April 20, 2004

Pared-down Prince album rewards fans

http://www.freep.com/ente...040420.htm

BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM
FREE PRESS POP MUSIC CRITIC

Give it up for the dieheard Prince fans: They stuck it out.

'Musicology'
THREE STARS
out of 4 stars
(NPG Records)

In stores today

For several years, they hung in the shadows -- and hung on to the belief that their hero would emerge triumphant and deliver once again. They endured fan club shenanigans, frustrating personal quirks and a string of releases ("New Power Soul," the instrumental "N.E.W.S.") that failed to meet the purple standard.

And now, for their efforts, they're rewarded with "Musicology," an album rich with sonic delights and teeming with the old-school Prince vibe -- that tasty funk-rock-soul hybrid -- that attracted them in the first place.

The new album marks a couple of crucial steps for the Minneapolis musician, who was inducted last month into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Notably, the guy who once publicly lambasted Warner Brothers is now back in the major-label game, having contracted with Sony to distribute "Musicology." The record itself confirms his appreciation for mass appeal: While maintaining a fiercely idiosyncratic streak, Prince seems to again welcome the idea of making music that's ambitious and accessible.

For starters, he's streamlined his musical affairs, avoiding the sprawling messes that defined other recent releases. Prince is a prolific songwriter, but the dozen tracks on "Musicology" are a mercifully pared-down bunch, well-planned and tightly executed, resulting in the most compact album he's released in a decade.

Setting the tone is the title track, a lean but thumping party jam that recalls the sparse, sparkling rock of the "Sign 'O' the Times" single -- a sound reprised on the album's best cut, the delirious "Cinnamon Girl." "Life 'O' the Party" steps up the funk; "Dear Mr. Man" packs political sentiments onto a bed of smooth jazz; "On the Couch" gets erotic. Even when he slows down the tempo -- as on the lush "Call My Name" -- he manages to keep things interesting.

The voice isn't as elastic now; there's a roughened timbre and lowered range that mark his 45 years. But for the first time in a while, Prince appears to be as keen on satisfying his audience as he is musically pleasuring himself. He sounds like he's having fun again -- and that's good news for a crowd that's been patiently waiting for a good time.