Swamp Dogg
(the alter ego of producer and songwriter
Jerry Williams
) recorded 1977's
Finally Caught Up with Myself
with a band he called "the Riders of the New Funk," but the results are a good bit less down and dirty than one would expect given
's body of work. The album's production and arrangements are polished and polite, especially by
Williams
' standards, and while these are a few decent grooves here, much of
suggests the influence of
disco
at its blandest, though
"Silly Silly Silly Me"
manages to summon up a decent
reggae
groove and
"Trash"
struggles to capture the down-home Southern
soul
feel the lyrics all but demand of it. This isn't one of
's more inspired moments as a singer or lyricist, either; while
"If You Gotta Do Wrong (Do It Right)"
is a prime cheating song,
"Understanding California Women"
is a funny meditation on El Lay weirdness, and
"Embryo S.O.S."
is an oddball bit of social commentary. Most of the other tunes range from OK to forgettable, while the vocals are generally no more exciting than the music.
boasts more personality than most straight-ahead
R&B
albums of the late '70s, but anyone expecting a work of bent genius like
Total Destruction to Your Mind
is going to be seriously disappointed. ~ Mark Deming