One formerly great artist is Prince, a sexual chameleon of the ‘80s who went from the top of his craft to relative obscurity due to increasingly eccentric behavior. Thanks to too many name changes, record company battles and dabbles into uncharted genres, he soon became a trivia question for fans too tired to follow his antics.
Enter 2004, where Prince returned out of nowhere with the critically-acclaimed “Musicology.” Although the album wasn’t bad, the vanilla soul was nowhere near the classic hits The Purple One used to crank out daily. But perhaps a return to a pronounceable name and a retreat from jazz fusion was all America needed for a solid Prince comeback.
His string of mediocre crowd-pleasers continued with 2006’s “3121” and his latest, “Planet Earth.” It is difficult to pen a proper review of an album that is so non-offensive. For an artist who once prided himself on accusations of near-pornographic lyrics, Prince seems awfully comfortable retreating into vague metaphors. Proof? Try lead single “Guitar,” with the distressingly un-sexy chorus of “I love you, baby / Just not like I love my guitar.” For a man whose onstage gimmicks once included simulation of lewd acts onto unsuspecting musical instruments, this new persona seems rather neutered.
No doubt Prince stretches for greatness. The epic title track tries to recapture the larger than life persona he spent the better part of a decade parading, but listening to the giant keyboards and slick guitar solos, something seems a bit hollow; it’s almost as if Prince tries to deliver what he believes people want, opposed to what he once knew they needed.
But don’t entirely lose hope. However less inspirational than his grandiose early work, there is a cool vibe to be had during “Planet Earth’s” rotation. “Somewhere Here on Earth” rides a silky jazz groove that Prince often forgets to pull out. Other tracks, such as “Lion of Judah” and “Resolution,” show that he still has his brilliant guitar kick.
While not breathtaking, it’s clear that there still is life in this once great artist. Here’s to Prince further harnessing the power, breathing fire on his next effort.
William Earl’s mother likes to remind him that one of the first films she watched after he was born was Prince’s bombastic 1984 hit “Purple Rain.” Email him at williamjearl@gmail.com.