Posted 4/19/2004 8:17 PM





Prince regains his R&B throne on 'Musicology'

http://www.usatoday.com/l...n-up_x.htm

Prince finally has his act together after years of record company battles, name changes and other distractions.

R&B:

Prince, Musicology (* * *½ out of four) After years of scattershot releases, moniker confusion, industry battles and a retreat into his self-contained Internet kingdom, Prince can again be formally known as relevant. Musicology is a potent reminder of his undiminished skills as a soul crooner, rock guitarist and pop songsmith. Rehabilitating the vintage-vibed funk/rock of his heyday, Prince is focused and ferocious in a dozen concisely drawn tunes that summon his feverish impulses but never lapse into shapeless jams. Newfound religious faith has curtailed his randy nature, yet a sensual humidity permeates every space, from the blistering funk in Life 'o' the Party to the warmth of ballad Reflection to the snaking blues of On the Couch. In the title track's heady swirl of old-school rhythms, Prince pays homage to yesteryear's brotherhood of R&B greats while re-establishing his role as the fraternity's president. —Edna Gundersen

It's amazing to me that the mainstream press is rating this album higher than most Prince fans. It's a good solid album but 3 &1/2 out of 4? Maybe when rated against most crap out today yes but not when rated against prince's past work. I like the album but still say it's a 3 star album at best.
[This message was edited Tue Apr 20 13:25:23 2004 by intha916]

intha916 said:

i like the way u said that. it is very true, out of all this bullsh*t that is put out today, it is definitely worth 3 1/2 to 4 stars, but up against albums like lovesexy, shhhyyytttt this one is worth 2 at the most.....

missfee said:

C'mon, this is a tired argument. Using that logic, Lovesexy would've been a 2 star album compared to Sign O' The Times, Purple Rain, 1999, etc. It's well established by now that Prince's new music isn't as mind-blowing as his old stuff, and he'll likely never make another "classic" in the sense of his 80s albums. At this point I think Prince's new albums fit into an over-all view of his work, not as competition for 20 year-old records. And overall, I think Musicology is a pretty good addition to his body of work.

missfee said:

and lovesexy was TOTALLY PANNED by the critics, dear...

It's looking like this will be in the same vein as Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. I had a great affinity for this album for about 3-4 months, and then it became more like a B-collection favorite, alongside others like 1999, Sign Of the Times and Purple Rain (I know, I know, there are lots out there who think these two are masterpieces, and they are, but what Prince album isn't a masterpiece?) For me, I think that Prince does his best work when he's not looking to get everyone's approval. That's why Lovesexy and The Rainbow Children are amongst my favorite albums. I will wait until I hear Musicology in full before I form any sort of opinion, though. It just might be that this turns into my favorite.

Eric

renfield said:

I agree with u totally! There is no new ground 4 prince 2 break bcuz he broke them all. I quit comparing albums after ATWIAD came out bcuz it was obvious 2me that he was never going 2 do an album that could be catergorized.

I said when I heard this cd it was gonna be a winner and I TRULY Believe this is one of his Best since RAINBOW CHILDREN.. This cd is Great. Ya can play it and Rainbow Children over and over again and it's just soo Wonderful! So Relaxing and So Gorgeous a Masterpiece. It is a HUMONGOUS EFFORT of PRINCE"S SUBLIME TALENT. This ALBUM deserves 4 stars. This is a Terrific Album... Prince the Genius.....SHINES!

I said when I heard this cd it was gonna be a winner and I TRULY Believe this is one of his Best since RAINBOW CHILDREN.. This cd is Great. Ya can play it and Rainbow Children over and over again and it's just soo Wonderful! So Relaxing and So Gorgeous a Masterpiece. It is a HUMONGOUS EFFORT of PRINCE"S SUBLIME TALENT. This ALBUM deserves 4 stars. This is a Terrific Album... Prince the Genius.....SHINES!