Rufus With Chaka Khan - Camouflage (2004)

Camouflage is the tenth studio album by funk band Rufus (and their sixth album featuring Chaka Khan), released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Camouflage peaked at #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and stalled at #98 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Sharing the Love" (US R&B 8, US Pop #91) and "Better Together" (US R&B #66, US Dance #56). So Chaka Khan was leaving Rufus and it hurt them as she went on to become a huge star, this is the last album they appear on together. This album starts off with a great track ‘Better Together’. It’s those well written songs that push them over the top so they stand out from the others, its harder to butcher well written songs, they start off with good foundational bones. Of course albums are few and far between that contain 90% standouts tracks but there are albums like Camouflage that have enough of everything else, good production, musicianship, voice’s like Chaka Khan’s, energy, horns, let me not forget the great array of horns on this album, that make it enjoyable. Early 80’s funk, soul, R&B, is what it is and Rufus and Chaka Khan were one of the better outfits serving up this delicious platter.

Following the release of Camouflage, Chaka Khan recorded her third, fourth and fifth solo albums What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (1981), Echoes of an Era (1982) and Chaka Khan (1982) and Rufus recorded their third album without Khan, Seal in Red (1983), before they reunited for one final album together later in 1983, the double live/studio set Stompin' at the Savoy – Live.