I think on day 1 of this series, mentioned that Prince's LOTUSFLOW3R release would be the lone exception to my "no new music for a month" vow.
It is interesting to note that Prince did a similar trick back when he split with Warner Bros., with the release of the Emancipation album. Each of these releases are 3 discs with distinct themes. In the case of Emancipation, each disc is 60 minutes, and the separation is more thematic than sonic. Disc 1 was full of party/pop songs, the second love songs, and the third was funk music that often related to the theme of freedom.
All of this was perhaps the hungriest thing Prince did in the 90s - it was at least as ambitious as his Love Symbol album (featuring the hit "7," a video that is a must-see for its literalism, but I can't find it), but much more inflected with hip-hop. The album as a whole showcased a Prince who was lost in the hip-hop landscape of the 90s, but in love with a wife and looking to prove he was still as shocking and dirty as ever.
I bring this up because it is through this lens that I see LOTUSFLOW3R. In 2009, we have Prince the Jehovah's Witness, a man who has performed at the Superbowl halftime show and exorcised the swearing from his setlists, but seemingly much more at peace with his place in the pop landscape. He's not an innovator, anymore; he's a seasoned vet who makes tasteful albums that don't enhance or detract from his legacy. As such, LOTUSFLOW3R as a whole is less ambitious, yet each separate album is more consistent than any on Emancipation.
LOTUSFLOW3R, the disc, is a guitar-heavy rock album that best shows the chops that Prince often shows off in concert. It's a dream for a long-time fan, since Prince albums aside from Purple Rain tend to be very synthesizer or horn-heavy, working on setting up a groove rather than showing off his instrumental prowess. MPLSOUND is a funk-heavy disc made of synthesized instrumentation like the albums early in his career. "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" and "Chocolate Box" kick things off with a fantastic 1-2 punch. The slower moments are less interesting, but it works as an overall success.
The real wild card of the set, then, is the debut of his latest protege, Bria Valente, Elixer This album is meant to be sensual, somewhat jazzy and very R&B-oriented. It is only slightly less effective than MLPSOUND, which has songs that are more distinctive. If there is one criticism that can be used against the purple one, it's that his use of proteges manage to reduce them to little more than a vessel for his creative energies. For every song on Elixer, one can imagine Prince singing the lyrics in exactly the same tone, with the same delivery. The album echoes the second disc of Emancipation, with songs as a window into domestic bliss, but with more of a focus on monogamy than parenthood (his own son died a week after birth in 1996).
While most of the artists of the 60s and 70s suffered through an awkward 80s (I'm looking at you, Dylan and Bowie), Prince suffered through an awkward 90s, trying on trends, living much of the decade with a symbol for a name, even doing a Santana-esque "comeback" album full of guest stars. Here, he is in full control of his destiny and his legacy. He's left his audacious plans to his live shows (often with multi-night stints at the same venue, a series of conceptual concerts, the Super Bowl, etc.), leaving the music to be occasionally bland but genial and pleasant. The LOTUSFLOW3R disc is some of the most challenging and dynamic music he's recorded in years, though, maybe since the first half of 3121, if not since his Jehovah's Witness jazz romp, The Rainbow Children. The 00s have found Prince living comfortably, always on the verge of something truly great.
And I mean that as a high compliment.
It is interesting to note that Prince did a similar trick back when he split with Warner Bros., with the release of the Emancipation album. Each of these releases are 3 discs with distinct themes. In the case of Emancipation, each disc is 60 minutes, and the separation is more thematic than sonic. Disc 1 was full of party/pop songs, the second love songs, and the third was funk music that often related to the theme of freedom.
All of this was perhaps the hungriest thing Prince did in the 90s - it was at least as ambitious as his Love Symbol album (featuring the hit "7," a video that is a must-see for its literalism, but I can't find it), but much more inflected with hip-hop. The album as a whole showcased a Prince who was lost in the hip-hop landscape of the 90s, but in love with a wife and looking to prove he was still as shocking and dirty as ever.
I bring this up because it is through this lens that I see LOTUSFLOW3R. In 2009, we have Prince the Jehovah's Witness, a man who has performed at the Superbowl halftime show and exorcised the swearing from his setlists, but seemingly much more at peace with his place in the pop landscape. He's not an innovator, anymore; he's a seasoned vet who makes tasteful albums that don't enhance or detract from his legacy. As such, LOTUSFLOW3R as a whole is less ambitious, yet each separate album is more consistent than any on Emancipation.
LOTUSFLOW3R, the disc, is a guitar-heavy rock album that best shows the chops that Prince often shows off in concert. It's a dream for a long-time fan, since Prince albums aside from Purple Rain tend to be very synthesizer or horn-heavy, working on setting up a groove rather than showing off his instrumental prowess. MPLSOUND is a funk-heavy disc made of synthesized instrumentation like the albums early in his career. "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" and "Chocolate Box" kick things off with a fantastic 1-2 punch. The slower moments are less interesting, but it works as an overall success.
The real wild card of the set, then, is the debut of his latest protege, Bria Valente, Elixer This album is meant to be sensual, somewhat jazzy and very R&B-oriented. It is only slightly less effective than MLPSOUND, which has songs that are more distinctive. If there is one criticism that can be used against the purple one, it's that his use of proteges manage to reduce them to little more than a vessel for his creative energies. For every song on Elixer, one can imagine Prince singing the lyrics in exactly the same tone, with the same delivery. The album echoes the second disc of Emancipation, with songs as a window into domestic bliss, but with more of a focus on monogamy than parenthood (his own son died a week after birth in 1996).
While most of the artists of the 60s and 70s suffered through an awkward 80s (I'm looking at you, Dylan and Bowie), Prince suffered through an awkward 90s, trying on trends, living much of the decade with a symbol for a name, even doing a Santana-esque "comeback" album full of guest stars. Here, he is in full control of his destiny and his legacy. He's left his audacious plans to his live shows (often with multi-night stints at the same venue, a series of conceptual concerts, the Super Bowl, etc.), leaving the music to be occasionally bland but genial and pleasant. The LOTUSFLOW3R disc is some of the most challenging and dynamic music he's recorded in years, though, maybe since the first half of 3121, if not since his Jehovah's Witness jazz romp, The Rainbow Children. The 00s have found Prince living comfortably, always on the verge of something truly great.
And I mean that as a high compliment.
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