MASTER OF THE GAME

Duke's funk transformation completed in 1979. His contemporary R&B skillset matured, polished. Vocally, he reaches new horizons on this vocal heavy album having two female vocalists alongside him. "Every little step I take" could have been taken from Earth, Wind and Fire. Instrumental prowess is shown sparsely and shortly. "Games" has some wah-wah keyboards and the long "I want you for myself" brings the good old acoustic piano back in play to feature a shiny piano solo. "In the distance" is a short 2-minute symphonic synth driven piece followed by a catchy and simple "I love you more".

The latin-influence "Dog-man" elevates the music by two levels in complexity and yet remains accessible thanks to the horn section. The ambitiously named final suite is a large disappointment, be it to a fusion or funk fan mainly because it's ideas are bland but also the execution is not convincing. It seems there was a need to add more minutes quickly so the album had 40 minutes. Some good funk moments and one good instrumental workout but that's it.