N.E.W.S

Prince

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 29, 2003)
• Original Release Date: July 29, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Npg
• ASIN: B0000A5BY9
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,074 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. North

2. East

3. West

4. South

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Recorded in a single day at Paisley Park, Prince has confounded audiences yet again by recording a progressive jazz album with only four cuts--each named for a point on a compass--and clocking in at 14:00 minutes. If that wasn’t enough, there isn’t a single lyric on the almost hour-long disc. Like many before him, the musical savant has decided to let the music do the talking. But in Prince’s case it does so, brilliantly. He has fashioned a musical lattice of fascinating conversations that are both compelling and eccentric--veering from the anxious and menacing to the soothing and deeply rhythmic--at times conjuring the specters of Sun Ra, at others, strangely Metallica. Begun as a mere jam session among the latest members of NPG, Prince has made his most collaborative record ever as he mostly plays guitar and leads his deft-handed band from the One Nite Alone tour into uncharted territory. They make seamless swings from "North’s" ambient cohesiveness--led masterfully by Rhonda Smith’s liquid bass--to the almost head-banging lumbering beast of "East," into the smooth elegant jazz of "West," which freefalls from a sinuous rhythmic R&B groove into a majestic and almost funereal slice of brainy pomp rock, before scaling the slippery slope of space rock on "South." It would be tempting to say that this is Prince’s homage to his recently-deceased parents’ stint in the Prince Rogers Trio, but it is far too forward sounding to only be a tribute. This is a brave step and it sounds remarkably like the future. --Jaan Uhelszki

Product Description

The master releases a full length instrumental jam known as N.E.W.S. North, East, West, South - music that rips in every direction! Previously available only through the NPG record club. NPG.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This isn't your father's Prince..., September 26, 2003

By	Adam R. Boyd (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breaking "News.", April 9, 2004

By	The Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not His Usual But...., November 6, 2003

By A Customer

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