Prince has delivered more consistently great albums than any other artist, including Bob Dylan and/or The Beatles. The down side for him is that anything new he produces is immediately appreciated in comparison to his other work. Even I do this. When someone first asked me what I thought, I replied, "It's way better than Diamonds and Pearls but not quite as good as Parade or Sign Of The Times." Suffice to say, it is quite reductive to only appreciate Prince's work in this way.

What I have long admired most about his work is his uncompromising openness. The body of his work represents the noble quest for deeper human intimacy,often achieved in his lyrics through the kind of blunt honesty that made John Lennon revolutionary. I am excited when a new album contains personal revelations and serendipitous insights into the human condition.
When I heard Dirty Mind for the first time, I was forever changed. That might happen once or twice in a lifetime and one cannot expect that from every album.

While I enjoyed The Rainbow Children, I didn't quite connect with it on a personal level. But from the moment I heard Musicology it was like catching up with an old friend and laughing through the night. I was warmed. My heart soared. I enjoyed it more than any other album in recent memory, aside from Warren Zevon's masterful final album, The Wind. For Prince,
who has seemingly surpassed all concepts of new directions in songwriting, this is no small achievement.

Why is Musicology the best album of 2004? It is a pop record that hooks you with its contagious choruses before it pierces your heart and nags at your conscience.

Take, for example, Dear Mr Man: when I read the title, I thought to myself this is going to be the worst Prince song ever and I was expecting his equivalent to Heal The World (crap, in other words). Instead, what I heard, despite apparently dubious lines like "What's wrong with the world today?", was as great as any
Curtis Mayfield social commentary. In fact, I was reminded of Superfly and the tag line for the poster: "He's got a plan to stick it to the man." All this is delivered to a melody so sweet it crushes the recent work of more commonly revered contemporaries like Ben Harper.

My favourite songs are the two exquisite ballads: Call My Name and On The Couch. These gems best encapsulate the resounding theme of the record which is the celebration of marriage. The politics of Call My Name is extraordinary. It is critical of the progressive privatisation of human life; yet, most compellingly, it joyously extols the creed that to be truly socialist
one must first be social. Equally, the confessional tone of On The Couch, for all its good humour, is, in its own way, as tender and tortured as How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? It's just that an older, more mature soul is making the same pronouncements. It is as if Prince is finally living out his own once utopian values as he preached in Sign Of The Times:
"Let's fall in love, get married, have a baby/ We'll call him Nate, if he's a boy."

The title track reminds me a lot of Kiss,instrumentally. Its genius is in the deceptive simplicity of its killer groove. The song truly does give the feeling that "music gave you back in the
day". Yes, it's nostalgic but not crudely. It still contains innovation. As Miles Davis might say, it's the space between the beats that makes all the difference, like the creative punctuation in an e.e cummings poem. The song is never mawkish or
sentimental. It is one hundred percent unbridled pleasure.

This is true, too, of Life Of The Party. Another stand-out. It works so much better than any of Prince's party songs since his Symbol album. Whereas tracks like Push It Up or I Rock Therefore I Am might have made me forget Prince ever wrote the inspired
1999, Life Of The Party is a timely reminder that this
man schooled the genius that is Outkast.

And what can you even say about a song as delightful as Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance? It's like a grown up version of Girls and Boys.

What Do You Want Me To Do? is remarkably funky, fresh and not without substance.

Cinammon Girl might steal its title from Neil Young but the fury directed at George W. is the kind of revelation that makes me rejoice whenever a new Prince album is released.

Reflection is the perfect, sublimely poetic bookend to the album's other main theme: music is Prince's vocation, his purest act of love and his way of making the world a better place.

If I had any criticisms, I must say there are a few moments where the album sounds too commercial and slightly less adventurous than my very favourite Prince recordings. A song like A Million Days, for instance, could almost be a D&P or Newpowersoul outtake. It would sit much less comfortably on Around The World In A Day, as would The Marrying Kind, despite its psychedilc allusions and pretences. I like If I Was The Man In Your Life better but even it loses a little something being juxtaposed with The Marrying Kind. In defence of these songs, they do improve with repeated listenings. The lyrics reveal subtle surprises and, ultimately, add to the the album's long
playing life. My minor criticisms, then, are more a matter of personal preference than anything else. At best, they explain why the album may not please all hardcore Prince fans, particularly those fans who are crusty and least generous because they've been waiting 20 years for another Purple Rain, which, although unquestionably a masterpiece, has to be the least
eponymous of all Prince albums.

There will never be another Purple Rain. Get over it. Musicology is much more of a signature recording, in that its roots are in funk and soul, rather than sweeping guitar-driven Santana-like rock. Even the way Prince effortlessly marries numerous musical genres and influences is indicative of an album that can be
recognised and valued as an immediately relevant personal statement. Perhaps, not definitive but consumate, nonetheless.

Overall, Musicology is the supreme work of art because it moves swiftly from the heart of its author to the heart of the listener. The album will be in my heart for a long time to come.


Source: www.Amazon.com

It will warm to fans in the future.

Wow, that's the best review I've read on Musicology. All I did was while reading it.

It's an intelligent, heartfelt review alright - but I can't agree with most of it.

Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance sounded great when I first heard that stripped down beat, but it wears thin on repeated listens because of the ugly lyrics.

Life O The Party, too, suffers from clumsy, lazy lyrics.

Call My Name and On The Couch sound like any of a dozen syrupy ballads Prince has done before, the only thing fresh about them is that they extoll the vitues of monogamy.

Then you have a whole host of rather forgettable songs that even the reviewer admits to being bland: A Million Days, The Marrying Kind and If I Was The Man In Your Life.

In my mind, the album is saved by the funky infectiousness of Musicology, the political rantings of Cinnamon Girl and Dear Mr. Man, the dispairing vocals of What Do U Want Me 2 Do? and the intimacy of Reflection.

But that's just me.

Er...*snicker*...heh...*cough*...hmph...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I deeply enjoyed the album when it first came out and the songs I didn´t like are still the same songs I can´t get into today. My favorites are Cinnamon Girl ( I know most ppl here hate it ), If I Was the Man In Your Life ( despite the corny lyrics...´I´ll buy you...flowers...I´ll treat you right.´), What Do U Want Me To Do ( musically , not necessarily the lyrics) and A Million Days ( though it´s a song I wouldn´t really put on when I´m in company)
Illusion Pimp and Circumstance is OK, but wore out quickly, partly because of the lyrics, but I like the minimalistic beat ( off of Sex ), and Reflection has to be one of my favorite Prince songs ever.
I can´t stand the song Musicology, Dear Mr. Man is OK but pales in comparison to songs like the War or Sign of the Times, and On the Couch is simply unlistenable, and there are only a handful of songs in his catalogue that I can´t listen to ( again, I know a lot of ppl here have a different opinion when it comes to On The Couch, but I can´t stand that song) . Call My Name isn´t really a song that most people can relate to , lyrically at least, because it´s too personal with all those Bridal Path references and other things, but the delivery and the music are so sweet that you just have to love this song.
My personal opinion is that Prince´s lyrics in the past were also highly personal, but they were different in the sense that most listeners could truly relate to most of the situations he sung about, whereas today, the lyrics are still personal, I dare to say maybe even more personal, but not really accessible or something a lot of people can relate to on a worldwide level. That. IMHO, is just one of the many differences between some of his classics and his current output.
That being said, I still enjoy the man´s music and his performances and I don´t really miss the " god old times", it´s just that the lyrics were more accessible even though they were very personal ( think of Something In The Water, When Doves Cry, Forever In My Life, Adore, Beautiful Ones, Erotic City, When You Were Mine etc. compared to Call My Name or most of the stuff on Emancipation or the ONA piano album.)
The other point is that contemporary music isn´t as challenging for Prince as it used to be...I´m not the one to complain about it because there are still people like Erykah Badu, D´Angelo, Maxwell, etc.etc. etc. , but the days of fierce competition seem to be over, most of his rivals are a caricature of themselves or rest on their laurels....blablabla, nuff said.
Peace.
[Edited 8/17/05 13:01pm]
[Edited 8/17/05 13:03pm]

the only part of Life of the Party I cringe at is "goody for you"

TheBigBang said:

I agree with everything this person said.

The intro of this review is great, but as always with Prince's "non-masterpieces" (Emancipation, Come, etc.), there's little consensus on what the great songs are. A lot of people are saying "this album is way better than it looks. Take x and y for instance", and it turns out you think z and w are the ones that deserve recognition.

Therefore, without further ado, I declare Musicology is flawed, not at all the best album of 2004, but that it does contain a number of great-to-interesting tracks as well as a few rethreads he should not have bothered with. Musicology, Dear Mr. Man (even with the dubious line about voting) and Reflection are the standouts. Marrying Kind/If I Was the Man in Ur Life are the buried heart of the record, though only a longtime Prince fan would probably agree. The rest ranges from competent/effective to downright lazy (for Prince, of course).
[Edited 8/17/05 15:02pm]

metalorange said:

I'm with you.

Aerogram said:

Now that's the best review I've read on Musicology.

Great review, I agree mostly except
I love The Marrying Kind,and Musicology (the song) is okay
at the most.

GoldenGlove said:

Ok, this dude has too much purple jizz all over his mouth. Cause LOTP sucks.

Musicology sucks bigtime except the lead single....havent listened to it in about 6 months.....sounds like he wrote it in his sleep...no effort or enthusiasm....How could 'Call My Name' be nominated for a Grammy, when as one writer above said it is like a lot of other syruppy ballads he has done in the past.....' The One' was far superior and was ignored....it it just because he was 'playing the record industry gave' that he was nominated ?????

Aerogram said:

What exactly are the masterpieces u speak of? Every prince album has its detractors. Even his so called most popular album purple rain was not greatly loved by some of the old-schoolers of that time who saw it as a departure to a more pop/rock/commercial/white sound. It is really a myth that there was ever the perfect brillant prince album. The more music Prince creates, the more there is to compare. So unless Prince gets a brain transplant every "new" song will have some pressident with a past creation. So I don't buy this sort of I don't like such and such song because he already did a balled before. His he supposed re-create the entire framework of music to be enjoyed? I think it is a tremendous insult to describe something as lazy because u personnally don't like it. I find it hard to believe that Prince would not love the work he put out for the world to scutinize. If he's funky than he's not rock enough for some. If he's cyptic than he's not accessible enough for some (TRC). If he's accessible (Musicology) than he's lazy. If he is adventuous (NEWS) than he's boring.

It kill's me how everyone on here's sprouts off on here about how this song or that song is a terrible piece of crap as if they themselves are the only arbitors of quality. Prince greatest limitations lies not in his own abilities but in the narrowness of his fans minds. Prince has shown over and over again from 1978 to 2005 that he is capable of more musical flexability then his fans are. That's why he's the genuis and we are just fools typing away on this web site. There will never ever be a album from this point on that will be hailed as a masterpiece by the majority of fans. And I believe that lies more with us then him.

tricky99 said:

This site would be nothing without opinions. Fans expressing their like or dislike for particular songs and albums is what this discussion site is all about. It always amuses me when people express their opinion that people shouldn't bother expressing their opinion!

As for masterpieces, well of course there can never be 100 percent support for a particular album being perfection and suiting all tastes, but by that standard there has never been a masterpiece in the history of music, or for that matter, art. I appreciate the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece - but I don't like it, personally.

So how do you define a masterpiece? The only way is if the majority of the fans and critics have a general consensus that it is. Though it's harder to define a masterpiece than it is to decide which ones aren't.

It would make a good thread - asking fans to vote on whether such and such an album is a masterpiece or not, to decide once and for all!

The title track is the funkiest song off Musicology IMO.

tricky99 said:

Life Of The Party still sucks

loisclark88 said:

So, you wrote that shit?

GoldenGlove said:

I stopped reading at that point.

Cloudbuster said:

Me too! I love Prince but he's put out his share of shite albums. My views on Musicology haven't changed...it sounds neutered, like he was holding back. The tour made up for it though.

Adisa said:

Hmmm is this a Prince forum, 'cause everywhere i go i see people dissing Prince.

???

GoldenGlove said:

He deserves a dissing now and again. Nobody's perfect.

GoldenGlove said:

What better place to diss Prince than in a Prince forum?

Adisa said:

Yeah, you know he's got his eye on it.

Adisa said:

I couldn't think of a WORSE place to DISS Prince than on a Prince forum!?!?

it's like going to an MJ forum and putting "GREATEST HITS COMPILATIONS SUCK!" in your signature.

I don't really agree with this review, but I will say that Musicology is a decent piece of work. It's no where near as great as some think it is, but it beats the hell out of most new shit these days. Even though Prince is my favourite artist, his body of work doesn't come close to Dylan!! Maybe the Beatles, but not Dylan (sorry CB )