Hittin the Time Machine: Fire it Up Rick James Album Review

The other night I was watching The Chapelle show, and one of my favorite episodes was on, that being the Rick James episode. Dave Chappelle and Charlie Murphy were explaining a night out on the town. They’d have little sections where Charlie Murphy would talk to the camera but, they also had Rick James speak about what went on back in the day. There was one particular quote that explains not only his music but the way he lived. “Cocaine is a hell of a drug.”

Fire It Up was Rick James’ third album, released on October 16, 1979. It followed highly successful “Bustin’ Out of L Seven” and “Come Get It,” which had gone platinum.

Fire It Up is an entertaining album, and honestly, I don’t believe music is made like this anymore. Now in saying that, I am no Rick James expert, and this is the first album I’ve listened to from start to finish. But, during this time, Rick James’ main competitors were Michael Jackson and Prince, to which he was a distant third. I look at it as if Michael was for everyone; Prince was for the ladies, Rick was for big club goers. It’s a straight-up funk album but specifically targets romance, which is no surprise, anyone if you’ve listened to his music before.

This album mainly deals with how James looks at love. The record is about seven tracks long but has a tonal change after “Lovin You is a Pleasure.” The first three songs are very upbeat and seem to be more playful than anything. Even though the music itself sounds extremely playful, the lyrics aren’t G-Rated by any means. 1979 was a different time there wasn’t anywhere near as much profanity in music as there is today, but there were creative ways to get your point across. In the opening song, which happens to be the title name Fire It Up, there’s a part in the first verse where he says, “I’ll funk you til you roll out the door,” now yes, you can look at it innocently. But when five of the seven songs have love in the title, and he’s speaking to women in these songs, you can hear the lust in those lyrics.

Once you hit the tonal change at “Love in the Night,” I feel like this is where James’s vocals get to shine. The tempo slows down and gives James the room to take over the song.

I’m glad he took the approach to switch up the sound of the album midway through. You have your party music, but it also offers music for an intimate setting and gives you something else. But even saying this, it picks back up after “Love in the Night” for one song with “Come into My Life”, and it seemed kind of out of place when it turned on it caught me off guard.

That could’ve been the point, though. James, a very eccentric guy, did things the way he wanted to, or he didn’t do them at all, I mean he is Rick James. This random switch in tone was a reason why this song is one of my least favorites. It should’ve been track four instead of five.

It’s funny because right after this upbeat song, you get into “Stormy Love,” which starts with such a slow beat, it comes off like a gentle breeze. Which comes off as an impromptu monologue — questioning whether his lover has found a new man to take his place. Explaining how his love can be stormy some days but not others just like the weather. In my opinion, it doesn’t fit where it’s at, if that came after “Love in the Night,” it would’ve linked ideally to the closing track “Love is Gone.”

Another slow song in which James explains that his love for the women is gone. He describes the hurt that she has brought him, it seems to be the most serious song on the album where he’s delving into his own emotions. Where the past tracks have mostly just been about sex and partying, James shows a human side to him, which is appreciated. If he had just moved that song up one, he’d have a cohesive story within his album, which is always great. Unfortunately, it comes off as slightly fragmented.

Lastly, the production is phenomenal and carries a few tracks, to be honest. It’s a fun album that came out in a golden age of music. Fire It Up is a good album, not a great one. The music can come off as exhilarating but, it lacks actual substance. But hey that man could do as he pleased, as he’d always say, “I’m Rick James Bitch!”

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