Review from the week 3121 was released.....


Prince has a lot riding on 3121. After the phenomenal success of Musicology, intentional or otherwise, he finds himself at somewhat of a musical crossroads.

The pure commercialism of Musicology proved that despite quotes to the contrary, Prince is still craving recognition and mainstream success. If he wasn’t, he would have simply continued to release material through his NPG record label, and as far as the general public is concerned, wallowed in obscurity.

To many of his fans, a dive back into the murky waters of artistic brilliance, but commercial oblivion would have the best and only choice. But ever defiant, Prince has chosen to stand up and attempt to take on the very modern artists of today, who all to regularly give props to him for either artistic or promotional reasons.

The 3121 album is without a doubt, a straight shot at further commercial success. But whilst Musicology was firmly aimed at the pop mainstream, 3121 tends to cater for the modern R&B crowd, and in turn, takes on a more retro feel. There is almost an irony to the fact that; in mimicking modern sounds, Prince is in fact copying himself without fully realising it.

The opening title track is a bold statement; a full funk groove, laying to waste so many of his more pop tinged music club moments of the last few years. From the first inset of vocals, you get the impression that old Prince is back. No more Kingdom Hall, no more family Stone, this is Prince, Camille and Bob George rolled into one. Yet, when reaching the rather disappointing chorus, you begin to feel that he is simply sampling his own back catalogue from 1994, with Michael B and Sonny T providing a Days of Wild thump that has been missing for over a decade.

There are still tinges of guitar brilliance, but all in all, you are left with the impression that Prince is about to take you a journey that aimed at fooling your ears. As with 1990’s Graffiti Bridge, and 1999’s Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, a careful listen will reveal that Prince is about to take you on a ride filled with a large portion of back catalogue grooves, tunes and samples.

This nostalgic trip is none more evident than in the cute pop/funk number Lolita. A monogamist journey filled with lightweight 80s keyboard that crescendos with a blatant rip off of The Bird, a track Prince penned for The Time back in the days when rain was purple.

Although an obvious choice as a future single, the track will only serve to reaffirm the views of those that believe that Prince is trying to move back to the 80s quicker that Cyndi Lauper and her Body Acoustic album.

The album successfully modernises by the third track, Te Amo Corazon, a sloppy Hispanic ballad, but unfortunately tends to leave a sour note, due to the clinical production and wrong placement in the track order. A good song in the wrong time and place, Te Amo goes the way of a previous lead single, The Greatest Romance Ever Sold in that it promises so much, but doesn’t quite deliver.

Luckily, Black Sweat hits you between the eyes like no song since Gett Off. A pure funk groove, it owes much of its likeability to the simple rawness of its production, much like When Doves Cry and Kiss.

A whistling keyboard line that borders on irritating is the perfect complement to the full beat, and you can’t help listening to it and fully believing that dirty Prince has returned from a ten year vacation and he is as horny as hell.

Incense and Candles is a polite by numbers groove that will vanish in the memory before you hear the album out, yet after several listens will no doubt eventually secure its place as a fan “hidden gem” in the vain of previous songs such as Willing & Able and The Sun Moon and Stars.

The sixth track of the album, Love, sums up both what is good and bad about the album as a whole. A fantastic keyboard driven groove, this is a song that would appear on 1999 II if Prince ever decided to venture down the squeal route. The tune itself is one of the strongest Princes has written in many years, but his production style somehow manages to pull him back into a place in the past that he doesn’t need go.

Like much of the album, the evidence of influence, both from himself as well as other artists seems evident on Love. The guitar and keyboard licks could have been lifted straight from the Controversy sessions, while the chorus would not be out of place on Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.

However, the track works, and offers Prince the best chance of a hit single off the album, even if it will predominately sell to thirty something’s and teenagers that think that retro is cool.

After the stunning catchy Love, Prince free falls into his comfort zone. Satisfied is yet another homage ballad so similar to 2004’s On the Couch that he could have turned them into another scandalous sex suite. Prince can turn these types of ballads out in his sleep, and with Satisfied, it sounds like he did.

If Black Sweat shows the promise, and Love sits on a very funky fence, then Fury represents where Prince is currently going so very wrong with his current output.

Without a doubt, Fury is a hit waiting to happen and the best rock track since Prince left Dolphin and Endorphin Machine sitting on the scrapheap back in 1995. The lyrics tell a wonderful dreamy tale of adultery, while the general tune itself beautifully structured (even if the verses sound remarkably like Girls and Boys).

But like so many Prince Rock songs, his production tosses the song into pop obscurity, wallowing in Lets Go Crazy keyboard overkill. If there is one instrument that can date a song, it’s the synthesiser, and unfortunately, Princes is stuck in mid 80s mode.

Whilst the Artist seems to venture into new funk territory without a major worry, he genuinely seems scared of turning to true rock, unless of course you have seem him live, where he throws no caution to the wind. Live 4 Love showed promise, as did Interactive and Everlasting Now, but just when Prince seems to be understanding rock, he seems to crawl back into his comfort shell that is pop. A true chance wasted, and one that could possibly sink the album as a whole.

The Word comes as somewhat a pleasant surprise, finding the right balance of acoustic guitar, gentle keys and slow jam, Prince reminds us he is still very capable of turning out sounds that are almost original, however the chorus is remarkably similar to MJ’s “Ghosts”.

Beautiful, love and blessed is a pleasant run of the mill R&B number, but it is clearly filler, used more to springboard new protégé Tamar than as a genuine artistic statement. With this track, the strong song writing is actually let down by the bland production. Cracking out the linn and guitar could have made this track into something hot.

Tucked away near the end of the album is a possibly the albums most unique track. The Dance is a walking advert for great production, when you compare this finished article with the original version at the online music club. Fans will always debate the best versions of some tracks; with Tick Tick Bang and Can’t Stop the feeling I got being prime examples. But with the Dance, few would dare argue that the original had the edge.

One of the only disappointments is that yet again (a common theme with 3121), Prince seems to have borrowed sections of the song. The Chorus is a blatant rip off of the excellent Sign O the times session track So Strong.

Prince signs off the album with a rather run of the mill funk groove. Get on the boat is pleasant enough, but it certainly doesn’t make you pull that funky face like its obvious doppelganger, Pretty Man.

Coupled with the Rainbow Children-esq lyrics, you can’t help but think “Thanks but no thanks P, I’ll wait for the next boat if you don’t mind.”

3121 is good album. On the face of it, it feels a little like Musicology II, but with a more R&B feel, as opposed to a more direct stab at pop. But it is for this reason that it doesn’t seem to quite work. Mainstream R&B is currently in crisis, and prince isn’t going to solve it by suggesting we go back in time.

With Musicology, Prince created a false economy comeback, due to the nature of the free CD giveaways counting as sales. With 3121 that avenue is closed and the album has to stand up on its own merit much more so than with Musicology. I fear the result will be yet another good Prince album that goes by the way, much like the Symbol Album or The Rainbow Children.

Prince will need to promote the hell out of this if he has any chance of the album taking, but as history shows that is something he rarely bothers to do. Black Sweat, Love, Lolita and Fury could all be hits, if P was willing to tow the corporate line, but we all know that’s not going to happen.

In fact, 3121 as a concept is already old in P's eyes, and the choice of the newly recorded Te Amo Corazon being chosen as a lead single highlights this. P is already bored of the material he has created. Watch the tour vanish without a trace and the Vegas and Paisley days come creeping back. Safety zone.

With this record, there is a danger, that in trying to please all parties, Prince satisfies none, least of all himself. I fear it is destined to be a “just outside the top 10” list of fan albums in 5 years time, and the first step back into mainstream obscurity.

Theres a new article in this weeks Village Voice--a little too late I'd say.

From the hype that 3121 was getting, as good as the album is, I was expecting it to be more fire-cracker. 3121 could be a lot more electric, with some Linn drum snare-cracks, etc. Lolita is a great Prince pop song, but somehow I was expecting a more funk-ridden drum beat with guitars, kind of like a cross between The Dream Factory and Electric Chair. Then, the album almost seems to slow down prematurely, and Black Sweat or another song like Silicon could just as easily have been inserted.

Just lonely ol' expectations, the album is great, but as I have stated in the past posting "If I had produced 3121", there could have been a lot more substance to it.

It certainly didn't live up to some of the reviews I was reading before i heard it, though this one isn't too far off the mark.

It will be interesting to see where the die hards place this album in 12 months time.

SquirrelMeat said:

Right on the mark. He has definitely let this album die; I get the feeling what little promo he has done or is slated to do (GMA) is like a contractual obligation, he's there because he has to act like he's doing his part, but he really doesn't care if the thing sells or not.

Overall a good review. I like the album, it's got some good songs, some that I'm happy to get up and dance to, but I'm not sure if it will interest me in 20+ years, ya know?

Since a tour looks more unlikely by the day, I wonder what his next move will be?

It's sad to see 3121 being judged simply by its promotion (lack thereof) and album sales.

3121 is a new album of Prince music - nothing more, nothing less. It's not going to make-or-break Prince. You either like the album or you don't.

There's a lot of excellent music on 3121, and hearing it on the radio or seeing it on TV will not make the music any better. Prince selling more copies of the album will not affect YOU, and also will not make the music on 3121 sound any different.

Personally, I like the album a lot (hesitate to use the term "love") but I am disappointed in TAC and the studio production of Fury. I absolutely love Black Sweat, Love, and The Word.

Track for track, I'm still loving it, and that's a lot more than I could ever say for Musicology.

Snap said:

Amen brother!!