...Just Pretty

I’ve also listened to Musicology, the new album by Prince. It’s been referred to as a comeback album, a return to form, and other stuff like that. In reality, it’s really Prince’s return to mainstream America. He has never stopped recording (putting out stuff like The Rainbow Children and n.e.w.s., which was nominated for a Grammy), but this is the first album in a while where he sounds kind of like he used to. There are some very good songs on Musicology, such as the title song and “Cinnamon Girl,” which is very timely, given the current War in Iraq. “Life ‘O’ The Party” has Prince taking some jabs at what people say about him: “I don’t care what they said-‘He don’t play the hits no more. Plus, I thought he was gay.’” Quite a few of the other songs on the album are merely okay. A couple of times, I couldn’t quite tell the difference between songs. One thing that can be said about Prince, though, is that even with such a huge body of work, he can still create some good music.

On a side note, thumbs down to the packaging of Musicology. The problem is not that it’s cardboard, but that there is no space for the booklet that comes with it. It just falls out when you open up the CD. It’s not so much a problem for me since I put my CDs in my CD book. But for those who don’t use CD books, it’s a pain in the ass.