MUSIC BOX |
Martin Stein |
Prince (3.5 stars)
Musicology
A few wonderful things happen 20 seconds into "Musicology," the James Brownish title track to Prince's first major-label effort since 1999's Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, and arguably his first good album since 1987's Sign O' The Times. The artist neé The Artist, effortlessly riding atop one of his cleanest arrangements, talks up "the party just east o' Harlem," and says: "Doug E's gonna b there / but u got 2 ... call him." With that, Prince promises that Musicology will be an old-school party record, and with the pause between "2" and "call," he lets us know he didn't spend his time out of the spotlight forgetting his audience. It's a loaded pause, and you lean into it expectantly. Prince owns those opening seconds, and the 48 minutes which follow.
There are at least four solid singles on Musicology. The title track is a classic rump-shaker, nearly on a par with "Gett Off." "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance" could effortlessly segue into "Kiss." "Cinnamon Girl" has the psychedelic bop of "Raspberry Beret." And "Mr. Man" harks back to the societal ills Prince first addressed in "Sign O' The Times." But, time hasn't tempered his anger, diluted his joy nor lessened his gift for a solid pop hook.
Geoff Carter
Loretta Lynn (4 stars)
Van Lear Rose
Making a disc with a childhood idol on hard times is a rock-star perk. Bowie did it for Iggy Pop in the '70s. In the '80s, Springsteen did it for Gary "U.S." Bonds. And in the '90s, star producer Rick Rubin dedicated years to recording Johnny Cash. So, as shocking as it is to see them together, in retrospect it seems inevitable that Jack White, who has dedicated a White Stripes album to Loretta Lynn and covered one of her songs, would get the country singer back into the studio to make Van Lear Rose.
For her first new release in years, Lynn has written great songs filled with coal miners, cheating husbands and hard times, yet leavened with family, community and love. Her voice is powerful, young and fresh, but White is the driving force. His natural restraint and minimalist aesthetic yank Lynn from the Nashville strings and Conway Twitty duets of recent years and return her to a sound closer to the Honky Tonk of her youth. Not that this is a traditional country recording in any sense; White's backgrounds are decidedly more anarchic in intensity. As a result, Van Lear Rose is far more certain to satisfy White Stripes fans than those who love country.
Richard Abowitz