at a glance...

Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
First recordings: 1976

Members:
The Artist -songwriting, vocals, many many instruments
Prince -producer
Maceo Parker -saxophone
Chuck D. -rap
Eve -rap
Sheryl Crow -songwriting, vocals
Ani DiFranco -guitar
Gwen Stefani -vocals

Bands in the family :
Prince and the Revolution, New Power Generation, The Time, Wendy & Lisa, Vanity 6, Sheena Easton, George Clinton, Tevin Campbell, Mavis Staples, Sheila E., Madonna, Chaka Khan, Sinead O'Connor, Larry Graham

My rule is that I listen to an album five times before I make any kind of decisions about it one way or another. This review is a chronicle of those five times.

#1: Liked the production work, which is credited to "Prince" and thank God, because there are rough edges here that I haven't heard since I can't remember when. Liked some of the songs at the beginning but got a little skeevy toward the end; attention span problems, you know, diapers and bills and stuff. Neutral.

#2: Hated it. Disappointed all the way through. All the self-pity and self-aggrandizement. All the songs that seem like I've heard them before ("Prettyman" = "Sexy M.F.," "Tangerine" = "Soul Sanctuary" + "Tambourine," mix and repeat)! All the Gwen Stefani and Sheryl Crow! Damn! It's a travesty!

#3: Still kinda hated it, but remembered about the whole Sheila E./Sheena Easton thing, so what the hell on Stefani and Crow. Also realized that Eve's rap on "Hot Wit U" is pretty great: "Tryin' to turn me on/I never had this, so stop this/I'm supposed to tremble cuz they call you the Artist?" Oh yeah, and I kind of like some of the later stuff now, like "Silly Game" and "Strange but True." Maybe hate is a little bit strong.

#4: This album opened up to me like an ocean of violets in bloom. I was able to put aside all my Prince vs. The Artist baggage, all the "where does it fit in the pantheon" and "what kind of statement is he making" stuff, and just listen. No, it's not 1999 or Purple Rain or even my favorite, Around the World in a Day, but it's really quite beautiful and funny and true, and "I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore" should have been on Sign 'O' the Times. His guitar work is always impeccable, his vocals have never been less than amazing, his sense of what kick-starts a song seems to be back on track. Wow.

#5: Yep, I still like it a whole lot. It's his best work of the '90s, and some of these songs are real keepers, if you can listen with an open heart and not with your "I wish this was Dirty Mind Revisited" head on. He's back, baby, and he is pretty.