When
Rick James died of a heart attack on August 6, 2004 at the relatively young age of 56, some of his admirers were surprised that the funk/soul icon lived as long as he did. Saying that
James, who spent a considerable amount of time in the fastest stretches of the fast lane, subjected his body to extensive abuse over the years would be an understatement. Regardless,
James was a major talent -- some of the most talented musicians are also among the most self-destructive -- and his die-hard fans never quit hoping that he would eventually recapture the commercial and creative success he enjoyed during his late-'70s/early-'80s heyday. Recorded in 2003 and 2004 and released posthumously in May 2007,
Deeper Still ended up being
James' swan song. This frequently introspective CD doesn't contain a lot of hard, aggressive, in-your-face funk of the "Super Freak"/"Love Gun" variety, but rather, is funky in a smoother, more polished and refined way à la 1980s underrated
Garden of Love, which is perhaps the
James album that
Deeper Still has the most in common with stylistically, even though
Garden of Love is more essential.
Deeper Still falls short of
Garden of Love's excellence but is solid nonetheless and is certainly more consistent than wildly uneven discs like 1988's
Wonderful and 1986's
The Flag (which was the weakest, most disappointing album of
James' career). And while soul/funk/urban is
Deeper Still's primary direction,
James incorporates jazz on "Sapphire" and successfully moves into rock/pop territory on "Maybe" and a memorable remake of
David Crosby's "Guinnevere" (which isn't surprising given that, in 1966,
James briefly played alongside
Neil Young in a band called the Mynah Birds).
Deeper Still is not among
James' essential releases, but hardcore fans can take comfort in knowing that it is a respectable and dignified swan song from the influential funkster. ~ Alex Henderson