James: Typical Form : CHECK LIST****<i> Great Balls of Fire</i> ***<i> Good Vibrations</i> **<i> Maybe Baby</i> *<i> Running on Empty </i>

*** RICK JAMES. “Wonderful.” Reprise. On his first album since leaving Motown, the home of his hits, James is in typical form: raunchy, rambunctious and ever the “slick Rick” renegade. He’s still referring to sexually uninhibited women as super freaks --not the most flattering of terms--and he’s still focused squarely on the libido. Where that focus pays off best is on “Loosey’s Rap,” a slinky jam that teams him with 19-year-old rapper Roxanne Shante. She’s tougher than a truckload of leather-wearing Mary Jane Girls, and her B-girl boasting--which she sounds fully capable of backing up--makes her a formidable foil for James and his sly, teasing innuendoes. Another good track is “Sexual Luv Affairs,” a torcher structured on angelic, ‘50s-sounding three-part harmony. “I really love your body,” he tells the object of his affections on one cut, adding, “I really love your mind.” James’ lengthy absence from the recording scene hasn’t changed his perspective. Rather, it’s broadened it a bit.