The Many Facets Of Roger
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Album Summary
Released in 1981 on Warner Bros. Records, 'The Many Facets Of Roger' was Roger Troutman's solo debut under his first name alone, stepping out from his work fronting the family funk collective Zapp. Produced with the slick, futuristic sensibility that defined the Dayton, Ohio sound Roger and his brothers had been cultivating, the album showcased his extraordinary command of the talk box alongside a deep-rooted love for classic soul — opening with a full-on funk reinvention of the Marvin Gaye chestnut 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' and moving through original electro-funk material that put Roger's vocoder wizardry front and center. Warner Bros. gave the project the kind of major-label muscle that let this music reach coast to coast, and Roger delivered an album that sat right at the crossroads of old-school soul tradition and the cold, electric future that was already arriving.
Reception
- The album performed respectably on the R&B charts, finding a loyal audience among fans of the P.Funk and electro-funk movements who recognized Roger as a singular voice in that world.
- Critics and tastemakers in the Black music press took note of Roger's talk box virtuosity as something genuinely distinctive, separating him from the crowded field of post-Parliament-Funkadelic acts.
- The album helped establish Roger Troutman as a credible solo artist beyond the Zapp band context, demonstrating range across both cover material and original compositions.
Significance
- The album stands as an early and important document of the electro-funk and P.Funk crossover sound that would define so much of early 1980s Black popular music, blending synthesizer-driven grooves with deep soul roots.
- Roger's treatment of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' on this record is a masterclass in how funk artists of the era honored soul tradition while radically transforming it through new technology and feel.
- Tracks like 'So Ruff, So Tuff' and 'Do It Roger' helped cement the Dayton, Ohio funk scene's national profile, proving that the Midwest was producing some of the most forward-thinking rhythm and groove music of the decade.
Samples
- "So Ruff, So Tuff" — one of the most heavily sampled tracks in Roger Troutman's catalog, interpolated and sampled across numerous hip-hop and R&B records throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.
- "Do It Roger" — sampled by various hip-hop producers drawn to its deep electro-funk groove and Roger's signature talk box vocal performance.
- "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" — Roger's funk reimagining of this classic has been drawn upon by producers looking for a grittier, synth-driven take on the familiar melody.
Tracklist
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A1 I Heard It Through The Grapevine 118
10:45
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A2 So Ruff, So Tuff 111
4:49
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A3 A Chunk Of Sugar 118
5:28
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B1 Do It Roger 108
8:11
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B2 Maxx Axe 112
8:16
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B3 Blue (A Tribute To The Blues) 176
3:24
Artist Details
Roger Troutman was a funk and soul visionary out of Hamilton, Ohio, who rose to prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s as the frontman and driving force behind his family band Zapp, bringing a signature electro-funk sound drenched in slap bass, synthesizers, and the now-iconic talk box vocoder effect that became his musical fingerprint. That talk box, baby — Roger made it sing, cry, and groove in ways nobody had ever heard before, influencing everyone from Prince to Tupac, the latter of whom sampled Roger's 1986 hit "I Want to Be Your Man" on the timeless 1996 classic "California Love." Roger Troutman's legacy as a pioneer of funk and hip-hop production is undeniable, and his tragic death in 1999 cut short one of the most soulful, innovative careers that the Midwest — and the whole wide world of music — ever produced.
