Now's The Time for the Original 7ven

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY

Morris Day is so cool that he can declare, "I don't sweat, I condensate."

The catchphrase from the swaggering frontman of the Original 7ven — the Minneapolis band formerly known as The Time, revered for its blistering funk, comedic quips and impeccable style — is also the title of the first album in 21 years by Prince's former backing band, which became a big act in its own right.

"Life kind of took us through that portal and we just looked up and we were like, 'Where did the time go?' No pun intended," says lead singer Day about the gap between records. "It's cool. It's refreshing. We weren't out of touch, but we weren't hanging out like we used to. It's nice to back in the same room with all the fellas."

Since they last worked together, the band members — Day, keyboardist Jimmy "Jam" Harris, bassist Terry Lewis, drummer Jellybean Johnson, keyboardist Monte Moir, percussionist Jerome Benton and guitarist Jesse Johnson— have remained friends while forging their own careers and helping out on each other's projects. They'd never planned for 1990's Pandemonium to be The Time's last album. But it wasn't until a 2008 performance at the Grammy Awards, where the band did Jungle Love with Rihanna, that they seriously considered a more substantial reunion.

They followed that up with a residency at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and last year did sold-out shows in Minneapolis and Detroit. After three years of recording new music, the time was right for Condensate. The songs reflect modern sensibilities — first single is #Trendin— but ooze with the group's signature sound and exuberance. (They'll play #Trendin on Thursday'sTonight Show With Jay Leno and are set to open the Soul Train Awards Nov. 27 on BET and Centric.)

"It had been 30 years since The Time album (Prince formed the band in 1981) and we thought it was a good milestone," says Harris, 52. "If we didn't do it now, when were we going to do it? We're not getting any younger, and we wanted to get out there while we can still hit The Bird and the Four-Corners and all the dances and crazy stuff that we do."

It's an open question whether they'll connect with a younger audience, but the reunion is cause for celebration for longtime fans, says Kimberly Hines, editor in chief of the music blog SoulBounce.com.

"That Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are back with the group and performing again is reason enough to rejoice," says Hines. "Morris Day is still that suave, perfectly coiffed and suited lothario. The remaining puzzle pieces still fit together perfectly. It's unfortunate that Prince won't allow the group to use the name The Time, but awareness and excitement is building about just who Original 7ven are."

For Harris and Lewis, it was a chance to not only reconnect with old friends, but an opportunity to pick up their instruments again.

"We got to play with some of the best players that anybody could ever play with," says Harris. "Jesse is a world-class guitarist and he doesn't get his due. Terry rarely picks up the bass unless it's with The Time. It's great to hear him play, or to hear Monte Moir do his thing. For us, it's very infectious and hopefully sounds like we had a great time."

That sense of fun is evident from the very beginning of the album. The always freshly dressed Day (his "Jerome, bring me my mirror" byplay with comic foil Benton is one of the act's staples) likens his own perspiration to that on a chilled bottle of wine.

"It's James Brown's ColdSweat taken to another level," says Day, 53, with the tongue-in-cheek attitude that permeated such vintage Time hits as Get It Up, The Bird, 777-9311, Ice Cream Castles, Jerk Out and Cool.

Day says the band spent as much time reminiscing as it did working in the studio. Since 1997, he, Jellybean Johnson, Benton and Moir have toured as Morris Day & The Time. Harris and Lewis were fired in 1983 for missing a gig because of their outside production work and had been replaced by the time the band appeared in Purple Rain. The band continued to fray, though the original members did get back together for the 1990 Prince film, Graffiti Bridge.

Moir says he's excited about the chatter surrounding the band's return and thinks they're better than ever.

"Everyone has matured musically," Moir says. "There's always a little bit of tension (given) our history, but once we get in the room together, all of that goes away."

Day says the one thing the band has now that it didn't have when Pandemonium was released is a commitment from everybody involved to see the project through. That includes promotional events for the remainder of the year and a full tour in 2012.

Harris says there are no hard feelings toward Prince, and the band is happy moving forward with the new name.

"You won't hear a single negative thing about Prince from us," Harris says. "He was instrumental in everything that happened in The Time — his concepts and songs were all tremendous. We've all had great careers.

"We hope he enjoys the record and that it's done in the spirit of invention, innovation and musicianship that he instilled in us."