MGF Reviews Prince – LOtUSFLOW3R

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Prince – LOtUSFLOW3R/MPLSoUND/Elixer [3-CD set]
NPG Records (3/24/09)
Rock / R&B / Soul / Dance

I’m not even going to bother rehashing the quirky and flamboyant details of the personality that makes up Prince; his new release consists of a three-album package, so no time for a Jacko-esque weirdness report.

Do you like major record labels? Prince doesn’t, and has abandoned them fully on his current release. He left Warner Brothers in the mid-’90s and although operating with no long-term deal, his last couple of records have had major distribution. But you can only get the new record on his Web site www.LOtUSFLOW3R.com, or head out to your local Target (the only retailer to offer the release) for a copy that you can put your hands on for a death-to-record-label price of $11.98 for all three discs.

The first album, LOtUSFLOW3R, is a guitar-driven, funky bunch of tunes that will instantly make you think that either Jimi Hendrix is playing as a scorching featured artist or Eddie Hazel and Funkadelic just released some new material. Prince dials up the distortion and wears out his wah-wah pedal on this set, the nucleus of which sounds like it could have been recorded live.

Album opener “From The Lotus” starts out with some swirling electronic feedback and noise that can be compared to a modern version of Hendrix’s Axis: Bold as Love opener, “EXP”. “Boom” is carried along by a slow, choppy, wah and distortion-soaked riff with some lively, funk chord interplay. The bass-melody driven “The Morning After” is upbeat and catchy, sounding very Monkees-esque with the Wurlitzer organ piping in the background, playing against layered harmony vocals. “Colonized Mind” has a very spacey feel and is reminiscent of Hendrix’s take on “All Along the Watchtower”, with less urgency because of its slower, funk-based rhythm section. The vocal effects are very cool on this gem and the harmony lead, with its reverb and uni-vibe swirls, might conjure up memories of “Little Wing”.

The funkiest number on LOtUSFLOW3R, though, is “Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful”, as it’s James Brown all-the-way: in-the-pocket bass and drums, funky chunky guitar riffs, peppered horn-play and crazy vocal shrieks. The only thing missing here is the visual of Brown’s footwork. “Love Like Jazz” goes through an instrumental, light-jazz transformation in the beginning and then turns it around into mellow, classic rock reminiscent of Spirit and Todd Rundgren. And one of the biggest Hendrix comparisons on this album can be found on “Wall of Berlin”. The bass riff and drum beats are almost identical to that of Jimi’s “Fire”, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Prince lays down a very good lead at the bridge, sounding like Hendrix with modern equipment.

By the time “Dreamer” comes along, it’s evident that Prince must have changed the batteries in his wah pedal at least a dozen times. Complete with heavy guitar riffs and grooves, there is also a face-melting solo at the back end of this one. “…Back 2 the Lotus” is the last track and definitely has light, jazz-rock overtones with a John Bonham beat and Joe Satriani-caliber guitar playing. No vocals here; just spoken words, some heavy breathing and an ending that takes it back to “EXP”. Michael Bland, Greg Boyer, Renato Neto and Maceo Parker should be noted as players on this album for some outstanding performances. This first record is definitely for the rockers of the house and doesn’t include any rump shakers or club jams.

MPLSoUND, on the other hand, is back to old-school, radio-hit Prince, with all the tracks being penned for the dance-club crowd. Not only is he doing all the writing and playing here, but he’s also arranger, engineer, producer, programmer and indian chief. “(There’ll Never B) Another Like Me” with its very funky and catchy beat is destined to become a club hit, featuring irresistible, digital modern grooves and some silky-smooth vocals. Another gem is “Chocolate Box”; with its main, menacing riff, filled with dramatic tension, it takes a turn featuring a chorus similar to “Mickey” and enough dubbed moaning to make you wish you were invited to the party.

“Dance for Me” is vintage Prince, with hand claps and ’80s synths, while “U’re Gonna C Me” is one of the few tracks that can be passed over. Uninspired, this ballad is typical modern R&B blandness topped with lyrical cheese. The much buzzed-about Salma Hayek tribute, “Valentina”, is a funky tune with easy doses of modern electronic music, though a wicked, Santana-inspired lead really makes this star shine. And good vocals and songwriting really help out the slow ballad, “Better With Time”.

“Every once in a while you need some ol’ school company.”

This is what Prince playfully urges to his fans on “Ol’ Skool Company”. One of the best cuts on MPLSoUND, it’s just spilling over with vintage synths, funky guitar riffs and a driving groove. The last song, “No More Candy 4 U” has a Vegas-like carnival feel that I just couldn’t get into no matter what I mixed together from my medicine cabinet. It has a weird, thirty-second interlude which I thought was cool, but you can definitely hit the stop button after that.

The third album of the set, Elixer, was written and produced by Prince for his new protégé, Bria Valente. While it likely won’t become a blockbuster hit, it does have its fair share of hooks and moments. Bria’s voice is beautiful and sensual, occasionally being backed by Prince himself. The songs on her album range from R&B and soul to modern funk and dance-club. A couple tracks have an acid-jazz/electro-lounge quality to them, not unlike the Supreme Beings of Leisure, while track two, “All This Love”, is very similar to Stevie Wonder’s “Too High”, off his classic Innervisions album. All and all, while it may not include any radio hits, most of the selections on Elixer are good and deserve to be given a chance.

No matter what style of music of his you prefer, if you’re a Prince fan, there will be something in this collection for you. And for around $12 for all three CDs, this may be the closest thing to a real bargain you get your hands on this year.

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