Sadly, Motown has never bothered to issue this disc on CD, so you’ll likely have to seek out the original vinyl, but for ‘80s R&B aficionados, it’s worth the hunt. The album unfortunately sold poorly and yielded no hits, so only hardcore fans are likely to recognize much of anything here with the possible exception of the minor hit “Can’t Stop,” but it makes a more appealing album piece overall than its predecessor and boasts many an overlooked gem, particularly the aforementioned “Can’t Stop” (which recalls a rock-tinged spin on the synth-pop of Eddie Murphy’s “Party All the Time,” which James had written and produced for the former SNL star the same year), the infectious jazz-funk of the title cut, and the slinky R&B of “Moonchild.” Some fans may miss the more hardcore-funk sounds of the earlier albums and the more outlandish elements of Rick James’ personality (this is certainly as close as Rick James ever came to emulating the smoothed-out, adult-contemporary R&B of the likes of Jeffrey Osborne or Luther Vandross), but James is clearly trying to grow here as a performer and his gift for crafting a solid melody is still intact at this point, resulting in his finest platter since Throwin’ Down and one of the most underrated albums he ever made. Perhaps in reaction to the increasing criticism that his music was becoming clichéd, James took a noticeable detour on this album, dialing back considerably on his double-entendre-lyrics of the past several albums and incorporating a slightly heavier rock influence, resulting in both a more tasteful and a more interesting album than Cold Blooded. James followed up Cold Blooded with the hits package Reflections (which included three new cuts, including the minor Top 40 hit “17,” which was mildly infectious but had the unfortunate effect of making James look all the more one-dimensional). You’re not likely to listen to the second side very often, but the first half is fantastic. But the album boasts a knockout single – one of James’ most infectious – in the synth-heavy, Linda Blair-inspired title track, while the Smokey Robinson duet “Ebony Eyes” – which bears much more in common with Smokey’s quiet-storm ballads of the ‘70s than your average Rick James song – is an outright masterpiece and one of the most underrated sides that either gentleman ever made. the S.I.M.P.” (featuring rap pioneer Grandmaster Flash) and “Tell Me What You Want” (featuring Billy Dee Williams – yes, the same Billy Dee Williams who played Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars movies) are experiments that don’t quite work, and to say James doesn’t really expand his horizons as a lyricist here is a bit of an understatement.
Once again, he’s got some high-profile guest stars, but “P.I.M.P. Much too spotty for its own good but boasting some truly first-rate highlights, Cold Blooded is where James truly began to start feeling like a self-parody and repeating himself just a bit too much (although “U Bring the Freak Out,” redundant though it is, is still pretty great and gets the album off to a fine start).