1. Musicology

Everybody knows this song, old school joint, very good track, but it's kind repetitive cause there is nota break down or a strong hook, but it's a grower.

2. Illusion Coma Pimp and circustance

Great funky vocal melody, it's very catchy, cool rythm guitar interplay between instruments, lots of space, truly funky, some instrumental cool licks, no extended solo on any instrument.
One of my favorites. FUUUNky

3. A Million Days

Starts very slow with strings kinda like little red corvette, then enters the guitar and some guitar licks, then the drums enters in a more uptempo way, it reminds me of dolphin and the chorus reminds me of in the light from C&D (or i will i don't remember). The guitar solo is cool, he burned the frets (it's not a long solo), lots of soul in the vocal. I loved this track.

4. Life O' the party

funky loop, it's a duet with a women. His vocal is strong here. It's a good track, it's catchy but nothing great. it is not a hip hop attemp, there's nothing very interesting musically but it is not like hot with you, it's better cause hot with you is embarassing. eheh there is some horns on the song, the last two minutes are more interesting cause there is more things going on with the instruments. No solos.

5. Call my name

It's a beautiful song, it's like you make my sunshine meets insatiable, it reminds me very much of insatiable especially the verses. there's organs, piano and falsete and a little scream. great ballad.

6. Cinnamon girl

Start's with a bass line that is one note per chord, like U2 songs and whatever you go whatever you do, but the chorus is very catchy, pop rock song, great melody his voice sounds very good on this one, he does uses lots of normal voice and a little falsete and his normal voice sounds great. there's a cool guitar solo here. great song

7. What you want me to do

Beautiful song, cool bass and guitar, most folks now this already. good song, not great.

8. The Marrying kind

It's a strange song, it does not soudns like soemthing Prince would do, it has lots of distorted guitar but it's not a straight rock song, it has a cool organ line, some cool guitar riffs, it has somekind of harpsichord that doubles the guitar, i love harpsichords. It has no guitar solos, just guitar riffs. It's strange song, but i liked it very much. GREAT TRACK.

9. If I was the man of your life

It's sounds a little like marrying kind, it's like they're twin sisters, his is hitting a piano along with the guitar, but the piano part i VERYYY simple any kid would play, but it works. It's catchy and i liked it but the marrying kind is better. and they sound like each other. there's a wild guitar in teh end but just few seconds. great track.

10. On the couch

Slow song, organ, guitar, i's a old school ballad, falsete vocals, some horns, it's not as catchy as call my name but it's more interesting musically.

11. Dear Mr.Man

mid tempo groove, there's some horns it's a good song, there is some guitar licks, some synth lines, normal voice (no falsete), lite horn solo. ok track, it didn't hold my attentioon very much.

12. Reflection

It sounds like something from THE TRUTH album, it is such a beautiful song.


great catchy tracks: Illusion Pimp Coma & Circustamce,
A Million days, call my name, cinammon girl, the marrying kind, if i was the man of your life

good tracks that are not very catchy upon first listen: Musicology, On the couch,

ok tracks that are kidan catchy: reflection, what you want me to do

good song but kinda boring: dear mr.man

This album is not very experimental, his voice is great, the songs are not very long, there is no extented solos, It's does not have the plastic production of Rave and Emancipation, it's not overproduced, It's has some hit potential singles, the melodies are great, musically it's not as good as TRC but is has some very well crafted pop songwriting, some songs are instantly classics. It's a step behind news and TRC talkign about instrumental playing, but it'sa step foward to creativity, it has some of his better songs in a long time. Besides TRC (one of my favorite Prince albums, it's the best album since The Gold Experience. I am hearign it non stop since i downloaded 3 hours ago.
[This message was edited Mon Mar 29 4:34:45 2004 by 7salles]

Great review mate!

I agree with alot of what you say except for Dear Mr Man which I like alot.

I agree with your summation too. It's better than Rave etc, it's quite commercial like Rave but not plastic sounding. It reminds me of the Gold era quite a bit. Musically it is not as complex as TRC but it's not supposed to be, it's a pop album.

Cinamon Girl could be quite a big hit imho.



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[This message was edited Mon Mar 29 4:42:01 2004 by bkw]

yeah i think that cinnamon girl has big chances of being a hit if a good video is done.
it's really a good and catchy track. let's see what happens.

7salles said:

I bet it's the song we get sick of the quickest too. You know, like Cream etc.

So far, this and Frog's are the ones I can count upon the most. Thanks.

I've only heard the album through once, so only my first impressions below. Overall, it is a lot stronger sounding than I expected, but for an album promoting going back to basics, there's not much of a live band feel - in fact, I'm left with the memory of programmed drumbeats almost throughout. I don't know why he hasn't chosen to use John Blackwell to liven it up. Even the few horns, when they appear, sound very synthesized. It just sounds a bit too much like one of his late 90's albums or his year 1 downloads - I expected more complex and skilled instrumentation. It's okay, but not his best, but it has some really good moments.

There's a lot of lyrics coming atcha pretty quick - I wish he'd simplify the lyrics a bit and create a catchy verse a bit more often - the tunes just don't stick in my head.

I wonder if the Sony release will have slightly extended versions of some songs? Because one or 2 tracks seem to end just when you think a solo is coming - especially Dear Mr. Man which fades out with new lyrics still being sung. There just has to be a longer version of that track.

Musicology is quite funky and grows on me more and more. Play it a lot because the tune just will NOT stick in my head, it's funky, but there's no real hook... I think...

Illusion... sounds to me a bit like My Medallion, in the way it seems to tell a story... basically an electronic drumbeat, Kiss like guitar strikes now and then, and a squidgy synth sound.

A Million Days does sound sorta like Dolphin as some people have stated, rocky but in an off-tune kind of way.

Life of the Party has this thumping big drum sound all though. Does sound a bit like a New Power Soul track - has a female singer very much like Rosie Gaines on it.

Call My Name - very 'Insatiable' like ballad

Cinnamon Girl - a sort of rocky track like 'So Far. So Pleased', wouldn't be out of place on Chaos and Disorder.

What do you want me to do? programmed drumbeat similar to 'If I was your Girlfriend', another very 'New Power Soul' album type feel. Ends with a segue of a child laughing and a female saying something in... Italian? Spanish? not sure.

The Marrying Kind is sort of operatic like '3 chains o gold' but a bit rockier.

If I was the man in U're life - carries straight on from the previous song, like a continuation but slightly slower and deeper sounding I think...ends with a bit of jazz.

On The Couch - sounds again a bit 'insatiable' but with a bluesy feel.

Dear Mr. Man - a bit more like I was expecting, Sly and the Family Stone inspired sorta sound, political-ish lyrics, a bit like 2045 Radical Man - fades way too early.

Reflection - very much like a left over acoustic number from The Truth as has been said. Sweet and yet somehow melancholy. Finishes too suddenly for me. Like this revie-

I think this will sum thisa album up pretty much. It a seamless merger of NPS, Rave, TRC, and Chocolate Invasion production styles into one new and actually good style. It's kind of like he's comfortable with those new sounds. I look at it like this. if you're a baker and you bake the same 25 loaves of bread everyday, you get comfortable with it. When you finally try to bake sopmething different, it's a little messed up. But after a year or two of those new loaves, U've got 'em down and can make even more new loaves. That's what Prince was going throught the last 3-4 years.


It doesn't sound like he's "trying" to be cool. I think he finally reliased that he just "is" cool. There's not a nere cuss word on the album, and for some reason, it doens't sound like they're missing.
[This message was edited Mon Mar 29 9:39:41 2004 by BobGeorge999]
[This message was edited Mon Mar 29 9:44:12 2004 by BobGeorge999]