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Prince strips down everything, including his ego, on Musicology http://www.seattleweekly....prince.php
Event Horizon Prince strips down everything, including his ego, on Musicology. by Michaelangelo Matos 
Prince and an instrument you may remember him playing. (Afshin Shahidi) THE MOST STRIKING THING about Musicology (NPG/Columbia), the first Prince album available at brick-and-mortar “wrecka stows” (his term, from 1986’s Under the Cherry Moon) since 2001’s The Rainbow Children, and the subsequent U.S. tour that comes to KeyArena this Monday and Tuesday is that they constitute the ultimate rarity in his career lately: an event. For a while there, everything the guy did was an event—Dirty Mind shattering taboos as much musical as lyrical, Purple Rain the world-swallowing phenomenon, single after single remaking what you could get away with on pop radio, Sign ‘O’ the Times the last great R&B album before hip-hop began its wholesale hijacking of pop music, black and white alike. Obviously, Prince got used to this. He spent much of the ’90s acting as if he were still an event maker, even as the actions—from the name change to writing “Slave” on his cheek in eyeliner to issuing a triple CD to a world that had barely nibbled at the two separately released discs he’d put out in the 14 months before—seemed less and less significant. His faithful fans were rewarded with a lot more good music than he was commonly believed to have made during that period—1995’s The Gold Experience and ’96’s Emancipation, the aforementioned triple, are a lot better than their reputations would suggest. But when he returned with 1999’s cameo-festooned, completely unmemorable Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, and then the disastrous Rainbow Children (a preachy concept album about the Jehovah’s Witness faith that sounds like Kenny G—excuse me, that’s Najee, his Afro-American counterpart—soloing all over it: what a great idea!), even someone who adores Prince as much as I do had to get off the bus. By contrast, Musicology’s strategy is . . . surprise! There is no strategy! It announces itself by not announcing itself at all. Musicology is just Prince, making Prince music (meaning by himself, mostly), all in that old-fashioned Prince style we all used to love so much. Remember that? Actually, you probably won’t, at least while this album is playing—except when he deliberately quotes himself, that is. The bridge of “A Million Days”—“It’s only been an hour since you left. . . . You’re the perfect picture of what love should look like”— recalls both “17 Days” and “The Beautiful Ones.” Even the chorus of “Call My Name” is self-referential: “I just can’t stop writing songs about you,” he sings, in self-mocking acknowledgment of both his compulsive nature and his reputation for repeating himself—which he does later in the chorus, with the lines “I know it’s only been three hours/But I love it when U call my name” echoing “A Million Days.” But while it’s easy to compare the sonic sparseness of Musicology to minimal classics like Dirty Mind, Sign ‘O’ the Times, and 1986’s “Kiss,” the new album sounds nothing like his earlier work. Indeed, a lot of it is rooted more in his ’90s work than his ’80s. The title track is a variation on the spare groove of “Sexy MF,” from 1992’s I’m Going to Change My Name to the Title of This Album (And Lose Most of My Fans in the Bargain), which itself was based primarily on late-’60s James Brown numbers like “Ain’t It Funky Now.” Many of Musicology’s bass lines are slapped and plucked, a style that Prince has utilized since early in his career, but even more so as he began moving away from the colder, electronic textures that marked his ’80s work in favor of the looser, jammy style of more recent albums. It also seems reasonable to credit part of this shift to Prince’s long association with Larry Graham, the former Sly & the Family Stone and Graham Central Station bassist and current Jehovah’s Witness, whom Prince has credited with indoctrinating him into the faith. That faith was what Prince was most famous for not long before Musicology’s release. In October of last year, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the newspaper of Prince’s hometown, reported that he’d been knocking on doors in the Minneapolis suburbs, accompanied by Graham. On Yom Kippur, the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar, Prince and Graham visited a Jewish couple in the suburb of Eden Prairie during a football game, staying 25 minutes and leaving the couple a pamphlet. The famous visitors were unfailingly polite, but the couple was annoyed—the Minnesota Vikings had just gained possession of the football, and they missed the action. For a while, the account of this event was one of the most-forwarded e-mails in the music industry; I received it no less than a dozen times, usually from people who knew I had just finished writing a short book on Sign ‘O’ the Times. Having just expended a huge amount of energy in a comparatively short time to finish writing 28,000 words about him—about an artist whose work has been more crucial to me in more ways than nearly anyone else’s—I found the e-mails depressing. This honest expression of faith, however ill advised or timed, seemed to cement Prince’s reputation as a has-been. Even if Musicology wasn’t made to specifically ward off that perception, it’s certainly been marketed that way. Prince is his own man, always, and if he appears calmer and more relaxed than ever on this album and in his public appearances, good on him—it certainly doesn’t seem pernicious. But it is calculated, and it has largely worked. That, and the fact that along with the Pixies’ reunion and people actually taking Morrissey seriously again (it was a mistake the first time, people), Prince’s new surge is evidence of ’80s revivalism—particularly ’80s college-rock revivalism—at its baldest. It’s also just desserts, because even if he’d kept knocking on doors and done nothing else, Prince has already been everywhere over the past few years. Alicia Keys turned his old B-side, “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore,” into a hit in 2001; the Neptunes’ nimble funk-and-roll is unthinkable without Prince’s example—listen to their production of No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It to Me),” or Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U,” for starters. Basement Jaxx’s and OutKast’s most recent albums pay such explicit homage to the guy (Jaxx’s “Right Here’s the Spot” name-checks “Delirious” and “All the Critics Love U in New York,” while “She Lives in My Lap” pays Sign’s “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” the sincerest form of flattery) that they practically owe him royalties. The critical plaudits that have greeted Musicology seem out of proportion with the modesty of its actual music. Part of that has to do with the goodwill that he’s accrued just by getting famous again—finally, a maker of fun music the press can take seriously. (I will love calculated, pre-tested, manufactured pop as long as I draw breath, but anything is better than Hillary fucking Duff.) Still, everyone else has weighed in on the title track’s most eyebrow-raising line, so let’s try it ourselves, shall we? “Wish I had a dollar 4 every time U say/‘Don’t U miss the feeling music gave U/Back in the day?’” Well, I certainly miss the feeling Prince’s music gave me back in the day, though the feeling Musicology gives me, as muted and mild as it frequently is, isn’t too bad, either. But I’m not feeling especially cynical about music right now, even though most of what crosses my desk is mediocre to horrid. I am, however, pretty certain that the kind of musical conservatism Prince gives the rah-rah to here is something I’d prefer to leave as far behind as possible. That conservatism was presaged by the many comments on 2002’s three-disc concert box, One Nite Alone . . . Live!, and last year’s Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas DVD to the effect that we’re hearing “real music” played on “real instruments,” which is pretty ironic coming from a guy who as much as anyone popularized the use of drum machines and synthesizers in pop. It’s what’s most disappointing about Musicology. But to some degree, it’s also what’s most satisfying about it. Over the last dozen or so years, Prince has become a chopsman, valorizing technique over ideas, but for the most part, Musicology keeps the instrumental flourishes as straightforward as the melodies. My favorite song on the album isn’t one that’s been talked about much in the reviews I’ve seen. “What Do U Want Me 2 Do?” sounds at first like an afterthought. It’s a simple pop song with a popping bass line, airy drum machine programming (like a sparer “Ballad of Dorothy Parker”) abetted by what sounds like live cymbal work, and jazzy guitar. The lyrics find Prince the happily married musician spurning an advance from a fan: “Can’t U see this ring?” Like most of his best later work, it breaks no ground. But it’s enough to make you wonder what the album he’s allegedly planning to record for Blue Note might be like. If nothing else, the fact that there’s a reason to look forward to a new Prince album feels like its own reward. mmatos@seattleweekly.com | |
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Once again, a writer doesn't know their facts.
NEWS was available in "wrecka stows." How anyone could say TRC is Kenny G-esque is beyond me. Whether or not you like the lyrics/theme of TRC, you simply cannot criticize the musicianship on that CD. Hey, I'm as big a critic of Najee as anyone but his playing on that album is very good and fits in nicely with the organic feel of the music. | |
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Matos also has a book called Sign O' The Times that was released this past February... | |
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Does the way this guy writes get on anyone else's nerves???
I have the 33 1/3 Sign O the Times book and I couldn't finish it! He goes off into these mini tangents. I can't follow. . .first he's talking about Musicology, but in the middle of the sentence he is comparing something to Sexy MF and James Brown. By time I get past the comparisons I have lost track of what he was trying to say. JUST SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY!! Quit making comparisons and comments in the middle of the thought! Am I crazy?? Does anyone else feel this way?? or am I just retaaaaaded!! Let me try this essay one more time. . . . . . | |
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jsb23nc said: Once again, a writer doesn't know their facts.
NEWS was available in "wrecka stows." *sigh* here we go again... How anyone could say TRC is Kenny G-esque is beyond me. Whether or not you like the lyrics/theme of TRC, you simply cannot criticize the musicianship on that CD.
You heard the man, folks. Dissent is treason. | |
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This is my fav song on the CD 2. I disagree that Musicology is unlike any other Prince album. This song alone dispels this fact, B/C it is a throw-back 2 one of my all-time favorite Prince songs, which the author mentions here: Dorothy Parker.
>> “What Do U Want Me 2 Do?” sounds at first like an afterthought. It’s a simple pop song with a popping bass line, airy drum machine programming (like a sparer “Ballad of Dorothy Parker”) abetted by what sounds like live cymbal work, and jazzy guitar. The lyrics find Prince the happily married musician spurning an advance from a fan: “Can’t U see this ring?” Like most of his best later work, it breaks no ground. But it’s enough to make you wonder what the album he’s allegedly planning to record for Blue Note might be like. If nothing else, the fact that there’s a reason to look forward to a new Prince album feels like its own reward. "Ain' nobody BAAAAAAAD like Meeeee!" c. Morris Day | |
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EROTICCITYNPG said: http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0434/040825_music_prince.php
Event Horizon Prince strips down everything, including his ego, on Musicology. by Michaelangelo Matos
while “She Lives in My Lap” pays Sign’s “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” the sincerest form of flattery) that they practically owe him royalties. mmatos@seattleweekly.com Finally sopmeone has the SAME comparison as I do about this song! Good read...thanks! Christian Zombie Vampires | |
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superspaceboy said: EROTICCITYNPG said: http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0434/040825_music_prince.php
Event Horizon Prince strips down everything, including his ego, on Musicology. by Michaelangelo Matos
while “She Lives in My Lap” pays Sign’s “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” the sincerest form of flattery) that they practically owe him royalties. mmatos@seattleweekly.com Finally sopmeone has the SAME comparison as I do about this song! Good read...thanks! ----- "For a while, the account of this event was one of the most-forwarded e-mails in the music industry; I received it no less than a dozen times, usually from people who knew I had just finished writing a short book on Sign ‘O’ the Times. Having just expended a huge amount of energy in a comparatively short time to finish writing 28,000 words about him—about an artist whose work has been more crucial to me in more ways than nearly anyone else’s—I found the e-mails depressing. This honest expression of faith, however ill advised or timed, seemed to cement Prince’s reputation as a has-been. " I can't figure out what a person's religious belief have to do with them being a musical has been. Nobody should be depressed about someelse's religion. | |
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EROTICCITYNPG said: http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0434/040825_music_prince.php
Event Horizon Prince strips down everything, including his ego, on Musicology. by Michaelangelo Matos
Prince and an instrument you may remember him playing. (Afshin Shahidi) THE MOST STRIKING THING about Musicology (NPG/Columbia), the first Prince album available at brick-and-mortar “wrecka stows” (his term, from 1986’s Under the Cherry Moon) since 2001’s The Rainbow Children, and the subsequent U.S. tour that comes to KeyArena this Monday and Tuesday is that they constitute the ultimate rarity in his career lately: an event. For a while there, everything the guy did was an event—Dirty Mind shattering taboos as much musical as lyrical, Purple Rain the world-swallowing phenomenon, single after single remaking what you could get away with on pop radio, Sign ‘O’ the Times the last great R&B album before hip-hop began its wholesale hijacking of pop music, black and white alike. Obviously, Prince got used to this. He spent much of the ’90s acting as if he were still an event maker, even as the actions—from the name change to writing “Slave” on his cheek in eyeliner to issuing a triple CD to a world that had barely nibbled at the two separately released discs he’d put out in the 14 months before—seemed less and less significant. His faithful fans were rewarded with a lot more good music than he was commonly believed to have made during that period—1995’s The Gold Experience and ’96’s Emancipation, the aforementioned triple, are a lot better than their reputations would suggest. But when he returned with 1999’s cameo-festooned, completely unmemorable Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, and then the disastrous Rainbow Children (a preachy concept album about the Jehovah’s Witness faith that sounds like Kenny G—excuse me, that’s Najee, his Afro-American counterpart—soloing all over it: what a great idea!), even someone who adores Prince as much as I do had to get off the bus. By contrast, Musicology’s strategy is . . . surprise! There is no strategy! It announces itself by not announcing itself at all. Musicology is just Prince, making Prince music (meaning by himself, mostly), all in that old-fashioned Prince style we all used to love so much. Remember that? Actually, you probably won’t, at least while this album is playing—except when he deliberately quotes himself, that is. The bridge of “A Million Days”—“It’s only been an hour since you left. . . . You’re the perfect picture of what love should look like”— recalls both “17 Days” and “The Beautiful Ones.” Even the chorus of “Call My Name” is self-referential: “I just can’t stop writing songs about you,” he sings, in self-mocking acknowledgment of both his compulsive nature and his reputation for repeating himself—which he does later in the chorus, with the lines “I know it’s only been three hours/But I love it when U call my name” echoing “A Million Days.” But while it’s easy to compare the sonic sparseness of Musicology to minimal classics like Dirty Mind, Sign ‘O’ the Times, and 1986’s “Kiss,” the new album sounds nothing like his earlier work. Indeed, a lot of it is rooted more in his ’90s work than his ’80s. The title track is a variation on the spare groove of “Sexy MF,” from 1992’s I’m Going to Change My Name to the Title of This Album (And Lose Most of My Fans in the Bargain), which itself was based primarily on late-’60s James Brown numbers like “Ain’t It Funky Now.” Many of Musicology’s bass lines are slapped and plucked, a style that Prince has utilized since early in his career, but even more so as he began moving away from the colder, electronic textures that marked his ’80s work in favor of the looser, jammy style of more recent albums. It also seems reasonable to credit part of this shift to Prince’s long association with Larry Graham, the former Sly & the Family Stone and Graham Central Station bassist and current Jehovah’s Witness, whom Prince has credited with indoctrinating him into the faith. That faith was what Prince was most famous for not long before Musicology’s release. In October of last year, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the newspaper of Prince’s hometown, reported that he’d been knocking on doors in the Minneapolis suburbs, accompanied by Graham. On Yom Kippur, the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar, Prince and Graham visited a Jewish couple in the suburb of Eden Prairie during a football game, staying 25 minutes and leaving the couple a pamphlet. The famous visitors were unfailingly polite, but the couple was annoyed—the Minnesota Vikings had just gained possession of the football, and they missed the action. For a while, the account of this event was one of the most-forwarded e-mails in the music industry; I received it no less than a dozen times, usually from people who knew I had just finished writing a short book on Sign ‘O’ the Times. Having just expended a huge amount of energy in a comparatively short time to finish writing 28,000 words about him—about an artist whose work has been more crucial to me in more ways than nearly anyone else’s—I found the e-mails depressing. This honest expression of faith, however ill advised or timed, seemed to cement Prince’s reputation as a has-been. Even if Musicology wasn’t made to specifically ward off that perception, it’s certainly been marketed that way. Prince is his own man, always, and if he appears calmer and more relaxed than ever on this album and in his public appearances, good on him—it certainly doesn’t seem pernicious. But it is calculated, and it has largely worked. That, and the fact that along with the Pixies’ reunion and people actually taking Morrissey seriously again (it was a mistake the first time, people), Prince’s new surge is evidence of ’80s revivalism—particularly ’80s college-rock revivalism—at its baldest. It’s also just desserts, because even if he’d kept knocking on doors and done nothing else, Prince has already been everywhere over the past few years. Alicia Keys turned his old B-side, “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore,” into a hit in 2001; the Neptunes’ nimble funk-and-roll is unthinkable without Prince’s example—listen to their production of No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It to Me),” or Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U,” for starters. Basement Jaxx’s and OutKast’s most recent albums pay such explicit homage to the guy (Jaxx’s “Right Here’s the Spot” name-checks “Delirious” and “All the Critics Love U in New York,” while “She Lives in My Lap” pays Sign’s “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” the sincerest form of flattery) that they practically owe him royalties. The critical plaudits that have greeted Musicology seem out of proportion with the modesty of its actual music. Part of that has to do with the goodwill that he’s accrued just by getting famous again—finally, a maker of fun music the press can take seriously. (I will love calculated, pre-tested, manufactured pop as long as I draw breath, but anything is better than Hillary fucking Duff.) Still, everyone else has weighed in on the title track’s most eyebrow-raising line, so let’s try it ourselves, shall we? “Wish I had a dollar 4 every time U say/‘Don’t U miss the feeling music gave U/Back in the day?’” Well, I certainly miss the feeling Prince’s music gave me back in the day, though the feeling Musicology gives me, as muted and mild as it frequently is, isn’t too bad, either. But I’m not feeling especially cynical about music right now, even though most of what crosses my desk is mediocre to horrid. I am, however, pretty certain that the kind of musical conservatism Prince gives the rah-rah to here is something I’d prefer to leave as far behind as possible. That conservatism was presaged by the many comments on 2002’s three-disc concert box, One Nite Alone . . . Live!, and last year’s Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas DVD to the effect that we’re hearing “real music” played on “real instruments,” which is pretty ironic coming from a guy who as much as anyone popularized the use of drum machines and synthesizers in pop. It’s what’s most disappointing about Musicology. But to some degree, it’s also what’s most satisfying about it. Over the last dozen or so years, Prince has become a chopsman, valorizing technique over ideas, but for the most part, Musicology keeps the instrumental flourishes as straightforward as the melodies. My favorite song on the album isn’t one that’s been talked about much in the reviews I’ve seen. “What Do U Want Me 2 Do?” sounds at first like an afterthought. It’s a simple pop song with a popping bass line, airy drum machine programming (like a sparer “Ballad of Dorothy Parker”) abetted by what sounds like live cymbal work, and jazzy guitar. The lyrics find Prince the happily married musician spurning an advance from a fan: “Can’t U see this ring?” Like most of his best later work, it breaks no ground. But it’s enough to make you wonder what the album he’s allegedly planning to record for Blue Note might be like. If nothing else, the fact that there’s a reason to look forward to a new Prince album feels like its own reward. mmatos@seattleweekly.com [b]Damn!! it took me about an hour to read that!... | |
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Paisleyprk said: Does the way this guy writes get on anyone else's nerves???
I have the 33 1/3 Sign O the Times book and I couldn't finish it! He goes off into these mini tangents. I can't follow. . .first he's talking about Musicology, but in the middle of the sentence he is comparing something to Sexy MF and James Brown. By time I get past the comparisons I have lost track of what he was trying to say. JUST SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY!! Quit making comparisons and comments in the middle of the thought! Am I crazy?? Does anyone else feel this way?? or am I just retaaaaaded!! Let me try this essay one more time. . . . . . Man, I am the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of you! I loved the Sign O The Times book and found Matos to be so thoughtful and insightful. I loved his comparisons, stories and anecdotes. He's a music critic who downplays pretention and focuses on accessible comparisons to the music. Oh, and by the way, he's an excellent writer who doesn't cater to the fifth grade reading level of all of our local newspapers. Maybe I'm the one blowing things out of proportion...for some reason I LOVE this guy. He barely mentions any of the tracks on Musicology and then when he finally does, he picks the ONE SONG I've been RAVING over more than any other..."What Do U Want Me 2 Do?"!!!! If nothing else, the man has good taste. 
We can criticize and nitpick his little errors...yes, NEWS did hit the stores, but not until quite a while after it was an online-only offering. But all in all, I am left with an appreciation and respect for Matos as a guy who's very existence and childhood have Prince running all through it...yet a guy who knows to be critical (in the most respectful way). I don't hate The Rainbow Children like Matos does, but it does seem apparent that Najee is becoming the latest Tony M. Harsh? Maybe. But when you hear Maceo on the tour, ripping on Najee won't hurt so much... Keith/Kacey | |
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The coloring here makes Prince's face look Green and his arms Redish. | |
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If prince wasnt intruiging to you, you wouldn't be posting this... would u? HMMMPH | |
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Kacey725 said: He barely mentions any of the tracks on Musicology and then when he finally does, he picks the ONE SONG I've been RAVING over more than any other..."What Do U Want Me 2 Do?"!!!! If nothing else, the man has good taste.
 If prince.org were to be made idiot proof, someone would just invent a better idiot. | |
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Zelaira said: The coloring here makes Prince's face look Green and his arms Redish.
...and his head looks 2 big 4 his nice little body...  "...took my sex and my money...took all my self esteem...had the nerve 2 think it was funny...i never knew a bitch so mean" | |
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Zelaira said: The coloring here makes Prince's face look Green and his arms Redish.
Don't you know that prince is the musical Hulk? On stage there is that certain moment that he changes from his normal personality to "The Green Musical Monster Man" and this photographer has catched this moment brilliantly! RIP Prince: thank U 4 a funky Time... |
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Zelaira said: The coloring here makes Prince's face look Green and his arms Redish.
Or is it that he is getting sick of playing Little Red Corvette for the hundredthousandth time in his carreer?  RIP Prince: thank U 4 a funky Time... |
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Zelaira said: The coloring here makes Prince's face look Green and his arms Redish.
Or is Prince a zombie, that feeds off the energy that the crowd gives him? The longer the people cheer for him, the more normal his skin color gets. It starts at the feet and moves up to his head. When he regains his normal skin color (usually after about an hour or two), he quits the show and stays out of the public eye until he needs another shot of energy... RIP Prince: thank U 4 a funky Time... |
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jsb23nc said: Once again, a writer doesn't know their facts.
NEWS was available in "wrecka stows." How anyone could say TRC is Kenny G-esque is beyond me. Whether or not you like the lyrics/theme of TRC, you simply cannot criticize the musicianship on that CD. Hey, I'm as big a critic of Najee as anyone but his playing on that album is very good and fits in nicely with the organic feel of the music. You are right the writer is off base and dosen't know thier facts b/c the lyrics in JAY's song I Just Want To Love weren't written by  . That song used lyrics from song called Give It To ME a Rick James song. Of course, I would expect the media to make stupid errors like this b/c they don't share the admiration that we share for on the org nor do have they stuck w/him during his different phases as we have. | |
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Kacey725 said:
Man, I am the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of you! I loved the Sign O The Times book and found Matos to be so thoughtful and insightful. I loved his comparisons, stories and anecdotes. He's a music critic who downplays pretention and focuses on accessible comparisons to the music. Oh, and by the way, he's an excellent writer who doesn't cater to the fifth grade reading level of all of our local newspapers.
I disagree. I find his writing to be pedestrian in the worst way. He goes off on poinless tangents that never illustrate his original point (and often leave said point in the dust, never to be re-visited). Maybe I'm the one blowing things out of proportion...for some reason I LOVE this guy. He barely mentions any of the tracks on Musicology and then when he finally does, he picks the ONE SONG I've been RAVING over more than any other..."What Do U Want Me 2 Do?"!!!! If nothing else, the man has good taste.
When you barely focus on any of the songs from the album you're discussing, that in and of itself, is bad writing. Oh, and I also have to disagree with you on "WDUWM2D?". That song is just plain bad. Nothing but a poor-man's "Ballad Of Dorthy Parker". We can criticize and nitpick his little errors...yes, NEWS did hit the stores, but not until quite a while after it was an online-only offering. But all in all, I am left with an appreciation and respect for Matos as a guy who's very existence and childhood have Prince running all through it...yet a guy who knows to be critical (in the most respectful way).
His criticisms are ridiculous. He goes off onto tangents about Prince's JW conversion that have NOTHING to do with the Musicology album. The pointless re-hashing of the tale of the visit to the Jewish couple on Yom Kippur is infantile, at best. I don't hate The Rainbow Children like Matos does, but it does seem apparent that Najee is becoming the latest Tony M. Harsh? Maybe. But when you hear Maceo on the tour, ripping on Najee won't hurt so much...
What about Blackwell's drumming, or Prince's guitar work? To me, ignoring these positives really damages his credibility. Hell, if he really wanted to tear-up that album, he should've focused even more on its terrible lyrics. To only focus on Najee is absurd. While I'm hardly a fan, I don't think his presence on TRC is overwhelming at all. Prince manages to draw a decent performance out of him, and makes him fit into the scheme of that album quite nicely 
Do not hurry yourself in your spirit to become offended, for the taking of offense is what rests in the bosom of the stupid ones. (Ecclesiastes 7:9) | |
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Hotlegs said: jsb23nc said: Once again, a writer doesn't know their facts.
NEWS was available in "wrecka stows." How anyone could say TRC is Kenny G-esque is beyond me. Whether or not you like the lyrics/theme of TRC, you simply cannot criticize the musicianship on that CD. Hey, I'm as big a critic of Najee as anyone but his playing on that album is very good and fits in nicely with the organic feel of the music. You are right the writer is off base and dosen't know thier facts b/c the lyrics in JAY's song I Just Want To Love weren't written by . That song used lyrics from song called Give It To ME a Rick James song. Of course, I would expect the media to make stupid errors like this b/c they don't share the admiration that we share for on the org nor do have they stuck w/him during his different phases as we have.He said "production" not "lyrics" | |
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MendesCity said: Hotlegs said: You are right the writer is off base and dosen't know thier facts b/c the lyrics in JAY's song I Just Want To Love weren't written by . That song used lyrics from song called Give It To ME a Rick James song. Of course, I would expect the media to make stupid errors like this b/c they don't share the admiration that we share for on the org nor do have they stuck w/him during his different phases as we have.He said "production" not "lyrics" Even if he was refering to production, I still feel that his article is inaccurate. | |
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Kacey725 said: I don't hate The Rainbow Children like Matos does, but it does seem apparent that Najee is becoming the latest Tony M. Harsh? Maybe. But when you hear Maceo on the tour, ripping on Najee won't hurt so much... Keith/Kacey - Funny...it´s been a while since I heard TRC for the last time. I don´t remember hearing too much of Najee there. He surely wasn´t over the top. Calling TRC ´KennyG esque´ is typical of the critic that only heard the first 40 seconds of the album. ´Ah, it has soprano sax? Kenny G!´. Najee doesnt play on Family Name, Everlasting Now, 1+1+1=3, etc I found Vanessa Mae´s violin on Xpectations album much more annoying... |
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Strip down..... I think not... The man has been wearing more clothes than ever.....  | |
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Bast said: Strip down..... I think not... The man has been wearing more clothes than ever.....
has burned all of his assless pants.  | |
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