Musicology

Prince

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 2004)
• Original Release Date: April 20, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0001XTRCI
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (324 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,709 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Musicology

2. Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance

3. A Million Days

4. Life 'O' The Party

5. Call My Name

6. Cinnamon Girl

7. What Do U Want Me 2 Do?

8. The Marrying Kind

9. If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life

10. On The Couch

11. Dear Mr. Man

12. Reflection

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After a decade and a half of only making records that tickled his own eccentric fancy, Prince has returned with a rather high-minded agenda to educate listeners in the science of music--or at least take them back to school--make that old school, bragging on the title track that "We got a Ph.D. in advanced body movin'." But his braggadocio is not without merit. The Purple One has reconnected with that deep vein of funk after experimenting with his splendid and messy excesses since the cusp of the nineties, and turned out his best album since 1987's Sign of the Times. Lean and minimal but with pronounced airtight grooves, the musician once again fuses the spiritual with the carnal, but has turned down the heat quite a bit since becoming a Jehovah's Witness. Instead of a dirty mind, Prince extols the joys of wedded bliss (he married Manuela Testolini on New Year's Eve 2001) on the slow, seductive "Call My Name," displays a sardonic sense of humor when he skewers his old 80s rival Michael Jackson on "Life O The Party" (My voice is getting higher/I ain't never had my nose done), and shows a rather tart and anxious social conscience throughout the disc; most eloquently articulated on the arch and acerbic "Mr. Man" where he not only references the gospel but the U.S. Constitution. "Cinnamon Girl," which borrows its title from Neil Young's infamous seventies anthem comes closest to the inscrutable musician's former high water marks, and shows that Prince well deservedly is able to reclaim his thorny crown. --Jaan Uhelszki

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You long for "BACK IN THE DAY"? He's BACK!, April 21, 2004

By	Brett D. Cullum (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

At the 20 year anniversary of when Prince took over the world with PURPLE RAIN comes MUSICOLOGY -- his return to light hearted straight ahead funk ... with a couple of songs that cut a little deeper. There aren't any more anti-war messages than the typical Prince album, and none of them seem directed at anyone in particular ... simply the world at large. Prince is at the top of his form right now, and poised to jog your memory of why he belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

But here's the catch -- almost every PRINCE recording has a concept behind it. RAINBOW CHILDREN was a Jehovah's Witness jazz experiment, NEWS was instrumental noodlings, and here we have Prince paying homage to James Brown and other artists like Sly Stone that influenced him. He even pays tribute to his old persona by working out some old school 80s Minneapolis sound tracks complete with some help from SHEILA E and CANDY DULFER. At the end of the title track we hear samples of some 80s Prince ("Little Red Corvette", "17 DAYS" and others) and it sets the stage for a look back with an artist who the world never seems to catch up with.

My favorite new track is A MILLION DAYS which laments a lover leaving and reminds me of the days when Prince was pop. CALL MY NAME will go down as one of his great slow jams! DEAR MR MAN gives you the most blatant "the world is troubled message". LIFE OF THE PARTY is his latest "Housequake" or party tune like "DMSR". The CD is totally clean and has escaped any lyrical or content warning, so it's safe to listen with kids or parents present!

So put on your purple paisley and get ready to party like its 1999! MUSICOLOGY is a funky return to form for one of music's biggest talents. Will it be big and huge like PURPLE RAIN or 1999? Nothing could top that era. But this one will please the hardcore fan and the casual listener.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back from never away, April 20, 2004

By	"erikjj" (Bergschenhoek, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

Musicology is one of the most accessible prince albums of the last years, no real tricks or treats, just old fashioned funk and soul. The title song really is a killer, also nice is that a video of the song is added to the CD which you can view on your PC. Some highlights: "Life O the party" is a solid party jam with a nice role for Candy Dulfer (which i like as a dutch citizen:), "Call my name" is in my view destined to become a classic prince song, "Dear Mr. Man" is a nice political song in the funk tradition of sly stone. If there is any criticism to make i would like to say that the last few tracks of the CD seem to be less brilliant than let's say the first six songs, however I am not complaining about the quality in general.
Maybe this album can put Prince back in the spotlight, a place he deserves if you look at the quality of his work and his undeniable influence on many other artists. If you ever liked prince, but didn't appreciate his latest albums, don't hesitate, buy it, you won't be disappointed.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Musicology is a great funk album!, July 10, 2004

By A Customer

Look, this album was a great way for Prince to enter the new Millenium! This album has a lot of good songs on it like Musicoloy, Life O' the Party, Cinnamon Girl, A Million Days, Illusion Coma Pimp and Circumstance, and On the Couch. These songs are just good funk material! They have a lot of nice grooves and beats. But, you will have to listen to it more than once to like it. Especially if you are used to the Prince that did "1999", "Controversy", and "Dirty Mind". It's a great album. But if you find yourself asking the question "Is this Prince?" you should calm down and listen to it again. It really is a fabulous album that will grow on you.