|
Crystal Ball
03/03/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Steven Benaquist
Prince is back. His monumental four-disc album, Crystal Ball, is a more diverse and stunning album than he's released in years. For fans that have lost interest in the Artist's output, this album brings back much of the fun and funk of his '80s material, while still mixing them with new ingredients. Many of the songs on this collection have sat on shelves for more than 10 years; these outtakes, jam sessions and other curios fill in the spaces and gives the listener an idea of how Prince works. The fourth disc is entirely new, however, and features the Artist accompanied only by guitar for the most part, for a sound that's very stripped-down and heartfelt. It's refreshing to hear this notorious perfectionist in a rawer, less produced state, although most everything here is still polished enough for radio. One exception is the gritty, funktational "Cloreen Bacon Skin," a 15-minute jam of just bass, drums and Prince ad-libbing in a husky, unbalanced voice. If when contemplating picking up Crystal Ball, you are daunted by the price or the number of discs, remind yourself how long you have wanted Prince to put out something great again. This is an outstanding album, his best in several years, well worth the price and the time.
|
