Search - Roger :: Many Facets of Roger

It's back after so many years, The Many Facets of Roger

D. Walker | Kansas city | 03/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oh my god, Warner had to have something wrong with them. I am really surprised that Rhino had to talk Warner in to rereleasing this album. I'm glad they did though because Roger Troutman was an artist that you could dance to. He took the Talkbox, the guitar, and the Maxx Axx to a hole nother level. But He also new that the album wouldn't be complete without some blues in the mix. I am really thankful to Warner Bros. though because for years I had to listen to the album on a record. I really think that SuperMan should have been put on the album "We can make you dance, the first disc." Anyway you look at it, it's still a great album non-the-less. I hope that everybody who is a Roger Troutman fan buys this album and remembers this great and influentual artist. Roger Troutman we miss you."

They don't make funk like this no more

Sherance M. Brothers | Jasper, Alabama United States | 10/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"roger was truly one of the best artists ever this was his first and best solo effort bootsy collins dropped a funkbomb and roger hatched from it and gave the world classics like the much sampled so ruff so tuff, and I heard it through the grapevine every cut on here is funky and we miss you mr. troutman."

Sophisticated with a touch of grits and gravy

Steven Swain | Rocky Mount, VA USA | 04/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The work of the late musician Roger Troutman and his band Zapp has been widely exposed to the public through his association with the funk movement of the `late `70s and early `80s and the countless music samples taken from his work by rap artists. But if anyone even gives this guy a second thought these days, it's usually because of his innovative work with the "talk box," a voice-activated synthesizer popularized by Peter Frampton around the same time. Though he made a lot of great songs using the talk box, these casual fans are missing out on the "many facets" of one of funk's most versatile artists."The Many Facets of Roger" is Roger Troutman's first solo album from 1981. If you like your funk sophisticated but with a touch of grits and gravy, you're missing out on a gem. Troutman's command of multiple instruments, especially the guitar, is an aural treat. On "Maxx Axe," for example, he uses both raw synthesized and classy nylon-string guitar work, along with bouncy rhythm guitar and bass to ensconce the listener in jazz-funk guitar heaven. Whether "new-school" jazz artists like Marc Antoine realize it or not, Troutman provided the basic blueprint for their up-tempo work with "Axe" and other treats on "Facets" like "Do It Roger" and "A Chunk of Sugar"Not stopping at sophisti-funk, Troutman brings a whole new dimension to a classic with his rendition of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Who knows what possessed him to mess with such a legendary song, but he does it justice with a very fresh and funky groove, and fun instrumentation. In a similar vein is his very original "So Rough So Tough," a staple of "Old School" R&B stations everywhere. Not missing a beat, Troutman tackles the blues in "Blue (A Tribute To the Blues)," surprisingly good and authentic, even for Troutman.Unlike many albums of this era, there is no filler. Every song on "Facets" is strong: tightly produced and played with sublime vocals, still sounding very fresh twenty-something years after the original release. Included in the reissue of "Facets" are single edits of "Grapevine" and "Do It" and an unreleased 1997 track called "Superman" that shows that funk constantly evolves. "Superman" is just as informed by the work of Nine Inch Nails as it is by George Clinton.If you've read this far, you know you want "The Many Facets of Roger." Do yourself a favor. Buy it. You won't be disappointed."