Happy 40th Anniversary to Sheila E.’s second studio album Romance 1600, originally released August 26, 1985.
Exploding onto the musical scene with her debut album The Glamorous Life (1984), Sheila E. quickly established herself as a bona fide funkstress. The debut set was a statement of intent. A punchy, confident mix of funk and pop that introduced her striking blend of virtuoso percussion, fearless style and magnetic stage presence to the masses. Produced and many a song cowritten by Prince, Sheila E. wasn’t just another purple protégé.
With her follow up Romance 1600, Sheila cemented her position in the universe Prince was cultivating at the height of his creative powers. Recorded during the same feverously prolific period as Around The World In A Day (1985), there are reflections in the ATWIAD era throughout Romance 1600, but it more than just a recording relegated to be a companion piece.
Aptly titled, Romance 1600 feels like a sonic novella set in a decadent baroque world filled with intrigue, seduction and flashes of danger. And in the center of this world, Sheila E. sits as a femme fatale spearheading an intoxicating mix of romance and rebellion. The album delivers a sophisticated sound that bridges Latin percussion, Minneapolis funk, and psychedelic experiments that give Sheila an identity distinct from her mentor while still baring his unmistakable fingerprints, with Prince being the main writer and producer on the venture.
Romance 1600 bursts to life with the rollicking opener “Sister Fate.” Bustling percussion, driving basslines and frantic synth stabs punctuate the track, as Sheila delivers playful lyrics that weave their way through the track, brimming with urgency. Layered with percussion work, the album opener is a masterclass in how Sheila infuses her Latin jazz roots with pop-funk sensibilities.
With a shift in mood, “Dear Michaelangelo” is a hypnotic ode that blends Easten scales with cinematic drama. Vocals are uttered in hushed tones as she sings of art, beauty, and obsession. The song continues the album’s cinematic feel with lush, dramatic production, with Prince’s influence peeking through the atmospheric synth lines and off-kilter drum programming.
Listen to the Album:
Prince’s input is never more present than the centerpiece and signature hit of the album, “A Love Bizarre.” From its playful alphabetic count to its final notes, this 12-minute funk opus epitomizes the duality and synergy of the Prince-Sheila dynamic with each pushing the other further musically. With vocals that dance intertwined in flirtatious and cheeky counterplay, the track’s relentless groove puts you into a funk fueled hypnotic trance, anchored by Sheila’s percussive brilliance. A stone-cold funk classic, “A Love Bizarre” is the epitome of the Minneapolis sound.
As the name suggests, “Toy Box” is a flirty dalliance into after-hours fun that verges on the surreal. Playful and filled with fantasy, it’s a track that holds its own, especially following “A Love Bizarre.”
“Yellow” is jazz blues experiment that almost acts as the blueprint for Prince’s “Strollin’” that would later appear on his Diamonds And Pearls (1991) album. A short palate cleanser, “Yellow” preps us for the remainder of the album that swirls and twirls like a carousel.
The vision of the album comes into tight focus on the title track. “Romance 1600” is a lush, cinematic track set against a propulsive drum machine laden groove with a strong unifying chorus that feels like a call-to-arms as it tells the tale of a trippy masquerade ball. This leads us into the cacophony, dream filled (and ludicrously titled) “Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer” that hits with frenetic energy in a jazz-fusion inflected piece. Sheila showcases her percussive chops in a mesmerizing mix of technical precision and playful energy.
The album concludes with the swirling “Bed Time Story” where all of the album’s experimentation and ideas collect as one. Lush, quirky, and always entertaining, the Romance 1600 journey concludes with a sense of continued longing.
While the album didn’t chart as well as its predecessor, what it did do is cement Sheila E.’s place as one of the few Prince proteges who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him creatively. Where her debut introduced the world to her charisma, this album solidifies her versatility.
Forty years on, Romance 1600 stands as a time capsule of the mid-80s Minneapolis sound at its most potent. Sheila E.’s musicianship elevates the album beyond being a “Prince-lite” outing, as her creative input, confidence, and artistry is present and vibrant on every track, and it remains one of the most intriguing and rewarding albums ever to come out of the purple ecosystem.
Listen: