Fancy Dancer

by Jason AnkenyBobbi Humphrey's groundbreaking collaboration with producer Larry Mizell reached its climax with Fancy Dancer, a record that expands their signature sound to its absolute breaking point. An absurdly lush mosaic of celestial flute solos, otherworldly keyboards, scorching Latin rhythms, and melodramatic vocals, it walks the tightrope between cosmic and comic, reveling in the kind of sonic indulgence that only the most expert musicians can pull off. To be blunt, Fancy Dancer is the fusion equivalent of fondue -- simmering and rich, sure, but cheesy as hell; it's also impossibly funky, with grooves so hypnotic and so all-consuming that its weaknesses are completely immaterial.