Musicology [ECD] - Prince (CD 2004)

It is the comeback of an artist who says he never went away. And while Prince s influence on just about every contemporary R&B artist in heavy rotation on radio airwaves can t be negated, there was a period of time where is name wasn t on the tip of many folks tongues. That s not to say his music doesn t have a timeless essence to it because let s face it people we ll be listening to When Doves Cry in 20 years, but as Prince the man has shifted and grown, so has his music and it s open and up for debate as to whether or not that s a welcome change.

The evolution of an artist is always tricky. How to maintain your fan base while sowing your creative oats so to speak and Musicology s Prince is not the same Prince that made you feel dirty while listening to the radio and bashful when watching his videos. 2004 s Prince is a cleaner, less sexualized, more demure version of his old bad purple jumpsuit and high-heels wearing self.

While the self-titled track Musicology has all the classic elements of Prince: the funky guitar riffs and groove it, for lack of better words is boring. While its message is noteworthy (let s take it back the old school, you know when music was good), it s not good enough to even carry said message. Illusion, Pimp & Circumstance has a circa 1988, jheri-curl, Morris Day & The Time air that only serves as a distraction to whatever it is that Prince is mumbling.

There s the digitized rhythm of Life O The Party which despite not being a bad song, isn t extraordinary or even ordinarily good. Cinnamon Girl has great guitar moments (as does any Prince album) but it s just so contrived that it s hard to get into for more than about 20 seconds.

And if you re Prince, someone who has found religion and shed your erstwhile sexual image what is there to sing about? Well, you can sing about love that s for sure and in the fleeting moments when you do your noveau image will come together like it does on A Million Days and Call My Name which tingles a little bit as you catch a Purple Rain flashback. There s also the attraction of If Eye Was The Man In UR Life which is sublimely good. There s the gospel soul of On The Couch which is like pouring honey from a bottle slow, thick and sweet. And if it is possible to say in the same sentence, Reflection has an almost James Taylor folkiness to it and amazingly enough, it comes together quite nicely.

- Final Thoughts -

While Prince s voice hasn t really changed and there is no one who sounds quite like him, there is a part of me that yearns for the Prince of yesteryear. Musicology is sort of like the throwback jersey of albums, a nice look at the past but a trend that s going out of style fast. It s the let s make real music ya ll album whatever that may be.

And as Prince has been one of the fortunate recording artists whose career has continued to build over years, it s difficult to separate his works. But on its own Musicology is wholly underwhelming and majorly disappointing. And although I m not quite sure what I expected, I know that whatever it was it s not on this album.

Great Music To Play While: Ummmmmm