Christgau Consumer Guide
DUKE BOOTEE "Bust Me Out" (Mercury) Yes indeed, the man can sing, though given that he made his name as a musician and writer I’m equally gratified he can rap. Competently in both cases. The difference comes in what he sings or raps. The songs are standard funk fare, the raps his most pointed and bent since “The Message.” And Doug Wimbish and crew sound like escape from Sugarhill equals freedom now.
Christgau Consumer Guide
ROBERT CHRISTGAU
BY
DUKE BOOTEE "Bust Me Out"
(Mercury)
Yes indeed, the man can sing, though given that he made his name as a musician and writer I’m equally gratified he can rap. Competently in both cases. The difference comes in what he sings or raps. The songs are standard funk fare, the raps his most pointed and bent since “The Message.” And Doug Wimbish and crew sound like escape from Sugarhill equals freedom now. B +
THOMAS DOLBY "The Flat Earth"
(Capitol)
Dolby is a bright and honest fellow by no means in thrall to his synthesizers. “She Blinded Me With Science” proved he knows his way around a good beat, and the lyric sheet bespeaks a level of literacy rarely achieved by songwriters. But as with so many artists fascinated by synthesizers (and more than a few beguiled by their own literacy), his passion for texture subsumes what small knack he has for cruder, more linear devices. And if there’s an objective correlative for boring, that’s it.C +
THE DREAM SYNDICATE "Medicine Show"
(A&M)