to want to settle on a set pattern or riff, it keeps jumping and frolicking all over the place, making it a true instrumental standout.
‘Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)’ is another instrumental standout; the basslines still groove around, but the strings completely take over, majestically granting ‘Risqué’ its proudest melodies, becoming even more loveable once the track hits its crescendo portion around and the two-and-a-half-minute mark. You could say similar things about the layout of ‘A Warm Summer Night’, though I don’t find that track quite as interesting, partly because it stays in one, overly-steady direction for over six minutes.
While ‘My Forbidden Lover’ and ‘What About Me’ jive with deeper, personal topics, Chic are clearly at their best on ‘Risqué’ when producing song themes that match the danceability of their style. As popping as ‘What About Me’ is, thanks to more Bernard Edwards magic, it’s no ‘My Feet Keep Dancing’, a track that never wants to stop moving, a track that won’t give in to the concept of sitting still, unshackled, unfettered, completely liberated and free – they say it’s still dancing today.
Is it okay to call a disco album one-note? I know they’re supposed to be, but it is something that can get in the way on ‘Risqué’, especially when you know you’ve heard it all before, especially when the good times are being had less and less. But that’s okay, everything else is stellar, particularly the production.
I guess if I were to toss an insult in the direction of ‘Risqué’ – well, it wouldn’t be a real one, it’d just be me saying I’d be very happy to hear these songs come on at a party, but they don’t have as much replay-value by virtue of the album itself. But that’s just me, even if I’m not always going to be in the mood for Chic and ‘Risqué’, I can definitely see why somebody would be – it lives to be likeable, maybe not as much as Earth, Wind & Fire, but it definitely succeeds!
Favourite songs – ‘Good Times’ – ‘My Feet Keep Dancing’ – ‘Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)’.
Weakest song – ‘A Warm Summer Night’.
Best aspect – Thick, juicy production.
Biggest flaw – Not enough diversity, too many moments of comedown.
Rating – 6.5 out of 10
Special announcement – I will continue my usual holiday season content, with special reviews and end-of-year (and decade) lists coming your way. However, I’ve been looking to expand my music review content, to the point where this blog may cease to be updated at some point in the near future. I will instead be putting together a bigger, better website, dedicated to producing the best music content possible – proud and professional, yet comedic and interactive. I’d love to turn my love of music into something huge, so starting very soon, I’m going to give it a real hefty try! Thank you to all my readers and those who have supported this blog, and I hope you join us going forth! Regards, Ben.
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