''Zapp II'' is the second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
band
Zapp, released on 1982 via
Warner Bros. Records. The album peaked at #25 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 chart and at #2 on the US
''Billboard'' R&B chart. Three
singles were released from the album, "
Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)" / "A Touch of Jazz (Playin' Kinda Ruff Part II)", "
Dance Floor" and "Playin' Kinda Ruff" / "Do You Really Want an Answer?". "Dance Floor" was the biggest R&B hit from the album, peaking at #1. The album was
certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) on September 21, 1982.
Release
''Zapp II'' peaked at #25 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 chart and at #2 on the US
''Billboard'' R&B chart.
Three
singles were released from the album, "
Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)" / "A Touch of Jazz (Playin' Kinda Ruff Part II)", "
Dance Floor" and "Playin' Kinda Ruff" / "Do You Really Want an Answer?". "Dance Floor" was the biggest R&B hit from the album, peaking at #1.
The album was
certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) on September 21, 1982.
Reception
From contemporary reviews, Chip Stern of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', borrowed the styles of
George Clinton, but that Zapp have "subsumed the "rap" to the dictates of the rhythm section – a twangy cubist mélange of rhyme, dance time and choruses of synthesized voices. No one's going to mistake this singing for that of the trendy syntho-pop bands" and declared it superior to their first album.
Stern recommended the album "For those who find the Sixties section of their record collections more danceable than the superficial R&B; of today, Zapp is a smart, brash alternative."
Ken Tucker of ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'' gave the album a five out of five star rating, noting that
Roger Troutman
Roger Lynch Troutman Jr. (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known simply as Roger, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and infl ...
has "managed to make his languid funk style sound devilshly sexy and urgent on
app II, declaring the album to be "the party record of the month".
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
gave a positive review writing in ''
Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s'' (1990), "— unlike its predecessor it is a real dance LP--side one will function your ass off. And you'll want to play "Playin' Kinda Ruff" again." He did however feel the album lacked some way in content saying, "This idly functional, playfully mechanical six-cut dance LP tested my tolerance for innocent mindlessness, especially after I realized that my favorite tune appears on both sides."
Track listing
"Doo Wa Ditty" appears in its edited 7" form on CD reissues and streaming services.
Charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
1982 albums
Albums produced by Roger Troutman
Warner Records albums
Zapp (band) albums