One Track Mind

They Say...

Review by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

When the Egyptian Lover's second album, One Track Mind, came out in 1986, gangsta rap had yet to become huge. Ice-T's Rhyme Pays and N.W.A's N.W.A. & the Posse -- two landmarks in West Coast gangsta rap -- didn't come out until 1987, and East Coast hip-hoppers still associated Southern California with the electro-hop style that the Egyptian Lover is best known for. Anyone who expects to find hardcore rap on One Track Mind is bound to be disappointed; this LP isn't for rap purists. But those who appreciated his first album, On the Nile, will find this to be a respectable, if imperfect, sophomore effort. Egyptian's influences remain the same; the quirky rapper/producer still combines his appreciation of Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock," Prince, Man Parrish, and Kraftwerk with elements of North African music and Egyptian imagery. It's a strange mixture -- Egyptian inhabits a place in which rap, Prince's Minneapolis sound, European synth pop, and North African music come together. But it's a mixture that works well on infectious electro-hop jams like "Livin' on the Nile," the single "Freak-A-Holic," and "A Stranger Place (The Alezby Inn)," which bears a bit of a resemblance to Prince's "Erotic City." As the title One Track Mind indicates, the Egyptian Lover shares Prince's love of all things erotic. But this LP is never X-rated; the lyrics are suggestive rather than explicit, which is why some of the tunes on One Track Mind had urban radio potential. Egyptian, however, was never a superstar, although he did enjoy an enthusiastic cult following. While One Track Mind isn't as essential as On the Nile, it's a likable release that fans of the electro-hop sound will enjoy.