J Puffs Bling

When Rick James died of a heart attack on August 6, 2004 at the relatively young age of 56, some of his admirers were surprised that the funk/soul icon lived as long as he did. Saying that James, who spent a considerable amount of time in the fastest stretches of the fast lane, subjected his body to extensive abuse over the years would be an understatement. Regardless, James was a major talent -- some of the most talented musicians are also among the most self-destructive -- and his die-hard fans never quit hoping that he would eventually recapture the commercial and creative success he enjoyed during his late-'70s/early-'80s heyday. Recorded in 2003 and 2004 and released posthumously in May 2007, Deeper Still ended up being James' swan song. This frequently introspective CD doesn't contain a lot of hard, aggressive, in-your-face funk of the "Super Freak"/"Love Gun" variety, but rather, is funky in a smoother, more polished and refined way à la 1980s underrated Garden of Love, which is perhaps the James album that Deeper Still has the most in common with stylistically, even though Garden of Love is more essential. Deeper Still falls short of Garden of Love's excellence but is solid nonetheless and is certainly more consistent than wildly uneven discs like 1988's Wonderful and 1986's The Flag (which was the weakest, most disappointing album of James' career). And while soul/funk/urban is Deeper Still's primary direction, James incorporates jazz on "Sapphire" and successfully moves into rock/pop territory on "Maybe" and a memorable remake of David Crosby's "Guinnevere" (which isn't surprising given that, in 1966, James briefly played alongside Neil Young in a band called the Mynah Birds). Deeper Still is not among James' essential releases, but hardcore fans can take comfort in knowing that it is a respectable and dignified swan song from the influential funkster.