Album Review: Prince - Musicology

Author: Michael McAvan

When Prince released his Musicology album this year, reviewers were falling over themselves to declare a comeback from the inconsistent Love Symbol 90s, something that Prince himself seems to be encouraging, splicing snippets of hits into the end of the opening title track of the album. Yet Musicology as an album functions as much as an overview of the soul-funk canon as a summary of Prince's career.

The title track sees Prince taking on a live horn-led James Brown type sound, while Illusion, Pimp & Circumstance marries a sparse mid-tempo Funkadelic funk track with characteristicly Prince lyrics and a guitar solo. Life of the Party is little more than a clattery breakbeat and some Wendy & Lisa style backing vocals, until half-way through a guitar lick appears ripped straight from the Ojays For the Love of Money (aka the Apprentice theme song). Rather than the distinctive synthetic sounds of his classic work, Musicology relies on funk breakbeats, reflecting the influence of both James Brown and his numerous hip-hop samplers.

"Dear Mr Man" sees Prince making an attempt at political writing, an effective blues groove that lays out Prince's mind-numbingly stupid solution to politics - don't vote, write a letter instead. Stupid it might be, but the song taps into a disaffection with both sides of politics, aptly summed up in the lyric "same song with a different name." Yet rather than summon indignation you'd think was approriate to the lyrics, the music resounds with futility, a resignation to the impossibility of change. Hardly a practical tool for politics, but fairly reflective of the ennui effecting a fair amount of the population.

Yet the songs are, of course, not a complete departure from Prince's earlier work. "Cinnamon Girl" is another attempt at politics, but the effect is rendered with toothless with a hummable 2 word chorus and breezy mid-tempo MOR rock vibe. If you weren't listening closely you'd think this was just another Prince song about a girl and a colour. "A Million Days", too, has a similar vibe sans political leanings, and a sound that could have been taken from any mover of his 90s albums - particularly the Gold Experience. Both show Prince willing to write more-radio friendly songs than those from his previous album, the truly atrocious Jehovah's Witness concept album The Rainbow Children.

Call My Name is a shimmering slow-jam replete with gospel flourishes that sees Prince revisiting one of his strengths as an artist - sanctifying sex. Ditto for "On the Couch". And just as importantly, these songs see Prince re-earthing rnb and gospel elements that have been excised from the black music canon in the hip-hop/new jack fuelled search for groove. "What Do You Want Me Do" is the most obvious attempt at reconnecting Prince with his past, dusting off an 80s drum-machine, but playing it against a jazzy lushness rarely found during Prince's hit-making years.

And that, I suppose, is the key difference in this album. Classic Prince funk is angular; minimal synth lines and economical drum programming, with guitar solos the chief adornment. Which is definitely an over-simplification of an artist with a back-catalogue as extensive as Prince, but you get the point. By and large, Musicology is an accomplished affair, but lean it isn't. Rather than a reflection on his own artistic history, Musicology sees Prince appointing himself guardian of the funk-soul tradition, in a album that finally is more hit than miss.