Zapp & Roger: Next Steps

Zapp & Roger: Next Steps

Zapp & Roger were funky oddballs, and a willingness to explore other genres helped define their catalogue. With squelchy synths and poppin' guitars, “A Touch of Jazz (Playin' Kinda Ruff Pt. II)” has more in common with P-Funk than Coltrane, but it deploys a loose style the jazz legend would have approved of. A sensual cover of Smokey Robinson's “Ooh Baby Baby,” meanwhile, proves Roger's talk-box vocals could rival anybody for soulful emotion.