of course, not to step all over thebanishedone's thread, but i wrote this last year and emailed it to a friend who didn't like the album at all.

Milty’s review of The Rainbow Children – a misunderstood album by a misunderstood musician.


You know what the worst thing about being Prince is? It’s the fact that he was so generous in his 80s heyday giving the world all that good music that his fans just expected him to knock them out every time he issued an album; Prince fans are the most selfish of fans. Prince fans have always wanted him to play this way or sing that way.

Now when he releases an album with Jehovah Witness references everyone gets a bit weirded out about it and think to themselves,” I just wish he’d play like he used to”. Prince even sings that on a track from that album only to have the listener get bitched slapped. The album in question is The Rainbow Children, a fourteen song cd that touches on his faith in religion, political topics and there’s even some of that old time Prince balladry. In between the songs are those really annoying segues that have appeared in other Prince albums. Here the voice is slowed down to a gravely monotone fright.

The songs? Well in my opinion they are some of the best I think Prince has constructed in ages. He has released great stuff all this time but TRC is chockful of musical and lyrical ideas that makes you wonder if he has been playing with us all this time by releasing so-so albums like New Power Soul and Rave. TRC has been derided for it’s jazz leanings but the only jazz song on it is the opening title track. And that’s it really. Thru out there is more than enuff organic funk, beautiful ballads and a couple of scorching rock dramas. The first classic here is 1+1+1=3. It sounds like Erotic City from 1984 but it holds it’s own in 2001. He talks about theocratic order here. Now, Prince has been known to objectify and celebrate women in equal measures but here he is using the idea that the line starts with God, then man, woman, child, animal, etc. But whether you like the idea or not, this song must sound amazing up really loud in a club. Muse 2 The Pharoah is a soulful slow stomp that sounds like D’Angelo trying to sound like Prince. The spoken word section in the middle has been accused of being anti-semitic but it’s not. It’s just saying,” let’s not forget the slaves”. It’s also the blackest thing I have ever heard him write. On this album he has taken a black political stance and it’s obvious. More songs like The Work pt1 rip off James Brown so does Outkast when they rip off Prince. The Work pt1 is sizzling old time funk and it even has that great Prince yell.
Everywhere is a great gospel song that would not be out of place in any Sou’then church in the land; full of scattering beats and jittery vocals. Other songs like Mellow and She Loves Me 4 Me chug along nicely in a slow funk, especially Mellow. Did you hear that live on the 2002 tour? I even creamed my pants. Get the bootleg if you find it.
The last three songs, Family Name, The Everlasting Now and Last December, are preachy but hasn’t Prince always preached? Family Name is Sly Stone funk for the new century before turning into a mack truck crashing thru a really big plate glass window while Prince demonstrates that he is the guitar god of the pop generation. The lyric is about how slaves got their names, how names get used and chucking them shackles offa you. The Everlasting Now wants to recruit you to the J.W. faith, and Last December is the rocker here. It sounds a bit Oprah but he makes a good point. What did you stand for? What did you do with this life?
Well there you go. I think this a great Prince album and it ranks up there with Sign O The Times and Lovesexy, lyrically and musically. If you can get past the religious references (which really are not that bad) you can appreciate this guy’s latest development.

TRC is a musically fulfilling, inspired and most focused work of art. I rank it right up there with Sign O' The Times.

nice review man,but you didn't give enough praise to last december.

also the rainbow children is not the only jazzy song.
mellow is very jazzy if you ask me.

I still don't like this album.

thanks2joniandu said:

Agreed. Ain't nothing wrong with diggin' deeper.

For me however, 'Wedding Feast' throws that album totally off-kilter, and it suffers for it. 'Joke' song or not, it really doesn't do the overall flow of the album any favours. It jars - and badly.

There are those who would say, skip it - and that's a fair point, but why skip something when you shouldn't have to?

my

so overall - 9 outta 10
[Edited 5/13/05 2:56am]

He obviously put his heart into this album and that really shows off. I think it is one of his most inspired albums ever.

would you people just stop. I'm trying to forget that this album ever came out

Like a betrayed lover trying to look past an affair, I've put this in the past. Musicology was a slight step in the right direction but more for the tour than than the CD itself.

Prince, please put out some new music. stat!

BananaCologne said:

This is the first negative review of Wedding Feast that I've read that I can agree with. The songs was meant to be funny but where the flow of the music changed. It's like all of a sudden, he went silly. It didn't have to go like that but hey, what can you so?

some nice tunes, but i really, really hate the spoken parts, with that annoying voice.

I love it. I think Miles D would have loved it too.

Good review there Milty.

This was the first album...in a long time that I was impressed by. It sounded fresh and grounded from the get go. I am ok with the segues...acually on all the album...they don't bother me...they add to the concept. I love concept albums too.

Funny my friend dislikes the segues...but LOVED them when the album was only in download "boot-ish" form. He even mentioned "It's got camille all over it". But now these segues annoy him.


and I know I am one of the few that actually likes wedding feast..again it goes wigth the concept...and totally fits.

superspaceboy said:

Me too. Probably most inspired & impressive album since Gold (and I probably even like it better than Gold).

The deep voice & the wedding feast are all part of the show--and that's what this record is. You don't just put it on in the background and groove to it, it demands your full attention. For better or worse, most Prince albums don't work as background music, especially this one.

Milty said:

No, it does not.

Sign O' The Times and Lovesexy had melodies. The Rainbow Children had - as you yourself puts it - constructs.

man,last december have at least 10 diffrent melodies.
the rainow children is much more progressive and mature then sign o the times and lovesexy.
lovesexy is the one that lacks melody but prince is a funk master.
funk is more about rhythm then melody.

andyman91 said:

true. what an insult to musician, unless its complementary to reaching a greater goal than aural stimulation.

what do you do?
i write elevator music.
oh.

end of conversation.