Real Men... Wear Black


Real Men... Wear Black is a studio album by the funk group Cameo released in 1990 on Atlanta Artists/Mercury Records. The album reached No. 18 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart.

Critical reception

Jon Pareles of the New York Times stated that "Larry Blackmon's cracked nasal voice keeps the band funny and unpretentious, especially when kicking up its well honed midtempo funk". Allmusic gave the album a three out of five star rating. Chris Heim of the Chicago Tribune noted "The sound is a bit harder and the themes a bit lighter, but this new album basically continues down the path Cameo has followed since trimming down to a trio in the early 1980s. It was then that the group began seriously to experiment with what Blackmon tagged ”black rock,” a musical mix Cameo has never really been adequately credited for helping create. ”Real Men” is another solid example of Cameo`s approach to the sound." Don Waller of the Los Angeles Times also proclaimed "using a krazee-quilt combination of synthetic/organic keyboards ‘n’ hipshot! percussion, greazy basslines and goofbawl vocals,, Cameo rolls back the rug for a wall-to-off-the-wall dance party".

Singles

reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. Close Quarters also reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.

Personnel

Cameo
Additional musicians

Production

  • Larry Blackmon – producer
  • Barney Perkins – recording, mixing
  • Christopher Rutherford – recording
  • Milton Chan – assistant engineer
  • Paul Speck – assistant engineer
  • Sterling Sound – mastering location
  • Reiner Design Consultants, Inc. – album design
  • David Vance – photography
  • Fleur Thiemeyer – fashion
  • Anderson Phillips – hair