http://www.musicunderwate...cology.htm


Artist (omfglol): Prince
Album: Musicology
Label: Columbia/NPG
Genre: R&B. I guess. COME ON, IT’S PRINCE. You know who he is.
Rating: 7.6


It would seem like a perfectly logical business move for a long-reclusive pop artist to return to the mainstream with what is well agreed to be his best work since his peak days, but Prince is not a perfectly logical businessperson. This is, of course, completely respectable. Prince is an artist, and although sometimes misguided, he’s doing it for the music. Now he’s finally done it - so how does it match up?

The big surprise with Musicology is that it actually IS his best record in years. I’m not talking Purple Rain years, but his early-mid 90’s period, before he faded out into bizarre hard-rock experimentation (Chaos & Disorder) and awkward religious albums (The Rainbow Children).

Musically, the album initially sounds like a remastered Dirty Mind or Controversy with less synth use mixed with the New Power Generation style of funk. “Musicology” and “Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance” start the album off to a funky start, with Prince name-checking Chuck D, Earth, Wind & Fire, and himself in the title track and musically-checking some old-school funk. “Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance”, on the other hand, has a hip-hop beat to it’s funky style, somewhat reminiscent of The Love Symbol Album, although newly turned Jehova’s Witness Prince is not calling himself a “sexy motherfucker” anymore.

“A Million Days” sounds like an old-fashioned Prince rock tune, with shredding guitar and Prince’s always-welcome screaming, although it’s quite subdued compared to that of “The Beautiful Ones” and other past efforts. “Life ‘O’ The Party” is another funk track, the funkiest on the album, in fact, with the first notable set of lyrics: “The judge sentenced me 2 hard labor with a knife/Making cuts 4 y’all/Keeping the party packed and wall 2 wall/I don’t care what they say/’He don’t play the hits no more’/’plus I thought he was gay’”. It’s a semi-bitter piece, but Prince needs to be informed that if he wants to play his obscure tracks, he’s going to be playing small venues. The general public doesn’t appreciate his great unknowns as it is, why would they like his mediocre crap? Of course we want to hear the hits - you made them, dude. No doubt artists are allowed to spread their more recent works, but Prince has been in a state of general mediocrity to everyone but his most devoted for nearly ten years.

However, soulful track “Call My Name” and the second rocker “Cinnamon Girl” show more upward steps, reversing Prince’s de-evolution. Not until “The Marrying Kind” and “If Eye Was The Man In UR Life” does it seem like Prince
has finally found the true greats, though. “The Marrying Kind” delivers the sounds of 80s Prince that the pop-hungry public has so longed for, but “If Eye Was The Man in UR Life” is the masterpiece, here. Following up on the sound of “The Marrying Kind” with a perfect rock-funk mixture, that Prince guitar, and equally catchy verses and chorus. It’s almost perfect, but there’s one fatal flaw - it’s three minute long length. Prince is about to go into a guitar solo, but it cuts off to make room for the boring “On The Couch”, a slow track that sounds exactly like “Call My Name” without the catchy hook.

“Dear Mr. Man” is a classic Prince political tune with only one slight flaw - “Listen, ain’t no sense in voting – same song with a different name” - which is most likely a reference to Prince’s no-voting-allowed Jehova’s Witness status rather than a “Kerry = Bush” message, as it seems that Prince actually wrote the song before such current events even occurred. There’s one Bible reference, but it definitely doesn’t hinder the track’s groove (there’s also one in the also somewhat political “Cinnamon Girl” which doesn’t hurt any). It’s definitely a relief following the almost-offensively preachy Rainbow Children album, although if Prince reads this, he’ll obviously make another one in protest (I Luv U, man).

“Reflection” is a serene song that ends the album on a good note, and a good note is exactly what Prince delivers with Musicology. There are some sour points, but Musicology is definitely a pleasant surprise, and if Prince builds up from here, maybe one day he’ll create another masterpiece.



Kyle Dilla

Fair enough, I guess. I love the album, but would love to see things go up from here.

thanks for the review