★★★
Recorded between Off The Wall and Thriller, The Dude’s sleeker than an oil slick. Patti Austin grooves through Turn On The Action’s extravagant disco and Jones’ biggest UK hit, Razzamatazz, while Blockhead Chaz Jankel’s Ai No Corrida definitely waves a rhythm stick. But James Ingram’s debut recordings – the title track’s Herbie Hancock-style funk, the sentimental Just Once, One Hundred Ways’ glossy soul – aren’t great advertisements. The Dude documents the era’s studio trends, but has dated poorly.