PRINCE — Musicology (review)

Album · 2004 · RnB

3/5 · 2011-10-03
Chicapah

Prince is one of those highly gifted artists whom I greatly admire. Yet I can’t say that I’ve followed his career all that closely over the years because my musical preferences don’t travel in the circles where his music is most likely to be played. In other words, I’m much more wont to have a chance to hear a Stevie Wonder song because he crossed over into more genres. That’s just the way it is. “So how did you come to possess this particular CD?” you might ask. Here’s my story and I’m sticking with it. Back in 2004 one of my bosses had season VIP tickets to the Dallas Mavericks games and, as a perk, often got gratis tickets to concerts that came through town. He was even older than I was so the opportunity to take in a Prince show didn’t do much for him so he graciously gave them to me and my wife. I, frankly, was ambivalent about it all but I wasn’t about to look a horse in the mouth when he had a generous gift for me so I gladly took him up on his offer. It turned out to be a wise decision to go. Prince put on one of the best concerts I’ve ever witnessed and my respect for him went through the roof because this man put every ounce of his heart and soul into his performance for almost 3 hours and he bestowed a free copy of “Musicology” upon everyone who attended. I’ve seen a lotta shows in my time but nobody ever gave me an album just for showing up! And it ain’t too shabby, neither!

The title cut starts things off splendidly. It’s a display of very James Brown-ish funk and it’s a righteous homage in that it never veers away from the central groove (the most vital ingredient when taking on the Godfather of Soul). Prince’s coy sense of humor is present throughout the track and it gives it a levity that’s endearing. “Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance” isn’t as entertaining, though. I appreciate the minimalist approach but there needs to be more substance musically to hold my attention. However, his guitar work at the end is quite interesting. “A Million Days” is a fine R&B ballad made better by Prince’s imaginative arrangement wherein he uses background vocal harmonies and dense keyboards to keep things from becoming too predictable. “Life ‘o’ the Party” is next and it has to be one of the darker “party” tunes I’ve ever heard. If Trent Reznor ever tried his hand at funk I think it would sound like this track. It’s strange but not in a bad way. “Call My Name” follows and it’s a soulful ballad done dramatically as only Prince can do it. I like that he allows clever musical incidents to happen along the way. It proves that he didn’t just throw these songs together, that he labored over them to make them as good as they could be.

The rock beat utilized for “Cinnamon Girl” is a welcome change of pace but, unfortunately, the number just isn’t all that engaging. Kudos to him for injecting it with a decent guitar solo, though. The next four cuts run together somewhat and it’s another example of him shaking things up for the sake of variety. “What Do You Want Me 2 Do?” has a smooth, west coast R&B feel to it that borders on light jazz fare. Its odd ending segues into “The Marrying Kind,” an unexpectedly heavy rocker that, for some reason, reminds me of Frank Zappa. The song slips directly into “If Eye Was the Man in UR Life,” a tune that lies very much in the same vein but it’s not as guitar riff-dependent. Here the Zappa-like atmosphere is more evident and anyone who is inspired by Frank is okay in my book, that’s for sure. It slides into “On the Couch,” a slower, bluesier number that pulls you right in. Prince’s sly employment of a horn section distinguishes it from all that has come before on the disc. “Dear Mr. Man” is a Sly Stone-styled tune that avoids being a blatant rip off by not being overly self-indulgent musically. I respect the sharp-edged social commentary it contains but, as all too often happens in such situations, I miss hearing a viable solution to the predicaments he lists. The album finishes with “Reflections,” a sweet but weak little love song that sounds like he wasn’t sure about including it or not.

With the way the industry operated undergoing massive upheaval in the early years of the 21st century, Prince was smart enough to bypass the usual methods of gauging and measuring record sales by included a copy of “Musicology” in the price of a ticket to his show. Consequently the album hovered in the top five on the charts for several months. Gotta give the guy his props for thinking outside the box. Anyway, there’s more of a jazz atmosphere to be found on it than, say, “1999,” so I recommend it even though it didn’t have the impact that that landmark LP had on the “biz.” It’s a good record well made.