Real People/Tongue in Chic

AMG Review of Real People/Tongue in Chic

Rob Theakston
All Music Guide

Towards the end of the disco era and its subsequent anti-disco movement, Chic had established itself as a major tour de force for themselves and other artists on the R&B circuit. But Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers had already been making strides to distance themselves from the disco era while it was in full swing. And by the time 1980s Real People had hit stores, it was distinctively different; low key in tempo for the majority of the album. Gone were many of the disco anthems that preached excess, getting down on the dancefloor and good times -- in its place lyrics with an emphasis on substance over flash ("Real People" and "Open Up"). Skipping over 1981's Take It Off, this Wounded Bird two-fer concludes with 1982's Tongue in Chic. While there weren't many commercial hits or radio singles that won over the R&B masses, several cuts here hold up against many of the chart-topping hits of Chic's contemporaries. The dirty bassline and drum shuffles of "I Feel Your Love Coming On" recall shades of D Train while "Hey Fool" sounds like a nice hybrid of Teena Marie and Phyllis Hyman. Definitely not essential by any means, but fans who slept on this the first time around may want to pick this one up and re-examine some of these dusty gems.