Track Listing:
Let's Go All The Way {Gary Cooper} 5:10
Don't Play With Fire {G Cooper} 3:44
I Still Remember {G Cooper, Joel Johnson, David Spradley} 4:14
Won't Let You Go (A Wedding Song) {Michael Camacho} 3:45
Como Tu Te Llama? (What Is Your Name)
{D Spradley, David Sanchez, G Cooper, M Camacho} 5:15
Stay True {M Camacho} 3:40
If Push Comes To A Shove {G Cooper, Ted Currier} 3:36
Merry-Go-Round {G Cooper, D Spradley, M Camacho} 4:28
Personnel:
Producer: Ted Currier
Sly Fox (Lead Vocals): Gary "Mudbone" Cooper and Michael Camacho
Background Vocals: Evan Rogers, Cindy Mizell, David Sanchez, April Lang
Guitars: Binky Brice, Kennan Keating, Frank Finley, David Lavender
Bass: Tony Bridges
Percussion: Steve Sprouse, Johnny Ventura
Keyboards: David L. Spradley, Alec Schantzis
Rating: RC: **
Comments: RC: Sly Fox was a project spearheaded by Gary 'Mudbone' Cooper. It spawned a hit single ("Let's Go All The Way") that also had a popular video. The only other P.Funk connection was David Spradley, who played keyboards and co-wrote several of the tunes. The album is aimed at a pop market and isn't really a funk album or even a dance album. It's tinged with latin influences and is well-sung, but its essential pop nature makes it fairly insubstantial. There was also apparently a tour, with Frankie "Kash" Waddy as drummer and bandleader, and future New Rubber Band guitarist Flip Cornett.
"Let's Go All The Way" is a truly excellent pop-funk tune with hypnotic percussion, ripping appearances by guitar and keyboards to give it some teeth, and good singing. The lyrics are odd and interesting, with his partner Michael Camacho doing a lot of the leads. "Don't Play With Fire", with its vaguely latin tone, sounds inspired by War, albeit more electronic sounding. It's more pop-funk, purely commercial, but still decent. "I Still Remember" has Mudbone doing lead vocals, but the music is much less interesting, succumbing to drum machine blahs. "Won't Let You Go" is a dreadful pop ballad. "Como Tu Te Llama?" is another latin- inspired song. It's well-sung and fairly engaging, though hollow-sounding because of all the electronic effects. "Stay True" is another song typical of the album; very 1980's pop arrangement. "If Push Comes To A Shove" is a 50's style pop tune done with an electronic arrangement. Mudbone sings lead. "Merry-Go-Round" is a fairly good song with a nice rhythm and solid singing that moves at a slow, easy pace.
The album is out of print and hard to find. I'd only recommend it for huge fans of Mudbone Cooper, but I wouldn't spend any more than $5-10 for it.