By all counts, the most recent product of The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince suggests a return to the Prince of the 1980s. Building on the success of 2004's "Musicology" and consequent tour, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, making it Prince's first top album since 1989's "Batman" and first No.1 debut ever. Indeed, all signs point to a popular rebirth.
All signs, that is, except the album itself. Although clearly better than Prince's dismal albums of the mid-1990s, and more solid on the whole than "Musicology," "3121" is no more than a tiny taste of what Prince could potentially produce. Lacking cohesion, uniform quality, and most of the quirks that make us love Prince, "3121" falls short of greatness. The album kicks off to a funky start with the heavily effected "3121," a slow, intriguing introduction that invites the listener to come to "3121," the supposed address of Prince's apartment and sometime studio.
"It's gonna be so much fun, that's where the party be," promises Prince and friends over a guitar lick that is reminiscent of my old 56k modem. The quirky introduction soon gives way to one of the record's few standout tracks, "Lolita," hinting that the album may follow through on the lofty predictions of the title track. "Lolita" is a typical Prince jam; melding sexual overtones, call and answer, funk and dance with a killer chorus riff that promises to install itself in your head for days. As my favorite track of the disc, it is a sign that Prince can still rock with the best of them.
Mysteriously, Prince chooses to use the slow ballad "Te Amo Corazon" as the third track, which feels out of place in the upbeat first half of the album. "Te Amo Corazon," selected as the first single from the album, feels more like a B-side from Santana's "Supernatural" instead of a ballad from one of this generation's funk masters. It is definitely a groove killer that should have been placed toward the back end.
Batting cleanup for "3121" is the second single of the album, "Black Sweat," another pinnacle of the album. Built on drums, synths and claps, "Black Sweat" captures the spirit of what most of "3121" is trying to do, and finally puts it all together in one song. Unfortunately, it's just that. One song. Coupled with "Lolita," "Black Sweat" is enough to give most Prince fans hope that he will return to his form of old, but for the course "3121," that development never happens.
With many albums it is tempting to go through the record giving a song-by-song rundown and review to capture the entire album. With "3121" however, that desire disappears after the fourth track. Indeed, following "Black Sweat" is a sequence of eight mediocre and largely unremarkable songs that could have been produced by locking Shakira and Maroon 5 in a recording studio. Coming from most artists, these eight tracks, particularly "The Word," might represent an artistic stretch or growth. For Prince, especially considering the strong start of the album, they are a disappointment.
"3121" should not be condemned as a bad record. Instead, it should be viewed as a stop on the road of Prince's musical journey. Like "Musicology," "3121" shows that Prince still has it, but doesn't necessarily understand what he has. Both albums are missing something: passion.
On classic songs like "Kiss," "Darling Nikki" and "Erotic City," Prince drips sex and passion with no reservation. "You're a sinner, I don't care," he croons. "I just need your body baby." "Your dirty little Prince wanna grind." On "3121" Prince is older, more mature, and more ... bland. "Lolita" is a song about resisting temptation. "3121" eschews one night stands to talk about love and romance, a topic more fitting for a boy band than for a funk icon. "Black Sweat" itself acknowledges the problems of the album. "I don't want to take my clothes off," Prince complains, "but I do ... I got a job to do." Prince. Please. We want you to get naked and love it.
