Track Listing

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13026 in Music
• Released on: 2004-04-19
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Prince's Musicology--his first major-label release for some time--doesn't disappoint. Most of the songs are produced, arranged, composed and "per4med" by the artist himself, with the occasional musician chipping in here and there.

This complete control for the most part works to great effect but there are moments when it does dip into a mire of self-indulgence. The ballad "A Million Days" suffers from simply too much: too much fuzz guitar, too much "ooooooo" and way too much cheese--easily done with a slow song. Thankfully "Call My Name" doesn't follow the same route--Prince opts instead for the smooth soul that influenced latter-day artists such as D'Angelo.

The opener and title track is unabashed funk in a block-party style that the mainstream hasn't seen for many years. Namechecking Run DMC and Public Enemy while the music tips a nod to James Brown's backing band, the JBs, it already sounds like vintage rare groove. "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance" sounds most like a session from the Revolution days, with a party vibe expressed in funky guitars, electro stabs and warm synths.

Like most Prince albums, when Musicology is good, it's incredible--when it's not, it just sounds like some recluse mucking about on his own in a recording studio. Thankfully, most of the twelve tracks fit into the former section. --David Trueman

CD Description
After the experimental jazz funk of 2001's 'The Rainbow Children' and 2003' 'N.E.W.S.' Prince returns to normality with'Musicology'. The album mixes smooth funk, R&B, and rock, updating the style that made him a household name in the early Eighties. The single 'Musicology' is also included.

Customer Reviews

prince returns to rock and pop with musicology
after a number of years of jazz influenced albums released on the internet, prince returns to the mainstream with a knockout pop album in the style of his "gold experience" album from 1995.
...superb pop songs like "a million days" and "cinnamon girl" are some of the strongest songs he has released in years. strong prince ballads include "call my name" and "on the couch" are of course included.
...the funk is not forgotten with the brilliantly titled "illusion,coma,pimp and circumstance" and the title track "musicology"
...if you have been waiting for prince to return with a good ,solid pop album then wait no longer. this is a great return to what he does best.

Back in the mainstream
In the early 90s Prince albums seemed to become rather shallow and lacksoul for want of a better word. His more recent releases have been deeper,jazzier affairs - good music, but not really commercial. Musicology fallsneatly between the two - a decent album, with soul, a slab of funk andsome rockier numbers - with a full commercial release.
Track-by-track - It starts in a classic funk groove with Musicology.Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance is again funky, but with a nod to themodern urban sound. The 'songs' start with A Million Days which has alittle of that 'anthem' style heard in his 90s work, but it works. Life'O' Party returns to the ICP&C style, not a classic track, but enjoyable.With the funky party over, the lights go down with Call My Name - aclassic Prince ballad, a carefully crafted song and the next singlejudging by the sticker on the album. Cinnamon Girl is political and hencerocks it a little, like The Marrying Kind, which at times is slightlyreminiscent of the Purple Rain era. If I Was The Man in Your Lifecontinues in a similar vein. In between is What do u want me 2 do, alovely quirky number with a catchy chorus and great music. On the Couchhas a real old soul feel, demonstrating again how Prince can turn his handto most musical styles. Dear Mr Man is a decent laid back lyrical tunewith some nice horns and guitar. It stays laid back for the final track,Reflection (thankfully not one of those Queen style rock anthems seen inthe 90s) but a cool, classic Prince song which ends leaving you wantingmore.
Musicology is the most commercial, accessible and consistent Prince albumfor an age - with a mix of styles as always. As with all his recent albumsthe musicianship is exemplary - also worth a session with the headphonesto make sure you hear all that is going on in the production. Prince isback in the mainstream - but fanatics knew he'd never gone away, it wasjust a matter of time.

I am hereby banning the phrase 'Return to Form'.
Fact - the last four or five Prince albums have been shocking. Reviews on this site, however, have heralded a triumphant return to form in each one (can they all be a return to form?!)

I beg to differ. While I sympathise with fellow die-hard Prince fans who really want to believe, like me, that the little purple chappie still has it in him, I cannot accept that churning out this kind of mediocre strangeness constitutes a return to form.

Musicology isn't bad, it's just not worthy of sitting on the same same shelf as Sign of the Times, Lovesexy or anything earlier. The tracks on this latest effort nod at some old classics, but in doing so draw attention to their own shortcomings. The title track is strangely reminiscent of 'Sexy MF', which at the time stood out as a bad song on a half-decent album. 'Life of the Party' is a 'Housequake' for the new millenium, but hardly compares. 'Cinnamon Girl' is awful, and the intro to 'If Eye' is a retreat to the worst excesses of vocal self-indulgence since 'Solo'. A couple of others would have been at home on the 'Chaos and Disorder' album, but I could believe they were out-takes.

Tracks 2 and 11 are excellent, and should be played on repeat until you die.

As with 'The Rainbow Children', Prince has chucked in a couple of ironic references to his dwindling fan-base ('He don't play the hits no more, plus I thought he was gay / my voice is getting higher and I ain't never had my nose done'). To me though, the problem with this album and the previous five is not the change in direction - look at REM, Primal Scream, Kylie, even (dare I say it) Tom Jones, who have all re-invented successfully over the years - but the fact that the end result just isn't that good any more.

Happily, Sony has beaten a few of the more irritating idiosyncracies out of the be-purpled one. I am delighted to report that there is none of that ridiculous 33rpm voice (which was perfect on the Black Album's Bob George but crass on everything since) or the scripted comedy scenes between tracks that plagued a lot of the late NPG stuff and, more lately, the Rainbow Children.

This is a passable album, but is not a return to form, and I don't think there will be one now. Stop your Prince collection at Chaos and Disorder. Having said that I will continue to buy eagerly (and then be disappointed by) everything he ever releases .. and perhaps that's what upsets me.