When I first started full time work and received what I thought at the time was a very respectable wage packet, the very first thing I bought was Prince’s back catalogue on CD. I had all of the albums on tape, but with my new found means, I wanted to get bang up to date. I was a huge Prince fan, and one of the best concerts I have ever been to was when he played at Maine Road in 1992, and I still think ‘Purple Rain’ is one of the best songs ever written.

Now before I go any further, I must point out that if this review makes you want to buy the album, then ensure you buy ‘Musicology’ and not ‘Musicality’ by Martine McCutcheon, as she sold more copies of her album in week Prince released this than she had in the previous 6 months!!! Anyway, the album, is it any good, well read on and make up your own mind. Opening track ‘Musicology’ is a brilliant way to open. It is a funky track, and reminds me of some of the songs from his ‘Diamonds & Pearls’ album, or James Brown at his strutting best. It is sensual and very very sexy, in fact it virtually throbs in places, which is what Prince always did best. Many critics have said that now he is in his mid 40’s, he has lost the edge in terms of sexual themes in his song, but I disagree, as I feel it is just more subtle on this album than anything else he has released. This theme is carried on with ‘Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance’.

Prince has finally grown up with ‘The Marrying Kind’. Where he used to sing about having lots of non committal sex, he actually sings that if someone actually wanted lifelong commitment from him he wouldn’t run away. It is a rockier track than many on the album, which is a good choice, considering the subject matter would have made good ballad material., which is exactly what ‘If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life’ is, and the same goes for ‘On The Couch’. Anywhere else in the album, and it may have come across as bland, but with 2 songs to they give you the ideal opportunity to soak up the album.

Prince is back! This album is a collection of strong, well written, and well performed tracks, and harks back to the days when he was a force to be reckoned with. As with his best music in the past, he does not try to pigeonhole the album into a certain style, but mixes influences such as funk, R&B and good old pop music. I read in a review that it is remiscent of the magnificent ‘Sign O The Times’, but I will put my head on the block and say that it is actually better. Admittedly, it is nothing new and ground breaking, but that is not always what works. In case my view has not come across loud and clear, then I will reiterate that this is a tremendous album, and hopefully will draw back many of the old fans who, like me lost faith in him when he went off the rails. He is back to performing his music from the heart instead of trying to fit in with whatever is commercially successful at that given time.