From The Ottawa Citizen, Saturday, April 24, 2004

Musicology
4 Stars (Out of 5)
Prince (NPG Records)

by Peter Simpson

The purplest of people has churned out music with alarming frequency in recent years, with sometimes inconsistent and self-indulgent results. A lot of folks who had been Prince fans -- whether of the saucy funk of 1999, the saucy rock of Purple Rain, the saucy pop of Around the World In A Day or the saucy introspection of Sign O' The Times -- longed for a return to the music that would speak to more people. Musicology should bring back a lot of listeners.

The title track sets things off with a blast of irresistable funk set somehwere between James Brown and the funkier deviations of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Cinammon Girl probably has the greatest mainstream hit potential, though its funklessness leaves it seeming a little flat amid the energy and groove of the other tracks on the disc.

Life O' The Party is a deeply funky tune, chock full of percussion of every sort, blasting horns and plenty o' Prince's vocal yelps and moans: it could be his best track in years. It serves notice that Prince -- a little older, a little wiser, a little more willing to not always take himself so seriously -- is back and ready to party like it's, well, 2004.

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