Review of Musicology on Playlouder.com....Pretty encouraging

http://www.playlouder.com...herules-0/

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HE RULES!
Well, a bit anyway. New Prince album, track by track!



PlayLouder, along with a glittering array of top meeja whores, spent last night in a top secret West End location with all of us getting our first ever listens to the new Prince album. And - at last! - it's actually pretty smart.

The signs were good anyway, mind, what with him really bringing records out for the first time in years and calling himself Prince again, and the new single's ace as well, so we weren't overly surprised, and, while it's not quite the collapse-and-come-inducing return to form that the new Morrissey album is, there are at least six tracks here that, had they appeared during his imperial run ('1999' to 'Diamonds And Pearls', basically) we'd all love unconditionally, which is a bit of a result.

'Musicology' kicks off with the title track, which is going to be the comeback single, and it's great. It's an amazingly punchy slice of funk in something of a prime James Brown fashion, and it's quite self-referential too, directly sampling a few of his choice moments and referring obliquely to both 'Take Me With U' (in the keyboards) and 'Alphabet Street' (via the breakdown). Excellent!


'Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance' is slightly more of a worry, given that its title sounds like the sort of overly portentous guff that plagued the symbol era, but in fact it's yet more dirty funk, banging on about whips'n'chips again and using what sounds like cut-up 'Chant No 1' guitar. He's in glorious voice on this one too, encouragingly.


So far, so good, then, and then it gets even better courtesy of 'A Million Days', which we think'd be a fine choice of single. It's more brokenheartedly cynical than we've known him, but he wears it well over what begins as a more ballady lament not unadjacent in feel to 'Money Don't Matter 2 Night' with lots of lovely 70s guitar (think the Eagles or the Isleys here) and then descends into some old-fashionedly squiggly weirdness.


After this burst of brilliance, 'Life 'O' The Party', however much it's trying to be his take on 'Get The Party Started', which he should really be able to do in his sleep, comes as a little of a disappointment, but it's still quite engaging as a 'Roadblock'-style workout.


Not quite vintage, though, and nor is gospel-tinged slowie 'Call My Name'. Although it'd work if he was trying to be vintage Luther Vandross, which we suspect he's probably not.


Recovery comes by the truckload, however, in the form of 'Cinnamon Girl', which is one of those slightly surreal and eyebrow-pluckingly innuendous affairs he was always fantastic at. Weirdly, it feels like a cross between 'Raspberry Beret''s shiny psychedelia and the tricksy hi-octane thrillage of 'Song 2'. Plus, it's got some cracking squealy guitar and really high harmonies, and it's the stuff of pop dancefloor nirvana.


He keeps his eye on the ball with 'What Do U Want Me 2 Do?' too, which takes the classically laconic basslines of Talkin Loud's heyday and slaps them furiously onto some decidedly modern clicky beat games. Encouraging.


And so to 'The Marrying Kind', which, bizarrely, is something of a bossa nova frenzy, diced up with his rockest instincts of the entire album and more drama than was probably strictly necessary.


He's borrowed heavily from Chicago's 'If You Leave Me Now' without sounding rubbish as well, which is quite the achievement. 'If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life' is every inch as enjoyable too, growing in severely unexpected ways as a straightforward band number gives in first to some stabby horns, then some wayward piano, and finally some truly spectacular jazz.


'On The Couch' follows it exactly how a Prince song called 'On The Couch' should do. It's slow, it's sparse, and it's almost fearsomely saucy, with his falsetto ringing out heroically.


He should've stopped there, mind, since 'Dear Mr. Man' just reminds us of the transitional R&B we had to endure between the swingbeat age and the coming of Timbaland and 'Reflection''s an acousticy wisp of a number that would've struggled to dazzle even on 'Come', but, on the whole, we can essentially declare his creative rehabilitation finally started.

'Musicology' the album comes out on NPG/Sony on the 19th of April with the title track to follow as a single on the 26th.

But will he ever do Glastonbury? - TALK!

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They didn't like Call my name, Dear. Mr.Man, or Reflection huh? I thought they were some of the 'better tracks'.

I thought this guys was too kind in his review.

I thought the Musicology single was out on 12th April in the UK before the album. Damn, how annoying!
I have read a number of different reviews of the album now, one will rate certain tracks highly and some not so highly, then when you read another person's review they will rate the tracks differently, so by the time you've read about 3 reviews it sounds like the whole album is excellent(does that make sense?). The album will be whatever it will be. If Prince is happy with it at this time in his career, that is what is most important. It is his product. If he pleases most of his fans with the music and picks up some new ones along the way then that's a great album. We seem to be quite obsessed with him creating a new revolution again with a new album and I don't think that will happen as it's not 1984 when Purple Rain came out. After all, he doesn't have to prove anything with his music anymore, just ask Outkast or Alicia Keys about that.

I saw the full length video for Musicology today on the Kiss music channel in the UK and loved it. I think it has great commercial appeal and the potential to be a hit, whether it will be remains to be seen. You just cannot predict what the public may suddenly open their ears to and go out and buy. The album may stand a better chance over a period of time instead of straight away. People may not notice it to begin with, this is what happened with the new Outkast CD over here, plenty of airplay and the Brits seemed to help and it gradually got into the top 10 and they have become really popular now. I think this may be what happens with Prince's Musicolgy.

realfunky said:

I think this cd will be a slow burner,but a burner none theless.

So I am totally in love with a Prince song for the first time since the 90's.
Anyone else agree that "If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life" is the first obvious gem on the new album? If he keeps doing tracks like this one, I don't care if he has any more "hits."


Taureau said:[quote]Le text, pour vous:

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He's borrowed heavily from Chicago's 'If You Leave Me Now' without sounding rubbish as well, which is quite the achievement. 'If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life' is every inch as enjoyable too, growing in severely unexpected ways as a straightforward band number gives in first to some stabby horns, then some wayward piano, and finally some truly spectacular jazz.

[b]I have to say that it took a while for me to get used to musicology,now that i have grown into it,so to speak,i am really enjoying it.It is not his usual by any means,i was most impressed by the fact it is clean,no swearing or bad slang.It is getting harder to find non-christian music that doesnt offend these days,the track Reflection has become my favorite now,although i still get goose bumps from Musicology,i can relate to some of the things in Reflection,i used to have posters on my wall,in my teen years, and used to have a black fish net hanging from the ceiling to.And still remember the feeling i used to get with the music back in the day,growing up with the with the mid 70's and 80's music, it was a magical feeling back then,will never forget.God bless