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Pop: Star reasserts his right to the throne
By Ludovic Hunter-Tilney
Published: October 8 2002 20:22 | Last Updated: October 8 2002 20:22

Almost a decade ago Prince took revenge on his record company, whose control over his music he utterly resented. The superstar from Minneapolis adopted an unpronounceable symbol as his name; performed with "slave" scrawled on his face and made ear-curdling excursions into jazz-pop.

His contract lapsed two years ago and since then the artist formerly known as Prince has let it known he wants to be called plain old Prince again. Back to his old self then; and at the Hammersmith Apollo in London last week, he put on a show of such sustained brilliance as to suggest that he's musically revitalised too, even though he has no new material to promote.

Looking not greatly different from his heyday in the 1980s, Prince and his black-suited band could have passed for performers in an old-fashioned soul revue. The backing musicians, the New Power Generation, numbered a trio, and their sound was spare, tight and funky. Lubricious bass rhythms, wailing sax solos, Prince yelping choruses and holding the microphone out to the audience: this was the singer in full James Brown-mode, and he wasn't long into the concert before his mission to entertain had extended to inviting fans on stage for a dance contest.

It was entertainment on his terms, however. He kept his most celebrated songs to a minimum, among them a sparkling rendition of "Raspberry Beret" and a souped-up version of "Take Me With U". Otherwise the set concentrated on lesser known tracks from his back catalogue, such as "Strange Relationship", a fabulous funk workout; and newer material such as "Mellow": a stop-start, smoky, rather graceful jazz number.

Alone and playing the piano, he sang "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and "Nothing Compares 2 U", his distinctive falsetto note-perfect and his touch light enough to spin these sugary ballads into a truly delightful confection. Accompanied by the band and wielding an electric guitar with Hendrix-style imperiousness he tore into a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", a reminder of the breadth and skill of his musicianship, as well as the ease with which he inhabits different genres such as rock, soul and R&B.

As a live performer he has few peers. Famously lascivious - his songs are either about getting together or getting back together - he projected an aura of magnetic sexuality. "I can tell you fancy me by the way that you look at me," he sang at one point, and true enough: he was back to his best and irresistible.

Prince is touring Europe and Japan until November 29 www.npgmusicclub.com.

first they say

"even though he has no new material to promote."

then they say a few lines later ...

"and newer material such as "Mellow": a stop-start, smoky, rather graceful jazz number."

No new material , then OH he played new material - FOOLS
apart from that - they got their stuff right mostly...