Prince. So rarely has an artist maintained such a curious veil of mystery and mystique, while simultaneously producing a body of work that remains singular to the individual; Prince makes Prince music and while often imitated, its rarely the genuine article. Putting aside the proven track record for the bizarre, the memorable oddities of a career highlight reel, and the unending penchant for borderline-dictatorship creative control- Prince is the genuine article in mind, body and (what we'd safely assume is an otherworldly) spirit.
Reuniting with Warner Bros Records after nearly 18 years of disconnect, Prince has returned with not one- BUT TWO full length albums to prove his venerable presence is an essential voice in modern music. Both "Art Official Age" and "Plectrumelectrum" (with his hip-chick protege trio, 3rdEyeGirl) flex Prince's patented flair for the fret-fused, pop-sensible, funk n' roll grooves, while still treading into uncharted territory for his royal badness. "Age" is an eclectic pop tryst with nuanced autotune and dance beats more akin to familiar radio RnB that one would expect from the man that once publicly bashed Top 40 tunesmiths. While his outing with 3rdEyeGirl proves naysayers that Prince can still shred with the best of them- mixed with the bass and bombast of an arena rock record, this is an interesting and arguably welcome detour from his usual frequencies.
Not to be outweighed by his past accomplishments, Prince seems to be in flux at the moment- redefining who is is as an artist TO THIS DAY.
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