Spanish Fly
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Columbia Records
THE NEXT BIG THING IN BLACK music last year at this time was the teaming of the youngest member of the musical Jackson family with two hot Minneapolis producers. The pairing of Janet Jackson with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis developed a progressive new pop/soul sound, heavy on elements of beat and relying on the projection of an aura of female strength and toughness.
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's Spanish Fly picks up where Janet left off. As listeners tire of the now overexposed and no longer progressive Jam/Lewis beat, Full Force has broken new ground on `urban' radio by surrounding Lisa Lisa with a clever, funky, and even historical mixture of all that's hot in Black music today. Lisa Lisa maintains Janet's rigid stance of female power in the midst of a musical melange of elements from 50s streetcorner doo-wop to hot Miami rhythms, with even a touch of gospel-style chorus tossed in for flavor.
Ironically, also like Janet Jackson's Control, it's not the seemingly aggressive female vocalist who's in charge, but a talented team of male cohorts, in this case Full Force, a group of five guys in tight spandex pants, shirts open to their waists, whose gold necklaces melted together could anchor a small boat. Their influence can be felt in all areas of the record. They are credited with production, writing, even the mixing and managing of Lisa Lisa.
Spanish Fly is filled with subtle and not-so-subtle allusions to Full Force's own recordings. On "A Fool Is Born Everyday" they toss in their well-known "Don't even try it/Full Force don't buy it" line over some spare beats. The album's fine opening track, with a beat reminiscent of last year's "I Wonder If I Take You Home," is even titled "Everything Will B-Fine," after Full Force member B-Fine.
They unique styles of Lisa Lisa and Full Force control and influence each other on Spanish Fly, a varied album, basically solid throughout. New single "Head to Toe" is a great pop number with the feel of streetcorner harmony on the chorus. On both this tune and the heavily Latin flavored "Lost In Emotion," Lisa Lisa draws heavily on 60s girl group sound, but they carefully choose among the sounds of the classic groups to avoid the obvious sounds of the Supremes or Vandellas, in favor of the more experienced womanhood of Mary Wells.
Last summer, Lisa Lisa hit the top of the charts with the sentimental and sappy "All Cried Out," so one might have expected them to play it safe by including a number of drippy adolescent ballads. But even "Someone to Love Me for Me," the album's only ballad, is slightly adventurous for its genre. It's "All Cried Out" done as a church spiritual, with the lovelorn sentiment of last year replaced by a new moral self-confidence and self-righteousness. You can imagine the chorus swaying back and forth during this duet with Full Force's Paul Anthony and Bow-Legged Lou.
"Face In the Crowd" and "Playing With Fire" are Lisa Lisa's tough turns on vocals. In the former, replete with some nasty conversational repartee in the vein of Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately," Lisa Lisa plays a fan attracted to a male singer. The latter, the album's best and most aggressive track, is heavily layered with keyboards and Spanador's (of the Cult Jam) vibrant guitar solo. "I'm not your everyday average woman," Lisa Lisa sings. She tells us she will not be the victim of any relationship, because when you mess with her, "You're playing with fire/And you're gonna get burned."
