http://music.barnesandnob...4797000422

Reviews
Barnes & Noble
The fruit of an introspective period in which the Artist Formerly Known as a Symbol reverted to his given name,The Rainbow Children is a jazz-, gospel-, and rock-fueled collection that reestablishes Prince's cred as a funk visionary walking the line between sin and salvation. Unlike his '80s pop nemesis, Michael Jackson, whose 2001 comeback, Invincible, followed in the footsteps of younger pop artists such as 'N Sync, Prince is not concerned with making music for the Total Request Live set. The Rainbow Children is his most spiritually -- and socially -- aware work since his 1987 masterpiece, Sign o' the Times, one whose gospel-powered lyrics will raise a few eyebrows. While 1992's Love Symbol disc introduced Prince's New Power Generation (both his kick-ass former band and fan club ), at the start of The Rainbow Children a muffled, sinister voice explains the genesis of the Artist's new tribe: "With the accurate understanding of God and his Law they went about the work of building a new nation: the rainbow children." On "The Work, Pt. 1," Prince declares -- over a bass-and-horn-driven beat that would make James Brown envious -- "We are living in a system that the Devil designed," and he continues his pious spiel on the percussive, Sly Stone-reminiscent "Family Name," where he condemns the institution of slavery as well as religious hypocrisy. The angelic "Last December" ends the album on a more upbeat note, with Prince and his band urging all mankind to come together as one. It's a well-timed invitation -- a sign of the times if there ever was one. Tracy E. Hopkins