Prince
Musicology

[NPG/Columbia; 2004]
Rating: 5.8


One of the first things a rock critic learns is not to emphasize the character on the other end of the speakers when reviewing records. This person, who is playing the tunes and singing the songs, isn't to be treated as a performer so much as the instigator of all the terrible/wonderful noise infesting the writer's world, and should be judged accordingly. That is, by the social rules of rock criticism, one shouldn't judge the musicians at all, merely their music-- and even then, only in terms of how it affects the writer, and in turn, how it might do the same for other listeners. The "argument" comes during the moments when you either agree or disagree with the writer's experience.

The next thing writers learn is that just thinking of one's own experience isn't enough, because there's a whole world out there giving clues to the real value of the music. If music "matters," it follows that its impact should be obvious outside the window; "relevance" is paramount at this stage of criticism, though since bitter humility is a daily part of any rock writer's life, it pays to phrase arguments stressing relevance in ways that don't obviously indicate its bias. This kind of criticism may seem harsh (and pretty unrelated to the actual musical experience), but it also shares much with traditional journalistic aims of reporting and immediate interpretation, and as such, is a method emphasized at most mainstream music pubs.

All of this brings me to Prince and his latest album, Musicology. What happens when, by the two most common forms of writing about music, a legend comes out looking like a drastic underachiever? Do I dare call him out on this, especially after seeing many educated people pledge their written testimonies to this stuff? I've lived with this record for a few weeks now, and by any normal measure, I fail to see how anyone could seriously call it a comeback, or a return to his intimidating good form. But that's presumptuous: Despite the tried-and-true edicts of rock crit, there really is no accounting for taste, nor is Prince's extended absence from the top of the pops a concrete sign that he no longer matters.

Yet, I know what I hear: an artist who is beyond condescending his interests to generate relevance. I hear someone who's honestly more concerned with the pristine state of his record collection than he is in buying all the latest hits. I hear someone who's probably worked out most of the bigger issues in life, and is satisfied to stay with a groove for its own sake, offering his take on things rather than arresting you with it. Prince has never been embarrassed of himself on record, but on Musicology, his direction only makes sense to me in the broadest sense of appreciating life and love. The revolution is over in this corner, and I'd bet it all he could care less what anyone thinks about it. Unfortunately, in this case, it translates to music that, while often pleasant, lacks the power of not only his best work, but also most of his successors' stuff. And since Prince's "successors" could be considered half of everything on the radio, it's tough for me to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The most interesting moments on Musicology come when Prince either hits on a good concept (like the rich white girl who can't dance paying out for the "funk" in "Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance") or drops the pretense of keeping the party going altogether. Today, slow jams are his forte: the infidelity warning "What Do U Want Me 2 Do?" beats Phoenix at their own game with smoother-than-smooth vocals and a breezy chorus that would seem to close the book on anyone else attempting lite-jazz pop in the future. "Call My Name" is hardly as distinct, but is a perfectly functional slab of loverman soul along the lines of Marvin Gaye. Typically, Prince saves his best moves for the chorus (he's still pop, through and through), as his layered harmonies impart the rather straightforward admission, "I know it's only been three hours, but I love it when you call my name."

Those songs seem a tier above others on Musicology partially because Prince isn't doing his one-man band thing. Despite that I've always thought it was cool to hear him make records mostly by himself, some of the songs here betray either a disinterest in fleshing out arrangements or an inability to pull them off. "A Million Days" has the structure of good Prince rock ballad, but the sound of half-finished demo. The synth that powers the opening sounds piped in from a home studio built about 20 years ago, and even then it's not loud enough. His guitar and vocals are lavishly spread all over the mix, but the drums are too soft and muddy, so ultimately his track comes out like a bad Lenny Kravitz throwaway. Elsewhere, "Life O' the Party" and the title track suggest nothing in Prince's life these days was born this century. Not only does he waste valuable time on the former making fun of Michael Jackson, but the track is mired in stale funk a notch below the Martin theme.

"Cinnamon Girl" is the best straight rock track on Musicology, not only because its production is on par with Prince's typically well-crafted hooks, but also because it manages to keep all the details in check via relatively simple performance. Prince's grasp is hardly lacking throughout, but for various reasons, his reach comes up short many times. "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" starts out as an incredible jam with metal guitar, a tight, slow beat (not played by Prince) and a glorious harmonized verse melody, before bogging down at the end with some kind of be-bop thing right out of a Blood, Sweat & Tears song. I'm all for experimentation, but this seems more like a bad case of mid-song boredom and a lack of anything better to do.

The worst part is that Musicology is probably the best Prince album since at least the "symbol" album from 1992, and possibly since Sign O' the Times. But that's misleading, since this album isn't close to Sign's league-- it's also depressing to think he hasn't made a great record in over 15 years. But don't take my word for it; look out the window, see if any of your friends are jamming to this. Failing that, chart your own experience in your own headphones. By either measure, despite a few good moments, I'm missing Prince now more than ever.

-Dominique Leone, April 29th, 2004

http://www.pitchforkmedia...logy.shtml

omglolthey'retotallydissingtehprince,yo!!!theydon'tknowwhatthey'retalkingabouttheyhavechitforbrainsandthey'renotfunkeeeeelololololomgomgomgggggomfg!!!!11111oneoneoneoneblablabla!11!!!

*or*

omgomgomgprinceistehsux!!!11111



































....gonna get that outta the way before the usual cacophony starts up. feel like i needed to beat folks at their own game

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

richdorkmedia writes the worst music reviews that are more blog installments and less relevant to the artist in any way. Just go read their review of Radiohead's last record:

Radiohead - "Kid A" - The experience and emotions tied to listening to Kid A are like witnessing the stillborn birth of a child while simultaneously having the opportunity to see her play in the afterlife on Imax. It's an album of sparking paradox. It's cacophonous yet tranquil, experimental yet familiar, foreign yet womb-like, spacious yet visceral, textured yet vaporous, awakening yet dreamlike, infinite yet 48 minutes. It will cleanse your brain of those little crustaceans of worries and inferior albums clinging inside the fold of your gray matter. The harrowing sounds hit from unseen angles and emanate with inhuman genesis. When the headphones peel off, and it occurs that six men (Nigel Godrich included) created this, it's clear that Radiohead must be the greatest band alive, if not the best since you know who.
[This message was edited Fri Apr 30 14:12:59 2004 by otan]

I understand the tone of this review.

Although I disagree that "today" Prince's forte is slow jams; he's always excelled at slow jams, it's just that most of the music he's best known for are the uptempo songs. Slow jams generally get less exposure. And I can't agree that he hasn't made a great record in 15 years. But overall I understand why the writer isn't enthused about Musicology.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I don't know the reason for your hiatus, but you've been on fiiiiiyaaahhhhh ever since ya came back.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I'm picturing Jack from Will & Grace on one of his high pitched
tirades! Great stuff.

Supernova said:

Yup, me too. And that's not to say I don't like it, I do.

its ok for a rock critique to pan musicology, its a pop album and most pop albums get bashed... but its absolutey irresponsible for any music critique to over look the sheer brilliance and invention of the rainbow children, even if you were turned off by the social topics... any true lover of music who spends time with that record cant deny its sheer brilliance... it was princes greatest musical achievment of his entire career... i did'nt say my favorite album.. but it is certainly his most musically impressive... for that this man losses all my respect, not because he did'nt like the rainbow children, but because he obviously did'nt listen to it.

madartista said:

Same here.

whateva, treva.

the guy's right bout m.... its a good album nothing more than avaerage !

manonearth said:

there are loads of people who will completely disagree with you on this, myself included. I like TRC quite well, but I don't think of it as his greatest musical achievement nor his most musically impressive.

The people down at Pitchfork Media can go to hell with gasoline drawers!

As much as I hate 2 say it, I can't completely disagree with him.

My first listening of Musicology was pretty much the same as this guy's experience. I liked it but I wasn't impressed. Now, after a few listenings, and being a tried-and-true fan of the purple one, I am very impressed.

The question is...how many OTHER people in the general populace are going to be impressed?

So far, it looks good since the album is selling well. Let's hope it stays that way.

BTW: is Musicology (track) getting any radio airplay???

Oh yeah...I'm the one blaring MUSICOLOGY outside my window & all his good songs BEFORE & AFTER The Love Symbol album!
[This message was edited Fri Apr 30 19:21:46 2004 by Starmist7]

Starmist7 said:

He's entitled 2 his opinion even though i think he is dead wrong!

otan said:

Hold up there, cowboy...Kid A is far from Radiohead's last record...their last studio album was Hail to the Thief, and before that they had Amnesiac, and in between there was a live disc.

And I don't understand your point about the review of Kid A....it sounds fucking spot-on to me. Are you saying they suck because they ripped on Radiohead? Or the other way around?

I haven't followed all the reviews but personally I do think the author is right on target and I like the way he is approaching the album. I disagree though with the writers closing statement that Musicology is his best album since 1992. I think the reason why I am not upset at all with this album is the fact, that I do really love TRC, ONA, ONA Live, Xpectattion and NEWS. Meanwhile I keep on listening to an album which is kind of OK for me not more or less.

Peace

to be honest this is probably the best review ive read of musicology. i dont agree with it but he set out an intelligent stall from the beginning so you knew where he was coming from. he clearly knows that an ill written review of prince is too easy if you dont make it clear where you're coming from.

however, i find it odd he doesnt think much of lovesexy. plus it does astound me reviewers constantly overlook the truth and rainbow children.

also, is it just me or does he go on about just judging the music, then goes on about prince and what he believes prince reckons (how funny people go on about prince being happy and at peace etc now and how boring it is, but dont mention TRC which was prince really fired up). 'maybe that was the point though, you're not supposed to but he does. still, i think its a good review but i dont agree with it. i wouldnt put musicology above an 8 myself though. i really like it, its just not astounding.

PurpleJedi said:

I hate to admit this, but I also think the music critic was on point in certain respects. When I first heard the album (on the way back from the LA Simulcast), I must admit that although I liked it, the writing was subpar. It didn't leave much room for thought or imagination. I'm so used to P writing in such a way that I respond by going or , but the more I listened to the album, I just got and turned my attention instead to The Chocolate Invasion or The Slaughterhouse because I felt that the writing was much more thought-provoking. I understand that M is a pop album, but as far as the high standards that P places on his music, I expected MORE from him. I expected him to create a pop album that explored less mundane topics. Perhaps my own standards are too high, but for someone as brilliant as Prince, I just expected more excitement not elementary lyrics and choppy instrumentation. It's still a good album, but like most critics have said...it's not groundbreaking like a Supernatural was. I just expected more if P was going to court the mainstream again, I wanted him to do it in the most riveting way that he could, and he failed to do that for me. Flame on, but that's MY opinion and how I feel. I think this critic is on the mark.

Great review. Nice to see a real review. A bit positive and not too negative. But definitely negative. He's right. The album is lame and Prince no longer matters. But who cares!? He still rocks like nobody else! And just when you think he is out, he puts out something interesting. Hope we don't have to wait too long for that. (Meanwhile, why does Usher matter? That's sad.)

Well written!

For the most part, I agreed with this review (except for the bit about Musicology being his best since Sign O the Times - that would imply that Musicology was better than Exodus, or Emancipation, or The Truth, or The Rainbow Children... which is just plain wrong IMO). Also no mention for the two strongest tracks on the album - "Reflection" and "Dear Mr Man".

Musicology isn't dreadful, but it's pretty standard throwaway fare for Prince - no doubt he could churn out a dozen Musicologies without breaking a sweat. I don't get any sense of Prince stretching himself with this album, unlike The Rainbow Children which definitely broke some interesting new ground despite being a bit of an indulgent mess at times.

So, everytime I read a super-positive review about how this is such an amazing "comeback" I wonder where the fuck these journos have been for the last 15 years. Prince has done a lot of interesting music in the past 15 years. For me, Musicology belongs with "Chaos and Disorder", or "The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale" - mostly-enjoyable selections of half-baked tunes from a man who can do a lot better, and probably will. Where will the journos be when that happens huh? Will the story of Prince's "comeback" be dead by then?
[This message was edited Sat May 1 10:32:34 2004 by ian]

I don't mind the writer's opinion, but why start with a lecture on Rock Criticism 101? This guy is saying "trust me, I'm much more objective than you : I used the highest rock criticism standard and lived with the record for three weeks." I find this a bit defensive.
[This message was edited Sat May 1 13:53:05 2004 by Aerogram]

laylow03 said:

Good lawd, how was Supernatural groundbreaking???

ELBOOGY said:

Exactly. Looks the the writer of this article can't 'relate' to his current style of music for some reason, but just because one doesn't relate does not make it a bad song or album, one has to go up & beyond that. Instead of '4 the true funk soldiers' I think Prince should've said '4 the FEW funk soldiers' because apparently, these people just ain't getting it, and this is just MY opinion.
[This message was edited Sat May 1 19:32:39 2004 by Starmist7]

Perfect review,
People here who like this album and Rainbow Children remind me of the goofball MJ fans at his courthouse appearance, they have no clue!
Yea they like prince, but I think for the wrong reasons, they have nothing better to do, think purple is a pretty color, and don't really venture outside too much.
anyway..

Supernova said:

U beat me 2 the punch! Somebody please tell me what was groundbreaking about this cd, besides the fact that the Grammy's was trying 2 make up 4 those years that they ignored Santana?

ELBOOGY said:

maybe some peoples idea of groundbreaking means "collaborating with other artists" , in which case Rave is by far Prince's most innovative work in years

Give me a few more weeks with Musicology , but at the minute I agree with the reviewer,
its an OK album with good songs , nothing really excellent on there though.
Saying its basically one of his 2 best albums since Sign O The Times is hilariously misinformed though . I loved most of his 90s work , and I think every album he released in that decade
with the exception of NPS is better than Musicology right now.Maybe its a grower , we'll see.

homeandmantel said:
"Perfect review,
People here who like this album and Rainbow Children remind me of the goofball MJ fans at his courthouse appearance, they have no clue!
Yea they like prince, but I think for the wrong reasons, they have nothing better to do, think purple is a pretty color, and don't really venture outside too much.
anyway.."


you don't want to know who you remind me of, but comparing fans of TRC and M to MJ fans is completely absurd! i'm a huge fan of TRC, admittedly it wasn't until after the ONA shows i became such, M has yet to really grow on me, even after seeing 2 live shows so far.....see ya in toronto!