''Word Up!'' is the 13th studio album 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 ...

group Cameo, released in 1986. The album reached number 1 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart, number 8 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Pop Albums chart, and was certified Platinum by the

RIAA 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 ...

for sales of over 1 million copies. It took Cameo to their highest level of popularity, and solidified them as one of the most successful bands of the 1980s. The album includes three of their biggest hit singles, " Word Up!", "

Candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

", and " Back and Forth".

Track listing

*Tracks 1–3, 6 and 7 published by All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music. *Tracks 4 and 5 published by All Seeing Eye Music-Better Days Music-Better Nights Music.

Personnel

Cameo *

Larry Blackmon Larry Ernest Blackmon (born May 29, 1956) is an American vocalist and musician, known as the lead singer, founder and frontman of the funk and R&B band Cameo. Musical career Starting the band "East Coast", Blackmon formed the "New York Ci ...

– lead vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar, drums, percussion, horn and vocal arrangements * Tomi Jenkins – lead vocals, backing vocals, horn and vocal arrangements * Nathan Leftenant – backing vocals, horn and vocal arrangements Additional musicians * Merv De Peyer – keyboards * Kenni Hairston – keyboards * Kevin Kendrick – keyboards * Eric Rehl – keyboards *

Bernard Wright Bernard Wright (November 16, 1963 – May 19, 2022) was an American funk and jazz keyboardist and singer who began his career as a session musician and later released four solo albums. Biography Wright was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York. I ...

– keyboards * Peter Scherer – Synclavier programming *

Pat Buchanan Patrick Joseph Buchanan ( ; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative author, political commentator, and politician. He was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He ...

– guitars * Charlie Singleton – guitars, backing vocals * Michael Burnett – bass guitar, backing vocals * Aaron Mills – bass guitar * Sammy Merendino – drum programming * Duduka Da Fonseca – percussion * Giovanni Hidalgo – percussion * Steve Thornton – percussion * Melvin Wells – saxophone, backing vocals *

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

– tenor sax solo (2, 4, 5) *

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was ...

– trumpet * Willie Morris – backing vocals Uptown Horns * Crispin Cioe – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone * Arno Hecht – tenor saxophone * Bob Funk – trombone * Paul Litteral – trumpet

Production

* Larry Blackmon – producer * Larry Alexander – recording engineer * Matthew Kasha – recording engineer, mix engineer * Eric Calvi – recording engineer, mix engineer * Michel Sauvage – recording engineer * Jerry Solomon – recording engineer * Alan Meyerson – mix engineer * Dave Ogrin – mix engineer * Henry Falco – assistant engineer * José Rodriguez – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY) * David Krebs – direction * Steve Leber – direction * Louis Levin – direction * Bill Levy – art direction *

Paula Scher Paula Scher (born October 6, 1948) is an American graphic designer, painter and design educator. She also served as the first female principal at Pentagram, which she joined in 1991. She started her career as an art director in the 1970s and ear ...

– design * Chris Callas – photography * Toyce Anderson – stylist * John Dellaria – hair, make-up * Jean Paul Gaultier – clothes

Critical reception

Accolades

''Word Up!'' was ranked number 5 among the "Albums of the Year" by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

Track listing

Personnel

Production

Critical reception

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References