Rating – 3 1/2 stars out of 5
In 2010, Prince got together with Tal Wilkenfeld, Chris Coleman along with NPG singers, Liv Warfield, Shelby Johnson and Elisa Fiorillo (and others) to record an album. Eventually they produced twelve songs which spoke about sensitive topics such as racism, politics, exploitation and disinformation. Then it was mysteriously shelved for over a decade. Some say that it was due to the fact that they couldn’t go out on the road with the same group that created the album or perhaps Prince himself just wasn’t done tweaking it. But in the vault it went until this year when it was released by the Prince Estate.
One always wonders when an posthumous album is released, is it any darn good? After all, it wasn’t being handled by Prince directly for the very last bit, it’s a production crew. Even if they understand the artist (which obviously they do), there is a still a hanging of doubt over any record like this. The short answer, it is good but in my mind there are some editing/mixing that could have made this tighter. Also, it really detracts when the title song is arguably the worst song on the album. Let’s proceed.
Track 1: Welcome 2 America (5:23) –
From the opening notes, the song has promise of a funky beat. What actually follows are some spoken lyrics about the issues of America. We get a lot of pop culture references that are at least still relevant today but the manner in which it is delivered reeks of Dot’s Poetry Corner without a bit of humor at the end. It’s preachy and not even all that entertaining.
Track 2: Running Game (Son of a Slave Master) (4:05) –
Wait a second, there is a riff in here which sounds similar to the theme from Nightmare on Elm Street. I’m really not kidding. It’s a decent song and certainly better than W2A but the subject matter isn’t likely to incite any sort of regular replay.
Track 3: Born 2 Die (5:03) –
She’s a bad girl… This checks off all the boxes for recognizable Prince songs. It’s fun, sticks in your mind and comes out in random conversations accidentally. Getcha Getcha…so high so high. The outro also doesn’t overstay it’s welcome with an entertaining conversation bit at the end. Probably my 2nd favorite song of the album.
Track 4: 1000 Light Years from Here (5:46) –
The buildup is nice and the lyrics deliver but the chorus is unfortunately just okay. I know it sounds odd, but a Thousand Light Years from Here would have sounded better. By making specific mention to say ONE Thousand, it sounds like you are measuring. The song is intended to be abstract, not specific. The ending is also a little jumbled and not repetitive in a good way.
Track 5: Hot Summer (3:32) –
This was meant to be the album’s first single. This is also more of a rock song calling back the 50’s and 60’s in its initial beat. Basically, it’s a beach song in every sense of the word. Right down to the shedoubie. It’s decent, but it’s almost candy coated in its appeal. In an album that’s supposed to a grand heaping of substance and thoughtful lyrics, we get a song that sounds like Ode to Beach Boys. Just odd.
Track 6: Stand Up and B Strong (5:18) –
Piano, yes! I always get excited when Prince busts out keys. Again, it starts out strong but the “group” singing brings it down considerably. It’s a “rise above” type song that does its task of instilling feelings in the listener. Keyboards set to “organ” (which brings up memories of my grandparents on my dad’s side) makes an appearance at the bridge and shortly after before switching back to a dominant guitar. I certainly like it, but it’s not breeding a ton of emotion.
Track 7: Check the Record (3:28) –
Two seconds in, I’m absolutely hooked. A little bit of innuendo, lots of flash, this song screams back to Prince’s classics of the 80’s and is dripping with sexuality. Such a fun song, and I will be listening to this one into perpetuity. Probably doesn’t really fit in the album theme either, but it’s such an awesome song I’ll let this one slide. Favorite of the album easily.
Track 8: Same Page Different Book (4:41) –
Finger snapping, I really like the harmonies in this one. Yes there is a message in this one obviously, but it hits the right tone and it splits the line between entertaining but still rich in its lyrics. For some reason, I’m seriously channeling the David Lee Roth song right now, Two Fools a Minute musically (obviously not lyrically) right down to Prince talking at the end. It’s a shame this wasn’t the last song, it could have gone on for another minute and it would have been a much better outro than what we got. Probably my third favorite.
Track 9: When She Comes (4:46) –
Back to a little piano, a little slow guitar. This is a curiously wonderful tune right down to the much beloved Prince falsetto. How can you not like a song by Prince about a woman’s orgasm? I mean seriously, what is there to hate? This one grows on you too (pun aside) and might end up breaking my top three (it’s neck and neck with the previous track).
Track 10: 1010 (Rin Tin Tin) (4:42) –
This was the only song on the album I believe to be done all by Prince without help from Tal Wilkenfeld or Chris Coleman. It has a couple of dated references to the Lone Ranger and Rin Tin Tin and isn’t really catchy or all that interesting. I could take or leave this one as it’s placement on the album is very representative of how forgetful it is.
Track 11: Yes (2:56) –
No. No. Dear God No. The overall message, yes. The instruments, yeah. But the delivery, tone, and pretty much anything else, an emphatic no. There is a reason this song is only three minutes long, yes. Let’s move on to the next and last song, yes.
Track 12: One Day We Will All B Free (4:41) –
It’s easy to see why this is the outro track (though I would have preferred Track 8 as mentioned previously). It goes hand in hand with the other “message” tracks and tries to present an uplifting message to finish out the record. The George Washington bit didn’t really hit home for me, but I can see what he was trying to say.
The album is the very definition of a mixed bag. It’s mostly good and has some real standouts like Check the Record, Born 2 Die, Same Page Different Book and When She Comes but then there are some dismal ones like Welcome 2 America, Yes and 1010. The rest of the songs fit in the “I Like It” but I probably won’t seek them out unless I’m listening to the album from 1 to 12. This record is unfortunately for Prince purists only and that’s the only recommendation I can really provide. Enjoy.
