Prince’s “20TEN” … the SPB review
by Scott Poulson-Bryant
“My reputation precedes me/Call it a ‘claim to fame…’” ~ Prince, “Beginning Endlessly,” from 20TEN
Did you know that you can actually buy the 80s Prince drum sound? From places like here and here?
To be frank, I miss the creativity of Prince’s use of that rigidly rhythmic drop-kick of the early Linn-drum. There was something comforting in the way it introduced some songs and tricked up the backbeat of others, propping up the funk one minute (like “Kiss”) or rocking hard the next (like “Let’s Go Crazy”). Add the soaring and space-commanding keyboard work, and it was clear that Prince was doing nothing less than re-arranging the way pop/r&b/rock was supposed to sound on the radio and in clubs and concert halls. He’d had the ability to will music into his own distinct sound.
I haven’t played a lot of Prince’s recent music. Unlike him, I guess I was stuck in the past, reveling in the beauty and passion and ground-building of those early days. Sure, he was good for a great tune on some of those records, and as an artist he has every right to move beyond the sounds that made him famous, rich, popular, and my favorite artist. But I often felt as if he was either trying too hard to be relevant or legendary or contrary. I’m sad to say I just didn’t want to pay attention again. Then I heard 20TEN, and it feels odd to say: Only Prince would release his best, most consistent album in a while, for free in a European newspaper.
So this is a very selfish piece of writing. I got what I’ve wanted from Prince for a long time, a blast from the past that manages not to sound like a retread or placeholder. And I like it. So stop reading now, unless you just wanna hear the musings of a lifetime Prince fan who finds himself jamming to supposedly “lesser” Prince like Lovesexy and Batman almost as often as the standard-approved “great” Prince albums—and who prefers his Prince in full-on 80s/Linn-drum/vocal distortion/playtime mode.
Here’s what I’m not going to write about 20TEN: I’m not going to call it the best Prince record since The Gold Experience or The Symbol Album or Lovesexy or Sign ‘O’ the Times.
I’m not going to suggest that Prince has found his form again.
What I am going to write is this: If someone had given me this album to listen to and asked me my opinion of it as a piece of pop music this is what I’d say: Damn, this shit is good: It’s fun, topical, I can dance to the hot songs and might wanna fuck to the slow ones if I had someone to hook up with. I’d say, damn, these are some sturdy-as-fuck, sexy-ass, smart tunes, and gee, that Linn drum-machine sound is a real throwback to some 80s funk-pop that sticks in your mind, to quote one of the songs, “like glue.”
Read the Full Review at Scott Topics
by Scott Poulson-Bryant
“My reputation precedes me/Call it a ‘claim to fame…’” ~ Prince, “Beginning Endlessly,” from 20TEN
Did you know that you can actually buy the 80s Prince drum sound? From places like here and here?
To be frank, I miss the creativity of Prince’s use of that rigidly rhythmic drop-kick of the early Linn-drum. There was something comforting in the way it introduced some songs and tricked up the backbeat of others, propping up the funk one minute (like “Kiss”) or rocking hard the next (like “Let’s Go Crazy”). Add the soaring and space-commanding keyboard work, and it was clear that Prince was doing nothing less than re-arranging the way pop/r&b/rock was supposed to sound on the radio and in clubs and concert halls. He’d had the ability to will music into his own distinct sound.
I haven’t played a lot of Prince’s recent music. Unlike him, I guess I was stuck in the past, reveling in the beauty and passion and ground-building of those early days. Sure, he was good for a great tune on some of those records, and as an artist he has every right to move beyond the sounds that made him famous, rich, popular, and my favorite artist. But I often felt as if he was either trying too hard to be relevant or legendary or contrary. I’m sad to say I just didn’t want to pay attention again. Then I heard 20TEN, and it feels odd to say: Only Prince would release his best, most consistent album in a while, for free in a European newspaper.
So this is a very selfish piece of writing. I got what I’ve wanted from Prince for a long time, a blast from the past that manages not to sound like a retread or placeholder. And I like it. So stop reading now, unless you just wanna hear the musings of a lifetime Prince fan who finds himself jamming to supposedly “lesser” Prince like Lovesexy and Batman almost as often as the standard-approved “great” Prince albums—and who prefers his Prince in full-on 80s/Linn-drum/vocal distortion/playtime mode.
Here’s what I’m not going to write about 20TEN: I’m not going to call it the best Prince record since The Gold Experience or The Symbol Album or Lovesexy or Sign ‘O’ the Times.
I’m not going to suggest that Prince has found his form again.
What I am going to write is this: If someone had given me this album to listen to and asked me my opinion of it as a piece of pop music this is what I’d say: Damn, this shit is good: It’s fun, topical, I can dance to the hot songs and might wanna fuck to the slow ones if I had someone to hook up with. I’d say, damn, these are some sturdy-as-fuck, sexy-ass, smart tunes, and gee, that Linn drum-machine sound is a real throwback to some 80s funk-pop that sticks in your mind, to quote one of the songs, “like glue.”
Read the Full Review at Scott Topics
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