**** out of 5 Editor heads....

Prince is a victim of what i call the Bowire Effect: an artist who has has such a sustained streak of brilliance early in his or her career that all subsequent work, regardless of quality, will be found lacking in comparison. Granted, it will be well nigh impossible for Prince to top the heights of his 80's work, but strong albums like 1997's New Power Soul, 2001's The Rainbow Children, and now Musicologyshow that the man is far from washed up.

The new album takes a step further in the right direction by abandoning by abandoning the ill-advised rap florishes that marred many of his otherwise decent 90's efforts.
The title track kick things off with an instant reminder that no one has ever been better at melding hardcore funk with mainstream pop, a theme that the album bears out. The rauciouus Life O The Party proves Prince can still sing about patying down without sounding silly, the strangely eerie Illusion Coma Pimp & Circumstance features a scratchy vocal over a strikengly sparse arrangement, and the lovely Cinnamon Girl would fit just right on Around The World In A Day. Musicology has got nothing on that album, but a pretty good slab of pop-funk from the genere's reigning royal. - Ira Brooker

This review, obviously, lost its credibility after that second sentence!! BWAHAHAHA!!!! NPS as an example that he was far from washed up (besides it being released in '98, and not '97)??? Riiiightt.....

alexnvrmnd said:

New Power Soul aint bad (except for Push It Up, Freaks On This Side). And if he messed up on the year that's aiight.

New Power Soul is his best ever-prove me wrong.

skywalker said:

LOL. Well it's better than Diamonds & Pearls, Prince, Come, and Chaos & Disorder...