Prince

Planet Earth
Prince

Ah, Prince - where did it all go wrong? Back in the day, Prince was always my favorite artist. Sure there were others that would come and go, but the latest Prince album would always get the most time on my record player. The first Prince album I bought was 1999 (it’s essential that any geek feels like they got in on their favorite before the masses) - then came the Purple Rain explosion and the whole Minneapolis Sound. I bought them all - Sheila E, Morris Day and the Time, Vanity/Apollonia 6. There were a couple of terrible movies along the way, but there was also Sign o’ the Times - which I still consider my favorite all-time album. There was even a Batman soundtrack, which I always considered kinda disposable, but it was a huge seller.

The decline really started with Diamonds and Pearls released in the early 90’s. Listening to the CD, you could almost feel that Prince was trying to make a hit record. The funky tunes started to lose their edge and Mr. Nelson began a long string of sappy, almost intolerable slow jams. Those might work getting the ladies between his purple satin sheets, but who wants to listen to it? That was followed by over a decade of record label fighting, name changes, and inconsistent music. I continued to buy new releases, usually expecting only a couple of enjoyable tunes on each CD - then I quit buying his new stuff all together.

Prince pretty much fell off the map. A few years ago, Prince performed at the Grammy’s as a celebration of the 20th anniversary (yikes) of Purple Rain. Prince started to get some attention again. He released a couple of CD’s that got pretty good reviews and decent sales. He performed at the Super Bowl half-time - it was no Nipplegate, but still pretty entertaining. With each release, I’m hoping that Prince will once again be inspired to create a set of classic songs.

Planet Earth definitely is a step in the wrong direction. Released a few months ago and then completely ignored shortly after that. The title song received some attention as Prince returning to form - eh, it’s not a bad song but nothing I find myself wanting to listen to over and over again. The second song Guitar is more of a return to the guitar funk that made me such a Prince fan to begin with. Somewhere Here On Earth is the obligatory slow jam - not as bad as Arms of Orion. The One U Wanna C feels like a Sheryl Crow song. Future Baby Momma - the title says it all. Mr. Goodnight has the smooth rap style that Prince was criticized for in the 90’s, but I liked those songs. Like other recent Prince efforts, the final songs on Planet Earth really drop off. Chelsea Rodgers is kind of a funky disco song that feels sterile compared to the funk on 1999. Lion of Judah feels like Prince is working on some kind of crappy rock opera. And Resolution falls flat. Well, the good news is Prince usually releases a new CD every year, so only 9 months to go…