Thou Shalt Dig the Funk, AKA Take on The Black Album

Itʼs here, itʼs here, ITʼS HERE!! Aaaaaaaaaah!!!! A.H.Mʼs first album review has arrived on the scene. Being able to get this out has been a long time coming, so without further ado, let me introduce you... to The Black Album, the intended tenth (later sixteenth) full-length courtesy of Minneapolis sound trailblazer/multi-instrumentalist Prince. 

Proof that having a supposed evil aura can be good.

Prince Rogers Nelson tinkered with a galaxy of styles and had a certain flamboyant air about him once dubbed transgressive. He would go under many monikers during his lifespan: The Kid; Joey Coco; The Artist; Alexander Nevermind; Camille; Jamie Starr, and then some. Purple Yoda was a prolific figure within the industry -- and holy hell, was he EVER. Using his own name along with countless sobriquets, he composed around 500 to 1,000+ tracks, whether they were delivered to the public or not. ...Can you say “archive panic”? 

For all his peculiarities, he remained dedicated to his craft, inspiring contemporaries both old and new along the way. He had an ear for production, genre dabbling and bridging rhythm and harmony which complemented an eye for aesthetics. The prestigious power Prince held will stay classic. Dig, if you will, the picture...

1958᠆2016. He served Charlie and Eddie Murphy blueberry pancakes. ...Yes, pancakes. They were good!

In the wake of the Revolutionʼs disbandment, Sign oʼ the Times dropped in 1987 to rapturous reception. Emphasizing stripped-down arrangements and minimalist production/mixing choices, the record was born out of three scrapped album concepts: a double album with the Revolution called Dream Factory; Camille, the eponymous debut in which Prince portrayed a feminine role; and the triple disc version of Crystal Ball. Scared by the potential blow to finances, Warner Bros. requested for the Purple One to transform the latter into two LPs -- a move that would mark the beginning of a notoriously bad dispute between Prince and his label. Given the circumstances behind SotT , itʼs incredible how well the finished product wound up being; of course, “well” is an understatement. Of the Prince recordings Iʼve listened to, this was a personal favorite front to back. His ninth studio outing was basically R&B perfection with huge pop rock and soul vibes, boasting several unforgettable cuts like “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”; “Slow Love”; “If I Was Your Girlfriend”; “Strange Relationship”; “The Cross”; “Adore”... Small wonder that Sign oʼ the Times went on to become not only one of Love Symbolʼs magnum opera, it was seen as one of the greatest full-lengths period. 

Which brings us to Lovese--- err, The Black Album. Known also as The Funk Bible, bearing in mind press releases and a hidden message, it attempted to ward off complaints about Princeʼs material getting increasingly pop-centric. Attackers were of the belief that he was losing his urban crowd, too. TBA represented the ever ravenous manʼs stab at organic funk  --  an influence in past works, yet never quite to this extent. The styleʼs at its most white hot on specific numbers such as the expansive instrumental composition “2 Nigs United 4 West Compton,” and then thereʼs “Rockhard in a Funky Place” which incorporated a lively horn section thanks to the combined efforts of Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss. On the same song, Camille stepped up to the mic and tossed in a lyrical gem midway that went a little like thus: “I just hate to see an erection go to waste.” To add, over the course of this coveted LPʼs runtime, Prince demonstrated a level of wickedness that couldnʼt be found anywhere else in his discography, best exemplified on “Bob George”. The title a fusion of Princeʼs old manager Bob Cavallo and critic Nelson George, the main draw of #5 was that it featured a pitch-shifted monologue via a character who massacres a hooker, then lays waste to the police. An... INTERESTING piece, so to speak, and I can imagine how nightmarish it was to hear in ʼ87. 

Thereʼs various theories revolving around the Purple Oneʼs decision to pull TBA a week before its original date. Among them was an epiphany he had -- brought on by being stoned out of his gourd -- and another was him feeling unsatisfied with the musical direction he was taking; he assumed he would die soon, and didnʼt want the project to be his last rodeo. Not even a full year after reaching this conclusion, Prince put out Lovesexy in TBAʼs stead, a much lighter-sounding affair that presented transparent spiritual vibes from its cover art alone. On the subject of the 1988 concoction, it included “When 2 R in Love,” an erotic ballad that was on the (*cough* real *cough*) predecessor -- which better suited Lovesexyʼs tracklist than TBAʼs, anyhow. Warner would release the item legally in ʼ94, albeit given a strict limited edition. 

The Black Album was a fascinating joint that stood out in Mr. Nelsonʼs already varied collection. Definitely a disjointed listen, what with the counter-intuitive hip hop parody “Dead on It” and the aforementioned “When 2 R in Love”ʼs placement, although it never came off dull to the ears. During those moments where the Spooky Electric grooves were on, boy were they ON. Bizarre; funny; raw; not to mention nuanced when you least expect it. The Black Album was a Prince creation through and through -- a slight edge over Lovesexy and on par with Around the World in a Day. Sunday school classes would be worth attending if churches blasted such a blasphemer.