[continuing the daily discussion of Prince's work]

musicology

Every new Prince release brings with it a wave of expectation. What will it sound like? Where will he go musically? Will it be a solo one-man band effort or a collective?

With the release of Musicology my expectations were high. I’d just been witness to the first Prince tour of Australia in 11 years, been fortunate enough to meet the man, and had my own moments of joy on stage with him. The artist we were lucky enough to witness was a man free of the demons that may have plagued him in previous years. A man comfortable with his role and place in the musical landscape and a man who by his own admission was excited about what was to come next.

So when musicology was finally released I did something I hadn’t done in a fair while, I waited. Instead of grabbing the cd and listening to it at work, or in the car on the drive home, I waited til I could truly dedicate time to listen to it. So there I was, at home, placing the CD in the player, and sitting back. It took me back to how excited I was when I use to get the albums and couldn’t wait to get home an hear them.

And with a press of the play button Musicology blasted from my speakers. A true funk jam in the old skool flavour of James Brown, a tight groove built around an irresistible beat. Role calling the heroes of the past, Prince not only highlighted his inspirations but also placed himself amidst the classics (a place many had felt he had always occupied). This was a true return to form for Prince – combining all the true P elements, a catchy groove, a progressive take on the funk, and those delicious synth runs. The only thing missing was the classic Prince clap POP.

Fading out with the mini ad for the up coming tour, it seemed like this segue was really a reminder or refresher course for the listener, and to me it was in a few seconds what the unfolding album would prove to be. A reminder track by track about what we loved about Prince, aimed perhaps more at the general public than the fans that had stayed with him.

Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance is a case in point. A grooving beat laden track that supports a typical quirky Princely tale. Simply arranged to hook you in without swamping you in epic melodies, this reminded me as something that wouldn’t have been out of place on Come.

A Million Days reminded me of the Gold Experience. A beautifully crafted rock song that builds to epic proportions. It wasn’t a track that excited me straight off, but rather took a few listens to it to truly appreciate it. And now its one of my favourite cuts on the album, especially the layering of the vocals on that second verse.

Life o’ the Party was unveiled during the tour along with On the couch. And I have to say, I thought it was a bit of a throwaway on the tour, and unfortunately the recorded version hit me the same way. I think it was the chorus, it seemed like there wasn’t much care given to it, like Prince just pulled the first sing song chant he could think of and whacked it in. It’s only in the breakdown at 2:40 that the song really grabbed me, shuffling into a dancehall flow. A song that unfortunately of me, failed to live up to its title.

Ok so we’ve had the Prince funk song, the Prince dance song, the Prince rock song, and the Prince party song, so what that leaves…. Ah the Prince ballad. Call my name fits the bill better than most ballads of recent years. A beautifully arranged piece that centres itself in the romantic side of love and inspiration. One of his best. It deserved a better reception from radio than it received.

Cinnamon Girl is a curious track for me. Depending on my mood it can either be one of his greatest rock tunes, and at other times it can feel a bit cliché and easy. Thankfully as I write this it’s the former that is present. With powerful lyrics this song gets you in on the melody before the message, it’s only on the third of fourth listen that you realise what you singing about it. Catchy like a Prince classic, and of the ilk of When you were mine, this pop rock track was perhaps the most radio friendly musically, but perhaps lyrically was too political for most to accept.

No one can work a drum machine pattern and elicit such emotion from it like Prince. What do u want me 2 do? has got all the hallmarks of a Prince beat, the flanging rim shot, and offbeat bass drum accents and tighter than tight snare. It’s one of my favourite cuts of the album, something in its simplicity and easy progression that appeals to me. And it’s nice to see fidelity play a role in Prince lyrics.

Like the last few songs on that string together an epic rock opera, The Marrying Kind / If Eye was the Man in ur life are meticulously arranged and performed, layered with enough instrumentation to add to the power of the composition. At once again the fullness of the marrying kind belies its 2:49 playtime. If Eye… is the jam. The staccato lyric of the chorus, to the free flowing structure of the verses just meld into one of Prince’s best pieces in years. Each passing verse adds to punch, hitting hard with accents and runs. The song has the perfect balance of instrumentation, enough to fill out the song but not to the point of overpowering it. Brilliant production.

Any song following that one two knock out combination was always going to come off worse for wear, its just a shame that On the couch is the song of choice. As I previously mentioned it just seems light on, and verges on the throwaway. And unfortunately makes me reach for the >> button.

Thankfully Dear Mr Man comes at the right time. Reminding me of Inner City Blues, this slow burn soul track packs a punch. This is Prince in his finest moment as a lyricist, and love those purple strings. The only criticism I have of the track is that it ends too soon for my liking.

Reflection whilst a lovely song seemed like an odd choice to end the album on. It’s like the album kinda petered out rather than built to the more deserving crescendo. That said, as a song it’s wonderfully written and kicks back with a chilled out vibe that floats on nostalgia without getting too soppy. And once again I find myself waiting for the song to resume after the line “and watch the cars go by….”.

For an album that heralded “Prince’s comeback” it served as a reminder to those that had lost their purple way as to what the man was capable of. It was like a greatest hits album made up of new songs. All the elements that made him an exciting entertainer were present and dutifully arranged, and I assume for many a lapsed fan it was a welcome call back to the fold. And whilst I do enjoy the album, I can’t help but feel like the journey for the listener that never strayed was not fully rewarded. A well rounded well crafted collection of songs, no doubt, but not the boundary pushing music we had come to expect and perhaps demanded too much. And like I said, with cuts like “Musicology” “A million days” “If eye…” and “Dear Mr Man” present its hard not to enjoy listening to this album.

Love this album. It took me a long time to appreciate this one, but over time the overall mood and the craftsmanship of the tunes really made me respect it.

A Million Days, Call My Name, WDYWM2D and Reflection are standouts, for sure.

Listened to it yesterday & this was a very good album!

I like your write ups!

This was my first true Prince experiance, not the first time I heard him, but the first time I purchased and listened to an album of his, cover to cover.

I immediately went out and bought Prince, Purple Rain, Parade, and Dirty Mind (the only other albums the record store had) I can't tell you how fun it's been since then going back and listening to his discography.

I like this album a lot.

It took a while for marrying kind and If I was the Man... to grow on me but they did eventually.
I always liked cinnamon girl, I'm suprised it always seems to get bad press on the org.

Both politically and religously P. always seems (or sounds) very superficial to me. But I've learned to forgive him.

I never went for Million days, Life o'the potty, or on the couch.
But the rest is great.

I also really liked the way he was dressing at the time

The concerts surrounding this album were EPIC, from my point of view. I loved the album even more after seein' the live shows and concert.

4/2 out of 5 album ...

sorry, i'm really fairly new to prince, but i was listening to My Computer, and at around 3:43 uses a similar synth line that he uses in Musicology at around 2:36. Was this synth line from an even earlier song? it sounds so familiar

@oceancrayon : That's is one of the obscure comparisions someone could come up with . And you're right, although I'm sure unintentional.

This album is terrible minus the almost perfect Dear Mr. Man. Concerts were awesome though, why couldn't he release this officially!!! So frustrating with Prince sometimes.

not a bad album...far better than some of his albums in the 2000's

oceancrayon said:

sorry, i'm really fairly new to prince, but i was listening to My Computer, and at around 3:43 uses a similar synth line that he uses in Musicology at around 2:36. Was this synth line from an even earlier song? it sounds so familiar

true!

love the title track, cute video

I wasn't a fan during this tour. Wish I'd seen it coz the net footage looks fabulous. The title track is funky. Only part I don't like is at 3.30 with the emphasised synths.

Illusion bla bla. Just not my thing. Rap feels like a one way dialogue to me. Blended into some songs okay but I can barely listen for more than one minute before I'm bored. It's the same with life of the party. I miss melody.

A million days. Lovely lyrics, music and ideas throughout the song. The intro tells you it's going to be special. Call my name took time to appreciate because it was such an abrupt change from the previous track. But it's a real pretty one.

Cinnamon girl. Dig this one. It's a picturesque description of an ugly daily issue. Chorus is a bit poppy, but the verses, deeper bass and lyrics make up for what the chorus might lack.

What do you want me to do? I like this one so much I could eat it!

The marrying kind - too rocky for me. Only part I like is 1.50 the da da da da part. The mix into If I was the man in ur life, is good and it's not a bad song, but it's not on my ipod. Missed the mark for me this one.

On the couch. This is on my chill Prince playlist but I admit I do skip it to my preferred favourite other slower tracks. It's nice though.

Mr Man. This took time to grow on me. I liked the music but couldn't get into the title or vocals. I definitely like it now. It's one of those songs that I think one needs to devote time to when listening to fully appreciate it. Reflection got a late appreciation from me. I think it's a real gem.

The first half of the album (except Life O The Party), is actually very good.

Musicology,

ICP&C,

A Million Days,

Call My Name,

What Do U Want Me 2 Do?

those are good songs,

I prefer Musicology (7/10) to 3121 and Planet Earth (both 5/10).

I would give it a 7 out of 10 too, its a grower on me. The title track and a million days are my favourites from this album

Best album of this decade!!! I love the title track..its too funky! And OMG, I listen to Call My Name like 20 times a day!! A Million Days is amazing too! And On The Couch is the bomb!! I could go on and on how much I love this ablum, it just slighly edges out 3121 as my fave album of the decade.

One of Prince's best and quite popular!! Brought alot of fans back to him, and that tour was HOT!!!!!!!!!! Did I mention Prince was mad sexy during this tour and his outfits were the best!!!

And my absolutely favorite performance of Prince....LA Musicology Tour, The Question of U/The One...BEST and SEXIEST I've seen from Prince..and damn that guitar solo was HOT!!! I have to watch it everyday!!

What can I say? I LOVE Musicology!!!

Personally I think this was a good get-back-to-the-masses prince album after years of being away.

I must say I don't understand three things:

1) The un-appreciation for On the couch. This is Prince jazz style, when he is best. For a while this was my favorite on the album.

2) The big appreciation of Dear Mr. Man. Whereas I enjoy it musically, the lyrics appall me. Whenever Prince gets political, I understand his attration to JW. The same simplistic, cynical view on politics - Every man in power is seen as an oppressor of the ordinary man. Whereas there might be some truth to this, the views are never backed up by any alternatives other than subjecting yourself to yet another greater power.

3) The widespread appreciation of Reflection. For me this is Prince at his most forgettable. With a gun to my head I couldn't sing a line from this or hum it.