Though
Zapp III
was far from a failure or even a disappointment, it wasn't quite on par with previous
Roger Troutman
efforts, being a little uneven and less of a commercial success. So when
Troutman
resurfaced in 1985, he shook up his formula a bit, focusing on an even collection of succinct songs rather than an album driven by epic anthems and filled out with shorter songs. To further communicate the concept that he was shaking things up,
blatantly titled his album
The New Zapp IV U
. On the one hand, things really didn't change as much as
would have you believe.
is still immersed in bouncy, carefree
funk
, and he still has a monster anthem with
"Computer Love."
The main change seems to be an emphasis on tighter song structures rather than loose, epic dancefloor jams. Yet on the other hand, these tiny changes are all
really needed to do. The previous three
Zapp
albums were all stellar, and it would have been a shame for him to abandon a winning formula. In the end, the new approach to songwriting here proves just enough change to make this a fresh-sounding album. Had
returned with yet another
album propelled by one or two epic, ten-minute dancefloor jams and a few shorter
exercises, it would have seemed incredibly trite -- after three albums, it was time for a change to keep things fresh. ~ Jason Birchmeier