Pros: Prince stops trying to make a "statement" and lets the music speak.
Cons: "Dirty Mind" and "Sign O The Times" lead to ridiculously high expectations.
The Bottom Line: Nope, the man never went away, but if you had any doubts that Prince could come back and make a strong album again, "Musicology" is your very solid answer.
Despite the barbs that have been slung at Prince as his career has slowly wound down over the last decade or so (especially since the name change), let's face facts. The man is a living legend. How many artists are responsible for not one, not two, but three 5-star classic albums? ("Dirty Mind", "Purple Rain", "Sign 'O The Times"). How many artists are able to skillfully blend pop, rock, soul and funk? How many artists still write, produce and perform their own material? For those feats alone, any Prince album is worth hearing.
And despite the inconsistency in his work, Prince didn't make a truly unlistenable album until 2001's "The Rainbow Children". That album featured some overlong jazzy experiments and too much preachy religious imagery for my taste. I was so turned off after the first listen that I never went back to the CD (and don't intend to). I was this close to giving up on my beloved Prince.
Thank God I didn't. "Musicology" is not a return to the genius Prince that made some of the most interesting albums of the Eighties. What is "Musicology"? It's funky, it's compact, and it's SOLID. It's easily the man's most consistent work in a decade or so. This album has Prince's patented funk jams, lighter-waving rockers, and horny ballads. It finds the artist easing comfortably into middle age (check the folky, spring-like "Reflection" for proof), totally in his element. There are no overt hip-hop experiments here, no guest artists, just a man and his guitar (and his keyboards) makin' some good music.
The title track is proof that "simplicity rules". Over a bare-bones funk beat which James Brown could've shouted over 40 years ago, Prince drops science on the power of the old school. Referencing everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire to Chuck D of Public Enemy, Prince puts it down for himself and all the other "true funk soldiers".
He rocks out later on the war-themed "Cinnamon Girl". It's a mid-tempo pop/rock gem in the vein of "Dolphin" from 1995's "Gold Experience" album. Several songs on this album allude to the current world climate, making yet another case for Prince as an underrated protest singer ("Sign O' The Times", "The Cross", "Live 4 Love"). "Dear Mr. Man" is an uncharacteristically mellow, brooding meditation that stands as one of the album's better moments. Aside from quoting Bible verse and the 14th amendment (due process), Prince is satisfyingly reunited with his former drumming ace/girlfriend Sheila E. on this track.
The slow burning "A Million Days" is a great midtempo rocker which proves that Prince not only is still capable of dropping awe-inspiring guitar solos, but that he can still shriek with the best of them."The Marrying Kind" and "If I Was The Man Of Your Life" are connected thematically as well as musically (literally. The songs segue into one another). They both feature some serious guitar work by Prince and "If I Was..." contains the album's best hook. "Life Of The Party" is bass-heavy call to jam, filled to the brim with energy and ego, as Prince shouts out Andre 3000 in one verse and slides a backhand jab to his old rival Michael Jackson in another ("My voice is getting higher/And I ain't had my nose done!").
He may have dropped the swearing from his repertoire, but even still, no one brings the bedroom heat like His Purpleness. "On The Couch" is the rare funny slow jam as Prince begs his lady not to leave him on the couch for the night. "Call My Name" is a devotional love jam, pure and simple. While Prince could make a double CD set filled with all of his classic love jams, these songs have a warmth and sincerity missing since the days of "Slow Love" and "Adore".
Does anything on here approach the brilliance that marked Prince's earlier work? No, but you can only reinvent the wheel so many times. Whether it was jumping out on stage in a trenchcoat and bikini briefs or releasing a career-defining single after removing the bass part or going from lush psychedelia to bare-bones funk in the blink of a mascara'ed eyelash, it's safe to say that Prince has just about done it all. On "Musicology" Prince stops straining to make a statement or blaze a trail and lets the music do the talking for him. And after listening to "Musicology", you'll know that the man has made a wise decision.
Rating: 4 stars
Repeat: "If I Was The Man In Your Life", "Musicology", "Dear Mr. Man"
Skip: None
Great Music To Play While: Dreaming of a Revolution reunion, complete with Wendy, Lisa and Dr. Fink and the surgeon's outfit.
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