Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Prince's star faded not long after he won emancipation from Warner Brothers in 1995, as he abandoned the mainstream so he could follow his whims however he liked. Which meant that he effectively started making records for nobody but himself, whether that meant triple-disc collections of new material or an all-instrumental smooth jazz album, and in short order, his fans started dwindling away to nothing but the hardcore, who themselves had their patience tried by such antics as Prince suing his own fanzine in the late '90s. It seemed that he was fated to permanently wander in the wilderness, making music for an ever more selective audience, until he suddenly decided in 2004 that he wanted to be back in the game, returning to the spotlight with acclaimed performances at the Grammys and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, announcing an all-hits tour, and releasing Musicology, his first major-label distributed album in five years. This flurry of activity suggests that Prince is treating this as an opportunity for a full-fledged comeback and, thankfully, he's seized this moment and delivered a vastly entertaining record. Unlike everything he's done since leaving Warner, Musicology doesn't alienate listeners; it's tight and lean, weighing in at 12 tracks and 47 minutes, yet that's still enough room for Prince to showcase his virtuoso versatility. He tries a little everything -- down and dirty funk jams, slow sensual grooves, and, happily, he revives the psychedelic pop of the mid-'80s with the deliriously catchy "Cinnamon Girl" -- but unlike on such overworked albums as Emancipation and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, it never feels like an attempt to dazzle or a series of stylistic exercises. That's because there's a clarity to his production -- dense, but never busy, proving once again that he's about the only musician who can make a one-man band sound as vibrant as a live nine-piece group -- and a focus to his writing that hasn't been heard in a long, long time. At its core, Musicology is essentially classicist Prince, as he makes a deliberate decision to play to all of his greatest strengths, but because it's been so long that he's made a record this confident and concise, it doesn't sound like a retreat. It sounds as if he's rediscovered his muse, which is quite a bit different than simply following his whims. Make no mistake, this isn't the second coming of Purple Rain or Sign 'o' the Times or even Parade -- in other words, it's not a masterpiece, more like a more confident and consistent Diamonds and Pearls without the hip-hop fixation -- but it's a strong album, one that impresses on the first listen and gets better with repeated plays. In short, it's the comeback that it was meant to be.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Chance Howard, Background Vocal - Candy Dulfer, Saxophone, Background Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Clare Fischer, Strings - Chance Howard, Background Vocal - Stokley Williams, Background Vocal - Kip Blackshire, Background Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Chance Howard, Background Vocal - Candy Dulfer, Background Vocal - Rhonda Smith, Background Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - MACEO PARKER, Horn - John Blackwell, Drums - Candy Dulfer, Horn - Greg Boyer, Horn
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - MACEO PARKER, Horn - John Blackwell, Drums - Candy Dulfer, Horn - Greg Boyer, Horn
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - MACEO PARKER, Horn - John Blackwell, Drums - Candy Dulfer, Horn - Greg Boyer, Horn
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - MACEO PARKER, Horn - Sheila E., Shaker - John Blackwell, Drums - Candy Dulfer, Background Vocal - Renato Neto, Keyboards - Rhonda Smith, Bass
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Prince, Composer, Lyricist, Producer, Arranger, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Album review
Prince's star faded not long after he won emancipation from Warner Brothers in 1995, as he abandoned the mainstream so he could follow his whims however he liked. Which meant that he effectively started making records for nobody but himself, whether that meant triple-disc collections of new material or an all-instrumental smooth jazz album, and in short order, his fans started dwindling away to nothing but the hardcore, who themselves had their patience tried by such antics as Prince suing his own fanzine in the late '90s. It seemed that he was fated to permanently wander in the wilderness, making music for an ever more selective audience, until he suddenly decided in 2004 that he wanted to be back in the game, returning to the spotlight with acclaimed performances at the Grammys and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, announcing an all-hits tour, and releasing Musicology, his first major-label distributed album in five years. This flurry of activity suggests that Prince is treating this as an opportunity for a full-fledged comeback and, thankfully, he's seized this moment and delivered a vastly entertaining record. Unlike everything he's done since leaving Warner, Musicology doesn't alienate listeners; it's tight and lean, weighing in at 12 tracks and 47 minutes, yet that's still enough room for Prince to showcase his virtuoso versatility. He tries a little everything -- down and dirty funk jams, slow sensual grooves, and, happily, he revives the psychedelic pop of the mid-'80s with the deliriously catchy "Cinnamon Girl" -- but unlike on such overworked albums as Emancipation and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, it never feels like an attempt to dazzle or a series of stylistic exercises. That's because there's a clarity to his production -- dense, but never busy, proving once again that he's about the only musician who can make a one-man band sound as vibrant as a live nine-piece group -- and a focus to his writing that hasn't been heard in a long, long time. At its core, Musicology is essentially classicist Prince, as he makes a deliberate decision to play to all of his greatest strengths, but because it's been so long that he's made a record this confident and concise, it doesn't sound like a retreat. It sounds as if he's rediscovered his muse, which is quite a bit different than simply following his whims. Make no mistake, this isn't the second coming of Purple Rain or Sign 'o' the Times or even Parade -- in other words, it's not a masterpiece, more like a more confident and consistent Diamonds and Pearls without the hip-hop fixation -- but it's a strong album, one that impresses on the first listen and gets better with repeated plays. In short, it's the comeback that it was meant to be.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:47:43
- Main artists: Prince
- Composer: Prince
- Label: Legacy Recordings
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Funk
(P) 2004 NPG Records, Inc. Manufactured and Distributed by Legacy Recordings
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.