Swamp Dogg (the alter ego of producer and songwriter Jerry Williams) recorded 1977's Finally Caught Up with Myself with a band he called "the Riders of the New Funk," but the results are a good bit less down and dirty than one would expect given Swamp Dogg's body of work. The album's production and arrangements are polished and polite, especially by Williams' standards, and while these are a few decent grooves here, much of Finally Caught Up with Myself suggests the influence of disco at its blandest, though "Silly Silly ...
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Swamp Dogg (the alter ego of producer and songwriter Jerry Williams) recorded 1977's Finally Caught Up with Myself with a band he called "the Riders of the New Funk," but the results are a good bit less down and dirty than one would expect given Swamp Dogg's body of work. The album's production and arrangements are polished and polite, especially by Williams' standards, and while these are a few decent grooves here, much of Finally Caught Up with Myself suggests the influence of disco at its blandest, though "Silly Silly Silly Me" manages to summon up a decent reggae groove and "Trash" struggles to capture the down-home Southern soul feel the lyrics all but demand of it. This isn't one of Swamp Dogg's more inspired moments as a singer or lyricist, either; while "If You Gotta Do Wrong (Do It Right)" is a prime cheating song, "Understanding California Women" is a funny meditation on El Lay weirdness, and "Embryo S.O.S." is an oddball bit of social commentary. Most of the other tunes range from OK to forgettable, while the vocals are generally no more exciting than the music. Finally Caught Up with Myself boasts more personality than most straight-ahead R&B albums of the late '70s, but anyone expecting a work of bent genius like Total Destruction to Your Mind is going to be seriously disappointed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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