Sign O' the Times - Prince (CD 1987)

Everyone knows Prince is a genius, I assume. "Sign o the Times" is one of those albums that I like more each time I hear it, which is kinda difficult since it's already my favorite album of all time. For slightly under 80 minutes, Prince shows that he is a master of almost every vocal and musical style there is, in addition to an effective, affecting cinematic storyteller.

This album opens with the spare title track. Set to nothing but a drum machine, an ominous synth, and a bass guitar, Prince runs down a list of social ills: drug addiction, AIDS, government apathy. What's amazing is that this song is still extremely relevant 15 years later! "Some say a man ain't truly happy unless the man truly dies," is one of the truest statements ever sung. There's also some pretty neat blues guitar work towards the end of this song.

"Play in the Sunshine" totally changes the album's mood. This uptempo track feels light and summery, in contrast to the darkness of the opening track.

"Housequake" is a party classic. This is a ridiculously funy groove, in which Prince basically instructs listeners to party and party HARD. "Ya got to get off...before the police come!!!" This is one of several songs in which the lead vocal is credited to Camille, an alter ego Prince used when he sped his vocal up.

"The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" contains a weird lyric, even for Prince. From what I can gather, Dorothy is a waitress who takes a liking to Prince, who walks in for a fruit cocktail. He then takes a bath with his pants on as Dorothy listens to Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" on the radio. Slightly off-kilter, yes, but a great, trippy groove.

"Slow Love" is a horn-filled romantic ballad in which Prince proclaims the night to be perfect for...well...slow love. The horn playing straight through this album (by Eric Leeds and others) is superb throughout this album.

"Starfish & Coffee" is another weird one. To a simple piano bacing, meshed with some backwards tape noises,
we take a trip back to Prince's school days, where he encounters a mysterious classmate named Cynthia Rose. Cynthia apparently has some very odd culinary tastes, reflected in the chorus. "Starfish and coffee/maple syrup and jam/butterscotch clouds, a tangerine/and a side order of ham". Sounds fattening.

"It" is easily the most forgettable track on the album. It's a typical Prince sex jam featuring heavy high-end synthesizers. Nothing special.

"Hot Thing" is another Prince sex jam, but this one features a guitar riff and a funky groove that won't quit. The sleaziness of this song is characteristic for Prince, uncharacteristic for this album.

"Forever in My Life" on the other hand, is one of the first glimpses of a man who is ready for stability and commitment. This song is almost hymn-like (Prince sings it with a lot of feeling). Cool trivia: this was JFK Jr's wedding song.

Disc two opens with "U Got the Look", in which Prince basically admires the hell out of "hecka slammin'" guest vocalist Sheena Easton. This song is all about the beat and the attitude.

"If I Was Your Girlfriend" is where Prince's sensitive side rears it's head again. He asks his significant other if things would be different in their relationship if she treated him like her best girlfriend instead of her man. Prince reasons they would be much happier this way. Weird spoken word monologue at the end.

"Strange Relationship" is a funky song in which Prince wonders why he and his girl continue to hold on to a relationship which shouldn't really be working out. "Baby, you know I hate to see you happy," the chorus begins. "More than that, I hate to see you sad". Prince was obviously in a very complex relationship when these last two songs were written.

"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" is a dance song with a hard-driving rock edge, my favorite song on this album, and, in my humble opinion, one of the best written songs ever. Prince strolls into a bar, where he strikes up a conversation with a very lonely woman. She's looking for someone to take the place of her previous boyfriend/husband, who left her with a kid (and one on the way), and Prince tries to explain that he's not the guy she's looking for. Excellent guitar playing on this song too.

"The Cross" picks up where "Sign o the Times" left off, but on a more religious bent. Prince explains that there is hope for all of us in this bleak world, as long as we have faith in God. This is a highly effective song, and Prince manages to sound hopeful and hopeless at the same time.

Again, Prince totally switches gears on the next track. "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" was recorded live with the final incarnation of the Revolution on tour in 1986. This song provides an excellent snapshot of the excitement that the Revolution provided on stage. Again, the horns here are killer.

This album clses with one of the best love songs ever, "Adore". The gently throbbing rhythm, fantastic horn charts and Prince's pleading falsetto make this an instant baby-maker. The ad-libs toward the end of the song will send chills up your spine. A classy end to a classic album.

This album is notable for bringing out the "mature" side of Prince. Most of his records before this focused on (as he put it) dance, music, sex & romance. This album shows someone who's confused about the state of the world and the state of his relationships, so he focuses on prayer, hope and commitment. This album is a classic musically (Prince plays almost all the instruments on this, except for the horns), lyrically (he has never been so on point,or so HUMAN, before or since). One of the few absolute must-have albums in history. Worth the twenty five bucks you'll pay for it even though I believe it can fit on a single CD!!