Customer Reviews

Rainbow Children

5 star:		(121)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Pros: Prince makes a spiritual and political statement without ignoring the music quality

Cons: Formatted just like "LoveSexy"; Entire CD is one track

(...)

In cyber promotions both on the NPGMusicClub site and elsewhere, the album was deemed "controversial". Being a newly converted Jehova’s Witness, Prince seems to have decided the make "The Rainbow Children" his showcase of his spiritual and political opinion. Therefore, if one were to disagree with any of his views, they would most likely dislike the album or particular song. Though this singles out those of his fans that aren’t spiritual in any sense of the word, Prince felt it his duty to make a statement. Surprisingly, the music on the album seemed to be his FIRST priority when making the album while the lyrics were a close second. Prince uses appealing genres of jazz, swing, rock, and funk to tell a story or provide a musical message of sorts. Despite the deep and hard to understand vocal alterations done on the interludes, each song is melded together so well that one might forget the whole hour plus album is not divided into tracks at all. As stated on some cyber promotions online, "The Rainbow Children" was meant to be experienced as a whole work rather than 15 or 16 pieces of music parted by occasional preachy interludes. Prince shows why he has been considered a musical genius for so long with this album. Each transition from song to song it smoothed out with a well placed instrumental or spoken word that directly links to the next song. He adds beautifully melted smooth grooves and funk driven toe tappers that will have fans of all ages talking about this album for years. Accompanying him is his trusted band called the New Power Generation including standouts Rhonda Smith on bass, John Blackwell on drums (amazing drum work on "Everywhere" track), and even jazz great Najee (flute and sax).

- "Rainbow Children" - a jazzy throw-back song with a soothing instrumental interlude just after

- "Muse 2 the Pharaoh" - a light hearted track spiced with a lot of spiritual meaning

- "Digital Garden" – an enchanting and hypnotic track laced with Prince’s unique guitar play

- "The Work — Pt. 1" – a funky dedication to James Brown with spiritual undertones

- "Everywhere" – a surprisingly uplifting track with powerful hornplay and choir-like vocals

- "The Sensual Everafter" – another soothing instrumental that calms your soul

- "Mellow" – just like the name of the track

- "1+1+1 Is 3" – a funk driven freestyle track with dynamic play on the keys

- "Deconstruction"

- "Wedding Feast" (interlude)

- "She Loves Me 4 Me" – a sedated love song

- "Family Name" – a declaration of spirituality and political views to a strong-willed track

- "The Everlasting Now" – a delightfully long declaration of Prince’s transition to his current faith; a funky jam session of instrument play and cuts from crowds screaming "We want Prince".

- "Last December" – the newest version of "Purple Rain", "The Cross", and "Holy River". Great guitar-play with a reoccurring them of "love4oneanother" and "becoming one"

This album is definately hot. Prince has again stretched the boundaries of his music. It is definately a liberation CD. With John Blackwell, the Magnificent on Drums and Sir Larry Graham on bass; the rhythm section will take you home. At the same time you feel the Fusion of later Miles. Prince has laid it down, no one can touch him. Don't get too close he's on fire. Check the title track "Rainbow Children" and "Family Name" this cat is off the charts. You realize Prince was born from the union of funk and rock, and is back to claim his throne.

I consider myself 2 b a HUGE Prince fan, but must admit that over the past few years his CD's haven't reached the heights of his earlier work (such as Sign "O" The Times, Parade, Purple Rain, Diamonds & Pearls etc etc). Sure, Emancipation and The Gold Experience were gr8, but last year's Joy Un2 The Rave Fantastic was VERY disappointing. I think many true fans were starting 2 think his time had passed. After hearing The Rainbow Children though, it must b said that he's on top form creatively and musically yet again and seems 2 b moving in2 new areas. Sure, there r a few songs that could have been recorded by him anytime over the past 20years (i.e. they don't really go anywhere differently musically), but the vast majority of the material on this CD is absolutely amazing!!!! It seems that he's no longer concentrating on trying 2 record "hit records" (as he's been doing continually over the past few years) and instead is concentrating on creating music 4 himself.

The highlights of this CD? 2 many 2 mention. Personal favourites r The Digital Garden, She Loves Me 4 Me, The Last December, The Work......shall I continue?

Any1 who has any of Prince's many CD's should consider purchasing this CD - I guarantee that u won't b disappointed. As 4 the guy who gave him 1 star out of 5?!!!!!! Why? Stick 2 Savage Garden and Britney Spears m8 - I'm sure The Rainbow Children is much 2 challenging 4 u.

Just buy this CD folks - it's excellent!

This is Prince's jazz album. Filled with jazz-funk extended jams all over the place, this really shows how good of a musician Prince is (and John Blackwell, on drums...WOW). I'm not a big fan of artists cluttering their music with religion, but the music overshadows everything else. Anyone interested in jazz-funk fusion or just wishing Prince would put something out worth buying, should get this. The most live, jazzy, and organic sound Prince has ever produced. The spoken word thing gets a bit old, but I've just been fast-forwarding to the songs. This album is in the style of Eryka Badu's last album, D'Angelo and in some places, vintage Santana. I never thought I'd ever say this again, but...I recommend this Prince cd.

Let go of your preconceived expectations of Prince. This album is nothing like he's ever attempted before. Aside from Hip Hop, when Prince goes into stylistic explorations he has never attempted he always succeeds. The Rainbow Children is no exception.

From the very first few notes of the title track any long time Prince fan can right away decipher that this album is going to be different from all the rest of his career, partly because of the arrangements of these songs, and the myriad Jazz inflections. The coda at the end of the the title track is a gorgeous blend of electric guitar, bass, Fender Rhodes, real drums, and subtle flute by Najee.

When Prince undertakes most (and sometimes all) of the instruments himself on his albums it's a beautiful thing. That's no exception here, where he performs every instrument on all the songs, except: drums, bass on 2 songs ("The Work pt. 1" and "The Last December" - Larry Graham) and horns. That's right, this is NOT a band performing on the album, not the NPG as some have said in their reviews - it's mostly Prince.

The production and performances are truly stellar. For those who say it's overproduced, that's not true at all. I'm a music engineer/musician and this is the most organic sounding album of Prince's career. It's earthy, warm and crystal clear.

The music is inspired and focused like we haven't heard Prince in ages! The sound of the Fender Rhodes dominates most of the album, and that is a welcome new wrinkle to his arsenal, considering he is highly underrated on the keys and hasn't really done much work with a Rhodes keyboard on his albums.

In some of the songs there is a visceral gospel vocal feel to the choruses, as in the title track, "Last December," "The Everlasting Now" and "Everywhere", where the polyrhythmic feel and Blackwell's drumming is a thing of beauty. Sure, for those extremely sensitive to spiritual/religious content, this album will probably come across as "preaching", but I don't feel he is preaching. He comes across as stating his views and beliefs, which is what every artist does, whether the content is spiritual or not. He has sung about sexually explicit themes, yet now all of a sudden some people can't get over the fact that he's not doing that anymore, so this is hard to take. That's rich. Prince has matured, his long time fans should mature too.

But don't fret, there is ferocious guitar on TRC, there is pretty guitar on TRC, there is also some of the most elegant music of Prince's career. "She Loves Me 4 Me" is a pure delight in its soaring simplicity. One of the most majestic ballads he's ever produced. "Wedding Feast" is a perfectly executed tongue in cheek ditty, and it's comic relief in its lyrical content, while lasting less than 60 seconds.

Aside from the title track and "Wedding Feast," "Digital Garden" is a song that is probably the least Prince-like, and you wish it would last longer than it does. There is subtlety and nuance in every nook and cranny of this album. "1+1+1 Is 3" harkens back to the quirky Funk in the 80s that Prince was so nimble at. If it doesn't make you get up and dance you're probably unconscious.

After 20+ albums, after almost 25 years in the music industry and at the age that most musicians would discontinue trying new things, Prince has returned to form by flipping the switch to challenge himself AND his audience lyrically and musically, something he did with regularity at the peak of his popularity.

This is not a Pop album. This is everything that Pop music is not. Don't let the fact that because there is no mainstream media hyping this album (which is not pushed by a major label) lead you to believe that this is just another in a string of substandard Prince albums. The new mellinium and lack of a contractual agreement hovering over him (his Warner/Chappel music publishing deal) have renewed Prince's spirit.

This is not the cotton candy you'll hear on the radio, it's like Mom's cooking back home. If you like challenging music, performed with skill, passion and authority The Rainbow Children is for you. It's the kind of Prince album that makes you wonder what he's going to do next. A brilliant return to form. This is the real Prince.

This album is something that can change the face of music at any given time or genre. Prince displayed a solidity in the depths of music. The Rainbow Children now have a personality that cannot be duplicated once Prince dubbed it a title. "Muse to the Pharoah" was an extrodinary forum of simplicity with just keys, bass, and drums but his harmonies gave it an orchestra like sound. "1+1+1=3" is a spacious funk that kills the standard format with a rebellious flow that leaves funk-a-likes in the dust. Prince is a seasoned artist with the ability to do what he wants to do and make it sound extraordinary, hence The Rainbow Children.

I'm not usually a fan of Prince, but this album is amazing. Almost all of Prince's catalog (with the exception of Chaos & Disorder, which rocks) has left me cold. People call him a genius but I rarely hear evidence of that - it all sounds pretty bleh to me. But this album has me second-guessing myself! Have I misjudged him all along? Or has he just made an album I can get into? It's jazzy, soulful, spiritual...but the thing that grabs me most is that it sounds so REAL. As though it was made by humans with lives and emotions who live and breathe, not by machines. Most of his material sounds so plastic to me, this is a breath of fresh air. And an adventurous one, too. It reminds me of Sting's "Dream of the Blue Turtles" in that way, if not necessarily musically, then at least in its approach and its departure. If someone asked me for comparisons to other artists, I might say to throw Donald Fagen, Arrested Development, James Brown, and Todd Rundgren into a blender and...well, it might not sound a lot like this, but that's about as close as I'm likely to get.

If I have a criticism of the album, it's that I could do without the narration. It comes off like Zappa's Central Scrutinizer meets Rush's Necromancer, and at times it goes on way too long. I suppose it's one way of conveying the story, but I could live without it. The more I listen to the album, though, the less I seem to mind it.

Some have criticized this album as reheated fusion, or reheated gospel soul, or reheated whatever. Well, it may be that, but it's better than the reheated disco he usually cranks out. This is an album for people, not for drones. If you're looking for a mindless excursion into booty-shaking, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a cohesive album with a real message and real melodies AND the frequently danceable groove, this is the album for you. It's the Prince album for people who don't like Prince.

Let's face it. Prince is the most creative artist of all time. He never ceases to amaze me. I never criticize music of any kind, because I am not a musician. In my opinion, NO ONE has any right to criticize someone's else's work. However, I couldn't help it with this release! This is the most funky, creative, and touching album Prince has EVER released! The entire album is one HUGE trip! It is also the most spiritual album he has ever released, and for this, I truly adore the whole concept of the album. Prince is really sending out a positive message on this album, and EVERY song screams it! Prince has NEVER dissapointed me with any of his work, anyway.

Maybe it's just one of my perks, but I do not look for spiritual inspiration from a pop star. To those fellow reviewers that have bestowed some divine significance upon "The Rainbow Children", I say that the measure of THIS Prince album is simple:

1) IS IT FUNKY? YES
2) DOES PRINCE STILL KNOW HOW TO INTERPRET A SONG? YES
3) ARE HIS LYRICS AS ENIGMATIC AS EVER? YES
4) DOES PRINCE MAKE MUSIC FOR HIMSELF FIRST? YES
5) IS THIS ALBUM A PLEASURABLE LISTENING EXPERIENCE? YES
6) IS THIS ALBUM WORTH PURCHASING? YES

Need I say more? I think not!

This is Prince's best album since Emancipation. He completely ignores the mainstream tosh coming out and hits us with freshly made funk with a touch of psychedelic jazz. He simply is stressing his believes and as far as I know he is actually a Jehova's Witness. But the lyrics and music blend together in a refreshing way. The highlights are 'The Rainbow Children', 'The Work pt 1'- which is a homage to James Brown, '1+1+1 is 3'- a mixture of a modern 'Erotic City' with classic George Clinton funk, 'She Loves Me 4 Me'- a relative of 'Adore' and 'Insatiable' and the last 3 tracks close a mind blowing but thought-provoking album. But it only gets four stars because the low voice is irritating. It's a shame that it is not well recognised outside the underground circuit.