George Clinton guided and directed a new
Brides of Funkenstein lineup on the group's second and final album,
Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy. This time,
the Brides were a trio instead of a duo.
Dawn Silva was still on board, but
Lynn Mabry was gone, and
Silva's new allies were
Sheila Horne and
Jeannette McGruder. With the new
Silva/
Horne/
McGruder lineup in place,
the Brides delivered a sophomore effort that is as unpredictable as their first album,
Funk or Walk. "Smoke Signals" (which
Clinton wrote and produced with
Bootsy Collins) and "Party Up in Here" are very
Parliament-like, which is to be expected. But "I'm Holding You Responsible" and the 15-minute title song find
the Brides delivering an unlikely mixture of
Chic and
P-Funk, and "Didn't Mean to Fall in Love" isn't
P-Funk at all. The only tune on the LP that
Clinton didn't produce or co-produce, "Didn't Mean to Fall in Love" is a romantic northern soul item along the lines of
First Choice,
the Three Degrees, or
Honey Cone. Like
Funk or Walk, Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy contains its share of surprises, and it demonstrates that
the Brides of Funkenstein did the right thing by being unpredictable. ~ Alex Henderson