Roy Ayers
' first session for
Columbia
updates his signature
funk
-
jazz
sensibility for a new generation, and the results are mixed at best. Co-produced with
Stanley Clarke
,
In the Dark
embraces synthesizers, drum machines, and
hip-hop
beats, and while the results could have been far worse,
Ayers
sounds like a follower, not a leader. While the breakthrough success of
Herbie Hancock
's landmark
"Rockit"
proved the creative and commercial viability of
rap
-inspired
electro
' footing seems unsure. The risque club hit
"Poo Poo La La"
mistakes irreverence for relevance, and even more inventive entries like the title track suffer under the weight of the dated, brittle production. ~ Jason Ankeny