Oooh, shit, damn!

How To Be a Lady: Volume 1 is The-Dream's best album. By far. While his two solo releases have been decent efforts with some wildly enjoyable highlights, they've fallen short of establishing him as a) a conduit for virtuosic eclecticism a la Prince (as Love/Hate hinted at), or b) a character as witty and charming as his hooks a la...well, Prince (as Love vs. Money attempted). At last, with How To Be a Lady, he proves himself a worthy imitator in at least one facet: much like the purple one, he's a pop pimp to proteges that could easily be confused for prostitutes.

And I'm not just saying that because the four women of Electrik Red represent themselves (via lyrics almost entirely written by The-Dream and his right hand Christopher "Tricky" Stewart) as a pack of sexually forward cougar cubs. I'm saying it because the words they're made to sing sometimes paint them as actual whores, as in "On Point," which sounds like an X-Ray of an early No Limit production that's just as consumed with cash as anything on that label: "You gets nothin''/Unless that nigga's on point/In the bed better know what you doin'/Let the washer and the dryer keep the coins/I need dollars/And that's trill/Unless that nigga pay bills/And unless that nigga do deals/Unless he got my wrists on chill/I'm for real." Elsewhere, it's more simply put: "If you wanna love the P, lemme see them dollar signs."

But Eletrik Red's inherent statement can't be reduced down to a women = whores outlook or simple sexism. They're allowed to be brash and as bawdy as the big boys ("I'm the shit with this shit," "Ooh, shit, damn!" and "You don't fuck us, nigga, we fuck you, you, you" form the hooks of some of these songs in the same way The-Dream's own sing-alongs are casually peppered with expletives). Like Russ Meyer heroines, who also never wrote their own words either, but wielded them with deceptive authority, the ladies of Electrik Red are always in charge of their given situations. They're supervixens capable of conscious submission ("All you gotta do is ask / I'm right on top of it I'll handle that task"), but more often find themselves in a dominant role (the "P" in their P.U.S.S.Y. acronym stands for "power"). The liner notes of Lady are peppered with feminist-ish slogans like "It's a man's world or at least we let them think it is" and "Always remember where you came from and never forget those red pumps on the way to where you're going" and "It's hard being an authentic girl in a Botox world." Electrik Red shill girl power in crotchless panties, so they can really rub the girl bit in your face.

As their maestro, The-Dream's playing with dolls that are attractive enough (I'd say America's Next Top Model-level pretty) and decently talented, but not so much (sub-Destiny Fulfilled harmonies) that their singing gets in the way of the real stars: the tunes and the production. All commercial music amounts to some iteration of a plea for popularity, but on Lady, The-Dream and Tricky carve out this gently experimental place between the utterly mainstream and hopelessly obscure. That's always a great place for R&B to reside, because it exploits its status as an utterly electronic medium and loosens it up from any obligation to "authenticity" that still gnaws at people 25 years after synth pop happened. There are times when Lady is mind-blowing as a sound collage, like on "Devotion," which on its ambient, fluttering high end, sounds like it's swathed in clouds, while its low end simply thunders. On "Freaky Freaky," synths throb, the beat chugs, sirens roar, as the ladies sound off operatically, then wordlessly, then jokingly bellow, "Awwwww," then chant and then sing. And that's just the chorus. My favorite track (for now), "9 to 5" sounds like the result of Prince setting his LinnDrumm on his piano for a 21st century torch ballad -- it's the kind of meshing he fumbled with on the recent MPLSound done right. Many of these tracks, including the aforementioned one, are unclassifiable even on a basic level: it's hard to say if they're ballads or bangers, as their tempos seem to expand and contract with all of the sonic activity. Is it music for dancing? For fucking? Who cares. Just listen -- no assembly required.

I'm tempted to read meta-commentary into that, that the fact that a lot of this stuff seems only to want to be listened to bespeaks an awareness of the uphill battle to get ears on it in the first place. In this economy, a release like this will struggle to go copper. But as disappointing and unfair as that is, no one's boo-hooing. There's an infectious positiveness almost everywhere on Lady, especially in its current, non-propulsive single, "So Good," with its SWV-esque slutty/sunny vibe. Elsewhere, on "W.F.Y." one of the girls (they're all kind of anonymous except for honey-voiced lead singer, Naomi Allen, who sounds like Kelis without the ugly) announces at its start, "This could be big!" as though she has no idea that a song with "fuck" in its title, no matter how infectious and stylish its house beat is, has zero chance of commercial impact. But no matter, sometimes playing pretend enough. Tonight and every night, Electrik Red are living in a fantasy. Props to The-Dream and Tricky for providing them their own little nasty world.

Comments

[Rob R]

um, so they definitely got their inspiration for the album cover from the "naughty nanny" photo of Celia and Sandra!!!!!!!!!

[bex]

Whoa, this sounds GOOD. In the queue, yessir!

[Jim]

Yessss.. Electrik Red is hot. I did a hip hop dance routine to this song several weeks ago - I'm not in this, but this was the routine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m12HiT9Y-w

BTW.. Rich, I'm Jim, the guy you met at Starbucks in Union Square who's obsessed with your blog. Hehe :)

[jessica]

oh FUCK Rich.

i am so so so so happy you're onto this.

and i am so so so happy that Real Girl Tranny Hooker is the hottness again.

[Darren]

Sold the second I YouTubed "We Fuck You". SOLD.

[Foxy]

I have almost emailed you every day for the last week to be all "Are you looooooving this 'The-Dream does Vanity' album?". Thanks for saving me the email. Oooh, shit, damn indeed.

[joshua]

I dont know, upon first listen, I really wasn't feeling the album. I do have to give it a few more spins. It didn't help that I got Chrissette Michelle's Epiphany at the same time and THAT ALBUM IS BOMB. One of the best soul/pop albums in the last year or so!

[Sarah]

Their "So Good" video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrkKVv-EFXY...not the remix) is also pretty fun. "Fuck You" is my favorite song at this point.

I'm surprised they don't have more radio time with their Dream connection.

Also, the lead singer really does sound like Kelis, but looks like a lil like Fefe Dobson, maybe??

[Christian V]

I was also going to email you repeatedly in a plea to hear your thoughts on the album. Your album reviews are incredible and this is no different!

I love this album in all it's saucy tramp raunchiness haha.

There's a lot of talk going around on the blogosphere about the "return of the girl group" which is kind of easy to believe with Richgirl and Sophia Fresh... and that other group by Robin Antin haha.

[jeru]

damn rich, been wonderin' about these broads.
thanks for the info

[Jasi]

Epiphany is "BOMB"??
That album was adult contemporary blaaaaah. After the title track it was all down hill from there
...Electrik Red is a watered down version of Dream's Love Vs Money...maybe its just more appealing with 4 women singing it....but I'm surprised you like this. *shrugs* to each his own

[Sara]

I'm sorry, but when I see P.U.S.S.Y. my mind goes to POLITICAL UNREST STABILIZES SOCIETY YEA

[Noel]

I was searching all over town for the album and not one fucking store in the capital of Virginia has a copy. None that I could find anyway. I had to just get it on i-tunes, which I kind of hate because I love holding something real. I was discussing earlier how The Dream has a way of allowing you to be inside of the production.

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