Customer Reviews

News

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As a long time Prince afficionado, I am used to abrupt changes in direction from the artist and his stable of hyper-talented musicians who make up the ever-evolving cast of his backing band, "NPG." This direction, however, kind of caught me off guard. This seems to be the culmination of the sound that started on "The Rainbow Children," which continued to mutate through the NPG Music Club-only releases of "One Nite Alone" and "Xpectation" - a move to fairly indescribable fusion, covering the gamut of ambient to crunchy butt-rock.

Prince and company tear up four 14 minute tracks in nigh-live form (if you've been to one of his shows, you know what I mean), with a wonderful lead by the under-appreciated multi-woodwind instrumentalist Eric Leeds. This package realizes the directions hinted at as far back as the eighties "Madhouse" offshoots - it takes the pieces introduced in "Xpectation" and expands on them, and comes together with what could arguably be Prince's most "adult" album to date.

The overall album is *not* something one can just casually listen to in the car - its a "sit down in front of the stereo with some hi-fi headphones on with a cup of joe" affair, that virtually demands do nothing but sit still and listen to the music for nearly and hour. If you don't, you'll miss half of the little touches, such as the ambient bits that lead each composition into silence (in Prince's world, silence is as important a musical tool as the notes actually played). This one is definitely not for the school of folks still expecting a "Purple Rain" or a "1999" to be re-hashed - but, for those willing to go along for the ride, it is a treasure trove that demands tribute from the listener in the form of repeated plays.

You won't be humming the compositions here - they are far to complex and shifting within the confines of each track and in the package as a whole, but parts will stand out, stuck in your brain on "loop" until you sit down to listen to the thing again.

If you like your music challenging, this is the album for you. A welcome oasis in the stagnant sea of soundalike rock, rap and pop country.

These days, it's easy to dismiss Prince as a fading pop star who's all but alienated his fans since he left Warner Brothers in the 1990s. As far as chart singles go, he's been hitless for about a decade, and his last few albums haven't fared too well saleswise. But you can't help but respect an artist who follows his own musical vision instead of chasing after what's "hot" or "in." As if Prince couldn't surprise us any more, he releases "News," an odd album of 4 tracks clocking at 14 minutes each. No lyrics. No vocals. They're instrumentals featuring a laid-back fusion of funk and jazz that's a far cry from "Let's Go Crazy." Some will call this a project of self-absorption, while others will listen with an open mind and accept "News" for what it is. These aren't jams you can listen to with a casual ear, nor are they composed for those with short attention spans. The CD requires you to listen with some degree of patience, something many people these days don't really have. Still, "News" is not for everyone, and even some Prince fans (the ones whose collection begins and ends with the "Purple Rain" soundtrack) will turn their nose at it. But for those who desire a challenge, "News" is an interesting choice.

I do feel this is a lil musical gem. If you think it's elevator music then all I can say is you're not listening. Go to a Jazz club in any major city and you'll "get" what Prince is up to here. It's about the music, and the textures in music, not about what sells. This is Prince singing a love song to his art form, not to the "fans" and the record labels.

I respect this.

Doesn't mean I am not going to like Purple Rain any less now, but I can dig this too...

I think a lot of people make the mistake of expecting an artist to do the same basic thing all the time. When he or she doesn't folks don't know what to think and because it's not what they are used to they trash it.

This is pure Jazz...

No, it's not your typical Prince funk but it's GOOD for the genre and there is nothing wrong with Prince going into it. He does it well, so why not?

Morrighan

Anyone out there who still doubts Prince's musical genius should check out this CD. Any musician able to effortlessly shift from writing one-chord songs like 'The Everlasting now' (a stunning funk number built around a two-note bass line, on his previous album 'The rainbow children') to writing an instrumental album like N.E.W.S. -wich blends jazz, funk, even ethnic and new age textures- in the wink of an eye like Prince does, deserves all your attention. This disc starts with 'North', a cool mix of classy jazz solos on a funky bass line. However, nothing can prepare you to 'East'! It starts with digital keyboards providing a violin-like tone playing an eerie line that sets the ethnic mood for the tune, wich evolves into a violin-drums duet playing a bizarre groove. When the rhythm cools down, a synth phrase with a sitar-like tone makes its way in a crescendo boosted by guitar power chords to a tremendous effect: this will give you goose bumps. 'West' starts with a beautiful melodic line played by Prince's guitar over a cool keyboards and bass accompaniment, but the piece eventually evolves into a darker mood stressed by Renato Neto's final solo on piano: clouds over the Western world? 'South' is an hot jazz-funk tune with an outstanding bass-driven groove that will put many of Hancock's funk records to shame -no disrespect to Herbie, of course. Even 'South' benefits from various rhythm and key changes.
This disc shows a superb musicianship and demonstrates that Prince can easily master any music style he wants to. Also, don't miss the rest of the personnel: Rhonda Smith on bass, John Blackwell on drums, and the great sax phrases by Eric Leeds. Prince plays guitar, fender rhodes piano and digital keyboards. Listening to Prince's passionate solos on this disc you'll understand why Carlos Santana, asked once to pick the most underrated guitarist he'd ever played with, picked Prince. People who remember the Purple One only for 'Purple Rain' will have difficulty in recognizing him while listening to this disc. But this is the best compliment that one could pay to Prince's musical variety. Recommended to any Prince fan and to any music lover as well.

being a fan of music throughout the years,i have always kind of dug prince for his originality, but havent been a huge fan due to the cartoonishness of most of his songs.i heard musicology and didnt really care for the song when i heard it.but logging on to cdnow one day i saw this album had been released just a short time after musicology came out.so i got it because there was no vocals on it.me and my friends have a weekly poker game that usually turns into near fisticuffs due to everyone trying to put their music on the whole time.well,we got "right" and started playing and i stuck this cd in and we listened to it all night.prince's guitar work is phenomenal on this cd.the horns and drums are great.this is one of the most experimental and cool cds ive ever heard.perfect party music or if you just like sitting back and catching a buzz.a bullseye on this one.

Most of Prince's fans were looking forward to this release. It all began in early June when a snippet of "East" was available for listen on his official website. The hypnotic bass and roaring guitar turned out to be a perfect bait for music lovers.
Average music listeners might be quite shocked to hear that Prince released an instrumental disc, where all the songs last for exact 14 minutes. Those who know more about Prince's approach to music and who followed Prince over the last two decades were not shocked at all when NEWS landed in their homes, packed in an extraordinary compass-like digipack.
The compositions differ significantly; the only thing they have in common is their jazz spine. They start in a particular mood (smooth jazz, orient-flavoured jazz, r'n'b jazz, funk jazz respectively), then break down to make space for some jazz improvisation with Prince's guitar and Eric Leeds' saxophone in the foreground, and finally take another u-turn and return to the initial mood, or just build around their starting atmosphere. There is plenty of brilliant musicianship on this disc; each of the band members gets to showcase his/her incredible abilities. The most prominent players are Prince on guitar, Eric Leeds on sax, and John Blackwell on drums. The rest of the band stay in the shadow for most time but still shine in their parts. Renato Neto on piano contributes greatly to painting the cold landscapes in "North" and Rhonda Smith on bass is crucial for the funk of "South".

NEWS if full of beautiful lyrical passages put in juxtaposition with the roughness of jazz improvisation. Prince's guitar playing is different on each track. On "North" it is just melancholic, on "East" it is heavy-metal like, "West" is full of piercing and shrieking notes, while "South" gets a Hendrix-like vibe. The absence of Prince's voice, paradoxically, allows for greater emotions on this album. It is simply instruments that build the mood.
Prince subtitled his disc with a sentence "New directions in music". It is not a haphazard statement; such a blend of jazz, rock, balladry, funk, and whatnot has not been heard ever before. Many could argue this point saying Miles Davis did everything which was to be done in jazz but such a claim is untrue for there are no limitations for musical progress. There are always things to be discovered. Prince, taking various directions on one musical expedition and leaving his foot stamp on each path, delivered an original and profound piece of work.

NEWS stands for North, East, West and South which are the names of the four tracks found on this instrumental release from Prince. You could also call it Love, Peace, Faith, and Charity because those are the subtitles for each one. Recorded in one day at Paisley Park!

The first thing you notice is the packaging. The CD itself folds out to make a compass. There are no pictures of Prince or the band! Reminds me a lot of THE BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE from the detail of the actual case.

The album itself is four pieces - all instrumental. Lots of jazz instruments - piano, horns, strings, and of course ... guitar. Prince seems to use the guitar here as "his voice". It's all very pretty and would make a great backdrop for a dinner party, an intense date, or when you light a candle in your room and meditate. Fans know the style - remember the instrumental "GOD" from PURPLE RAIN? Pretty much the same kind of thing here. If you're looking for new songs with lyrics? They aren't here. But if you liked MADHOUSE, or the latest efforts from SHEILA E ...

Odd seems like the Minneapolis sound has now migrated to jazz.

Prince leads his highly talented musicians through an hour long jam session that goes through every style of music Prince has ever touched and then some. A very neat one time experiment that might warrant another album: maybe not. Either way, buy this.

Prince again comes up with, well, simply NEW music. NEWS is a very interesting, very profound record, even if it's not danceable the way we're used to by his historical record.
But then, I would rate NEWS in the way of groundbreaking jazz-records, like they used to produce them in the early 70's: a complete breaking with the past, a courageous venturing into the new, a deliberate effort to go beyond everything we're cozy with.
Kudos to Mr. Nelson for his balls to do this kind of things, especially as he has followers who compare him to Elton John, saying he's not Miles Davis (funny review down a couple of lines). He isn't, he is century XXI - but Miles may be compared to Prince in the near future... if only for his unrelenting intent to produce NEW STUFF for distinguishing listeners.

Just ordered it a couple of weeks ago and it hasn't left my CD player at all. I'm a big fan of progressive jazz and if Prince wasn't who he was he could definitely hold his own against anybody in that field with this CD. I kind of felt Prince was heading towards Jazz years ago with the Sign of The Times album w/cuts such as Slow Love, Adore, It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night, and others and his work with Madhouse. Then I was more convinced he was going more into the Jazz side of things with Sexy MF, Strollin, and Damn U on the Diamonds and Pearls LP. The Rainbow Children convinced me totally that he was going to eventually put out some sort of Jazz inspired LP, but I never envisioned him putting this classic out, especially in instrumental form. West is my particular favorite of the 4 tracks on there. He mixes all sorts of Jazz, Funk, Rock, Blues, you name it on here and to me, no album shows Prince's musical genius with instruments better than this one. As a collector of every Prince Album (except two), this is definitely one of his top five albums released ever (Purple Rain, 1999, Sign of The Times, Emancipation & N.E.W.S. Sorry, N.E.W.S. had to replace the For You album in my book). For real music enthusiasts, who prefer musicianship over this packaged popcorn garbage we get fed regularly on the radio, this one is for you.