Risque

Chic | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B000002IHI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,725 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Creme de la creme" of Disco R&B..., March 6, 2006

By 

C.T. Chase "cchase8860" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Risque (Audio CD)

Dancin' Feast

If CHIC'S earlier hits, "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and "Everybody Dance" were the appetizers, served in a savory hot sauce of funky bass lines and guitar hooks, and "C'est Chic" was their rich, meaty, piquant main course, then "Risque" could definitely be thought of as the sinfully indulgent dessert. What confection could possess more magical aphrodisiac qualities than the sensual and hypnotic "A Warm Summer Night?" And is there another song from the period that drips with more of the epicurean "Carpe diem" ethos punched up by the often-duplicated (and sampled) "Good Times"?

The triumvirate of the eponymous first album, "C'est Chic" and this album is a timeless chronicle of a sadly underappreciated group at their dead-level best.

And besides the unmistakable stamp of Rogers and Edwards, not enough credit can be given to the lilting voices of Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin, (not to mention the tightest backup singing section since the days of Motown, including a fast-rising vocalist named Luther Vandross); the late, great Tony Thompson's whip-crack drumming skills; the peerless keyboard work of not one but THREE great session vets: Raymond Jones, Robert Sabino and Andy Schwartz, and of course, the feather bed for the jewels, the CHIC Strings: Karen Milne, Valerie Haywood, Karen Karlsrud and Cheryl Hong.

Music would never again be this majestically sumptuous. To say that this album is a necessity for the rabid CHIC fan or lover of Seventies dance and pop, is pretty much overstating the obvious.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chic at the peak, August 7, 2000

By 

Funky D "FunkyD" (Heart of Dixie) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Risque (Audio CD)

Chic's star had been steadily rising (as had disco's) for the last 2 years when "Risque" was released in 1979. It basically conintued upon the foundation that was laid the year before with "C'est Chic". It is the zenith of the classic Chic sound that sent bootys shakin' all over the dance floor. It is also landmark in the fact that the album leads off with the song that essentially launched the rap movement.

The Sugar Hill Gang is generally credited with THE rap breakthrough record, "Rapper's Delight". Chic's "Good Times" served as the backing for this record. It wouldn't be the last time that Chic's samples would appear in rap.

Overall, the production on this album is the most consistent of any album in the Chic catalog. Each track flows into the next depsite the sometimes striking change from joy (Good Times) to contenment (A Warm Summer Night) outright melonchaly (Will You Cry & What About Me). A definate must if you want a definative dance/funk collection.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chic Continues, July 25, 2001

By 

disco75 "disco75" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Risque (Audio CD)

Chic followed up their smash hit and artistic accomplishment C'est Chic with this album, having produced the Sister Sledge album at essentially the same time as their second album. (In fact, "I Want Your Love" was intended to be a Sledge track, and "He's The Greatest Dancer" a Chic one. The switch was made late into the production chores.) Confident of their artistic powers and commercial sense, they seemed willing to experiment a bit. Edwards and Rodgers seemed to conceptualize an lp containing half dance tracks and half vocal-oriented funk-soul.

"My Feet Keep Dancing" took the extended dance song format and structured it with layered gradations, climaxing with tap dancing sound effects. Edwards and Rodgers were able to intuit what the remixers were doing to dance songs and incorporate it into the original production. This construction and deconstruction technique was also employed in "Good Times," a song whose massive pop cultural influence has been well considered. Chic had affected the course of dance music with its refusal to dilute bass lines, swayed pop music with the rhythmic guitar stylings, and now jumpstarted the hip hop scene with the style of bass playing.

There were other treats in the album. "A Warm Summer Night" was a piece of sexy beauty, evoking the mood of carnal romance through melodic repetition and whispered desires. "When You Hear This Song" conveyed heartbreak and yearning, and "What About Me" was a subtle plea for sexual fulfillment. "My Forbidden Lover" connected to a sense of the varieties of sexuality that disco saw. The greater span of topical matter, the extension of musical stylings, and timeliness of this album made it another Chic hit. The skill with which it was executed gives it lasting worth.