Day 0662 - Done by the Forces of Nature

The Jungle Brothers "Done by the Forces of Nature" (1989)

 
The Brothers beefed up their classic rap sound with elements of jazz, world music, house, funk and Afrobeat.  According to the book, the group were accused of selling out, but history appears to have vindicated the them, with the album being pegged quite high on several ranked lists, not to mention retrospective reviews generally lauding the album.

Day 0564 - Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti "Cupid & Psyche 85" (1985)

I was quite looking forward to this based on the description: a loose musical collective who had been noodling around in post-punk experimentalism, but (having heard Quincy Jones' production on Michael Jackson's albums) decided to delve into the world of pop.  I ended up feeling slightly underwhelmed by it.

The band had enlisted some seasoned session players and sprinkled everything with some studio gloss, but the songs just feel like they're not memorable enough, and the gloss is a little thick so the songs seem to lose their 'oomph' a bit.  Possibly it's just that this sound is, 'aesthetically', not in line with my tastes.