the last sentence is regrettable but as for the rest.....

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/blog/

April 02, 2004
Prince. Oh My Gosh!
This new Prince album is stinkingly bad, the patter I'd heard so far was some sort of creative rebirth?! This is really averagely ugly. Song after song, I recoil like some Hammer Horror damsel from the sheer lack of anything resembling the vital spark that made Prince a bone fide genius.

Listen to "Cinnamon Girl"'s solo, ugh it’s fucking dreadful! The lyrics are actually sniggeringly funny, not just crap. “What do u Want me 2 do?” brings to mind a dog scrabbling in the rain at the back door, paws slapping against the glass, claws sliding up down, as prince tries to desperatly put together the stripped elements that recall the feel of the Sign o the Times days.

Any song containing the line “that’s when I’m going to lay her ‘cross my piano stool and sing to her” (“The Marrying Kind”) needs to be hammered and burnt. And by my beard, I would do it too, had this song not appeared countless times, in slightly different incarnations, across the last 3-4 Prince albums. And the guitar flourishes. Sweet Jesus NO!

D’Angelo!! Wake up and show him how its done.

Scott McKeating | 12:49 PM | Comments (2)

This is a fucking stupid review.

Is that review meant to be serious at all?

...not in its opinion, but its style.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

That about sums Musicology up.

The rest of the review was pretty ignorant.

"Desperatly"?

Let me explain. Once upon a time, there was a good number of publications that came out on real paper, glossy or not. To become a music critic, you had to compete with others who had a reputation for musical culture and knowledge. Then came the internet -- now the world needed so many critics pretty much anyone wanting to get a column got one if they could at least show a third or more of their record collection was considered cool and they could write a semi-caustic article when the need arised. The result is that whether you write for a zine or an e-zine, chances are you didn't become a critic the same way your best friend's uncle became one. And it shows.

Wise words.

Anyone wanting to know where it's at only has to remember (or find out) what NME was saying about ATWIAD and Parade when they came out and how it was said.

First of all, that's one of MANY lines that I can't get enough of on this album...I mean, what a fucking fantastic image!!! I've never heard the expression "by my beard," and even though I have no clue what it means I guarantee you I'll put it in a conversation sometime in the next few days.

But what the fuck is this idjit talking about, saying The Marrying Kind has shown up across the last 3-4 Prince albums? NEWS, Xpectation, ONA Live, ONA piano, The Rainbow Children, Rave? NONE of these albums have a song that is even somewhat similar in style, tone, production or instrumentation to TMK.

It's a shame they let ignorant fools who can't even fucking spell or put together a cohesive sentence write reviews. Aerogram knows what time it is.

Beard? Just an emo fucker then.

Aerogram said:

and look at the nme now. they give anything in the world that theyre paid to like 10/10.

Aerogram said:

not really. to write for internet mags you have to submit pieces of your work just like for a magazine. its the same procedure.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

It's not so much a procedure thing. Just on the floor where I work, there are three music critics. And it's simply a government agency. I'm not saying they are not good critics, but the Internet has created a need for an army of "cultural gatekeepers" and made it easier for people of less acumen to become critics of all sorts. Even I was offered a book review colum n recently, and I refused it because I don't follow the literary scene that closely. I'm pretty sure they would have taken me anyway.

It's a great review for another shitty Prince album. I don't think D'angelo can show anybody anything, his last album sounded like one long single...Sort of like N.E.W.S.

Aerogram said:

its like that in print media too. i can think of a dozen mags like that. music journalism in general has become like that. who's to say it ever wasnt like that?

D'angelo???? Surely, ain't bad, but next to our P he don't look crash hot does he? Also, what gives with the lame ass review? How bad is this crap. I won't say this again. if u don't dig P's vocals and what he does on the guitar etc, then u may not enjoy what's on offer in Mucicology. I just enjoy the man singing his heart and soul out.

There are things that can b called, 'constructive' criticisms, and this ain't it. Anyway, it's all personal taste ain't it??? But If u like the man's singing and what he can do on his guitar etc, then ur'e a dickhead if u call Musicology, "shite". All bloody "experts" aren't we??? Oh, and what do I c??? A thread about TRC being bad????? One of P's best creative works 4sho.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

There's simply far less competition for more spots today. Yes, barely competent critics have always existed, but there's never been as many as today.