"N*E*W*S" in Review

What follows is a hybrid of sorts; part review, part listing of my
favorite musical moments, part general observations, part thinking out
loud as to the possible story locked inside this musical work. And it
seems somewhat logical to do it this way, as this album sounds like a
hybrid of live improvisational jamming on loosely sketched-out
blueprints and after-the-event studio wizardry that brought it all into
a cohesive, deliberate, mostly premeditated whole.

"North" Highlights and Musings:

1) I like its overall unforced, serious-but-laid-back, organic charm.
2) So smooth and chilled out that it makes for the perfect antithetical
complement to the album's feverish closer.
3) It feels spot on at nearly 14 minutes. Not like a 4-minute track
stretched out beyond purpose, or even 3 or 4 pieces molded together like
we'll hear later.
4) The near flawless nature of the composition that seamlessly melds the
worlds of jazz, ambient, funk and rock. This is a very original piece
that beautifully preps the vibe for what's to follow. There are
certainly traces of "North" in past Prince music, but he's never been
this successful or natural in pulling it all off.
5) The little quirks that are added here and there, like being able to
hear the clacking of Eric Leeds' sax keys at one point.
6) The train-whistle synths at 1:00 that signal the oncoming sax.
7) The way the conflictive sounds of the mystical strings and the
gravel-throated guitar intertwine at 3:10.
8) The anguished guitar that peeks and pokes about before becoming
"North's" stunning centerpiece at 6:19.
9) The calming piano at 8:58 that caresses us back to health after the
onslaught of melancholy.
10) Leeds' sweetly coaxed butterfly sax notes at 11:38 that appear to
give rise to the north wind.
11) The barren north winds that blow us out of the experience. A cry
from a whale or a wolf can be heard in the distance at 12:43 and again
at 13:14. It feels cold and lonely here. Snow blowing, causing a
whiteout. Waves crashing against the icy shore. We long for some
warmth, energy, neighbors, kinship.

"East" Highlights and Musings:

1) The musical changes and transitions, the challenge, the complexity
and the experimental vibe of the entire piece. Nothing Prince had done
previously -- outside of perhaps the avant-garde "Cutz" from
"Kamasutra" -- could have prepared you properly for this.
2) The "steel-drum" sound that eventually persuades the snake-charming
flute out of its comfort zone. Are the natives being seduced out of
their homeland?
3) The drum breakdown that foretells of building strife.
4) The angered metal guitar thrusts like that of a powerful army surging
forward to stomp out rebellion, matched by oriental key figures that
build in fervency and incite anxious, circling, hornet's-nest guitar,
and a sax that answers in kind. The pieces most troubling, most
hostile, most intense moment. Colonialism pushing eastward? Communism
forcing its hand in China and southeast Asia? Perhaps just the general
and constant unrest in the region?
5) The nice transition from the powerful entangled sounds of
west-meets-east-without-an-invite through the use of funk guitar that
leads us straight into a wall of modern jazz, and later fusion with
intensified sax that's matched by gurgling organ and more funky guitar.
6) The irresistible combination of chicken-scratch guitar at 10:03 and
the deeply funky baritone sax that it conjures.
7) Perhaps the sounds of the last gasps of a once great army's influence
slowly being deflated at 11:07. Listen in particular to the sounds at
12:02, that's the same aggressive rock surges heard earlier. But this
time they come across as weakened and in retreat. Is this the
resistance giving out or the occupying force?
8) The standup electric double bass solo that stirs memories of the
middle-marker breakdown in John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". The
aftermath of war? Digging out from under foreign rule?
9) Bringing the piece to a sober place of mourning with only the sad,
lonely strings of the sitar. Perhaps grieving the current war-torn
nations of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine, to name but a few?

"West" Highlights and Musings:

1) The opening 3:30 that nearly packs the aching, bittersweet beauty of
"Purple Rain" or "Just My Imagination". I wouldn't be the least bit
surprised to hear this turn up on a future project as a fully structured
gospel/blues/rock/soul anthem.
2) After the harsh complexity of "East", starting the "West" off in a
more soulful and accessible direction seems just what the doctor
ordered.
3) At 3:58 is that Columbus and his boys that can be heard sailing west
in search of riches or the slave ships bringing over the human riches
that will build much of the west?
4) The striding and soulful neo-Madhouse groove that is the "West's"
mid-section, delivering a strong sense of purposeful adventure. It
feels as if we're on a journey into the unknown, yet still confident and
hopeful of what lies ahead.
5) Eric stepping proudly forward at 7:36 and delivering a statement
funky enough to inspire a hip-hopper who has never even cracked a jazz
album.
6) The way in which at 8:31 the groove immediately turns deadly serious
with the introduction of Prince's shrieking guitar that later gets
squeezed out urgently in energetic licks of stinging pain until the
whole piece slows down and settles in a dark place of utter depravity.
Is this the slavery era in America and some of its aftermath? This
section just shreds the soul. It's like you're being chained and
whipped. One of the most starkly poignant passages in Prince history.
7) You almost get lost in each piece but there is always something at
the end to snap you back to reality. On "West" it's the drum rolls and
sitar strings that signify the passing of another time and space. It
feels as though we've mined everything we can out of this experience and
so we knowingly shift our attitudes towards one of parting. But you can
't help but feel a great weight and regret for that which has passed as
we roll onward to the pieces final movement.

"South" Highlights and Musings:

1) Is that the Mothership landing on the "South" (or perhaps Prince's
version of Parliament's Mothership, a whale with it's soothing,
discerning, cognitively omnipotent sounding cries, howls, whistles and
songs), sent to deliver the enslaved from pain through the healing and
understanding power of music? This could perhaps signify the staggering
contribution to 20th century music of Black Americans that came directly
out of the pain of hundreds of years of slavery. Music that has been
and will be helping people of all races, cultures and creeds in good
times and in bad for hundreds of years to come. Perhaps there'll never
be another artistic period so astonishing as the one which saw the
creation of jazz, blues, R&B, soul, funk, disco/dance and rap, with huge
contributions in gospel, rock & roll and eventually a majority holding
on that which becomes pop.
2) It's almost as if the Mothership is sending a perceptive beam of
inspirational energy directly to Rhonda's bass, moving her fingers to
the fore with a bass line that sets the tone for perhaps the funkiest
moment of our entire journey.
3) The section of long lament that is encouraged by the still fluttering
Mothership. Could this signify the brutally prolonged struggle from
2/3rds human status to equality? And this too shall pass.
4) About 8:44 when the piano enters and the slow, mournful dirge starts
to deliberately build into modern jazz ecstasy, eventually made
climactic with the inclusion of dueling other-worldly guitar and sax
exhalations at 10:00 that reach Charlie Parker-like spirituality. This
just might be the album's watermark. Upon first listen I was
disappointed that Prince did not go completely interstellar on guitar.
But upon further reflection of the piece as a whole, the explosion is
perhaps tempered properly at just beneath boil until complete freedom
and equality is a reality for all (North, East, West, and South).
5) The moody and bittersweet strings encountered at 12:00 that softly
move us toward closure on waves of breathtaking emotion.
6) The piano that offers a solemn serenade to the purring Mothership
poised for liftoff (or decent back into the hidden depths of the ocean).
We've come a long way. We have a long way to go. Can we all come
together or will we continue to fight and hate? Is this the end or
merely the beginning of a whole new era?

General Highlights and Musings:

1) The most amazing overall impression I get from listening to this
album is that Prince has finally found his natural instrumental voice.
And the result is a wonderful fusion of all that he was and all that was
before him. It's no longer like, "Oh, listen to the amazing ability of
the rock/pop/soul man trying his hand at new things. Isn't that nice
and different and good for a rock/pop/soul man?" Now it's like, "Oh,
this makes complete sense."
2) Perhaps this project was inspired in part by Prince jamming with his
band on his last tour (see: "Tokyo", "Copenhagen", "Nagoya" and "Osaka"
.)
3) There are many wonderfully toned keyboard synths scattered throughout
this work. Think 70's soul with a 21st century freshness.
4) The production is so right on that even the sound effects come across
as purposeful. None of that plastic quality that has at times tainted
Prince's sound.
5) I like the silence at the end of each track that acts as a palette
cleanser before each new taste.
6) A couple of the transitions - especially the first one out "West" --
are not as wonderfully inspired as the pieces they connect. But that
flaw diminishes somewhat with familiarity.
7) A very visual/cinematic work. I can see a interpretive dance piece
being produced for this music. And of course it would include Prince,
his band and a string section laying low and playing live in the
orchestra pit.
8) Defies categorization. To call "N*E*W*S" jazz is no more accurate
than calling "SOTT" funk. There is truth in both labels. But there is
also great disservice.
9) No doubt a terrifically talented quintet of world-class musicians.
Everyone of the five players gets their time to stretch and shine. But
Prince and Eric are most definitely the show. If Eric's part was mostly
his own voice -- and I suspect that it was -- this is a strong candidate
for the greatest contribution/collaboration to a Prince project ever.
10) There are many small details scattered throughout that keep the
experience richly rewarding. And the journey is a diverse one, allowing
for plenty of time to think, plenty of time to relax, plenty of time to
fret, plenty of time to groove, plenty of time to regret, plenty of time
to expect, plenty of time to feel, plenty of time to hurt, and plenty of
time to heal. And as is true almost always with Prince, no matter how
angered, troubled, depressed or stressed the music gets, he always finds
a way to end it with some level of hope and resolution.

Summation:

"N*E*W*S." is a mature, nuanced, progressive, exhilarating work of art.
Many years from now it perhaps gets viewed as the stunning achievement
that it is relative to Prince's oeuvre; or at the very least, the path
that led Prince into territory that kept him an important voice in music
well into his seventies.

Written by Brendan

It is wonderful, that you thought and wrote so deeply on your feelings about N.E.W.S...It is amazing how an instrumental record can be so vein traveled.

a brilliant review.
i haven't tried 2 figure why, but i've listened to n.e.w.s. many more times than any album prince has made since graffiti bridge. not saying it's better, i dig all material from the man.

I have yet to listen to this N.E.W.S. all the way through. But I do love "North" though.

It has been almost an entire year since I've listened to this cd. After reading this my curiosity is piqued, since Prince's music tends to grow on me in time.

I loved News upon the first listen, and I am a novice to jazz music. How will this music sound to me now that I've let some time pass since my last listen? The hour is late....and it's so quiet, the perfect time to sample music such as this.

Thank you Anji for the motivation to listen to Prince since this fansite lawsuit controversy began.

:putsnewsinplayerpoursaglassofwineandpressesplay:

paintedlady said:

IdonotdrinkbutISeeyourpoint.

Anji said:

Thank you for your review, it was inspiring. I haven't had the opportunity to listen to this one yet but the way you described it makes me want to hear it now. I like the paragraph above.

That's one thing about instrumentals is that you use your minds eye to visualize the music, much like when reading a book (as opposed to watching the movie). Leave it to Prince to say/teach/inspire using only music, and that was a lot to learn!

listening to East right now, because of this review

Great review with which i agree 100 percent!

NEWS is one of my favorite Prince albums and i always was surprised at how so many people didn't realize it's one of Prince's most important records.

Great review of an extraordinary album.
I totally agree with the summation....just shows clearly how versatile Prince is as an musician.Takes some more attention than his popsongs but still stirring. My favorite or lets say most playd one of the 4 songs is North with it's deep-groovy bassline and that chilling saxophone, was on repeat for many times, think I'll put it in the player again right now....

The wallpaper you use in a crazy house.

for more instrumental check me out...
i'm very influenced by prince.
if u like what u hear let me know....

I know this jerk personally and I wouldn't trust him with my mama's pearls.

You should have destroyed this when you had a chance.

Seriously, though, I appreciate being able to read this many years later, as it gives me a chance to not only experience it for the first time like others do (I don't know exactly what comes next either) but to see how much I've changed.

Utter trash or additional insight will always remain in the eye of the beholder. But either way, seriously, thanks go out to anyone for even reading a paragraph.

And now I can finally enjoy the moment, rather than stubbornly getting lost in all the flaws.