PRINCE & 3RDEYEGIRL
Composed, Produced, Arranged and Performed by Prince & 3rdEyeGirl
Prince: Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Hannah Ford Welton: Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Ida Nielsen: Vocals, Bass Guitar
Donna Grantis: Vocals, Guitars
Released September 30, 2014
Nearly a year and a half ago, I speculated on this site that perhaps the artist forever known as Prince just might have some very special musical gifts to bestow to us after an extremely lengthy spell. In fact, it has been four very long years since His Royal Badness has released an album, and even that album, "20Ten" (released July 10, 2010), given away for free in European Sunday newspapers, never saw the light of day here in the United States (aside from some inevitable internet leaks). For an artist who has been notoriously prolific and more than famous for constantly writing and recording new material all to be stockpiled in the mysterious vault in his Paisley Park compound, four years away honestly feels more like forty, especially for a Prince fanatic like myself.
Over this past year or so, Prince has been dropping a few hints of his activities as heard through the release of a few particularly strong internet singles as well as the formation of his new all female band, 3rdEyeGirl, a combo that has been receiving deliriously ecstatic reviews throughout their European live performances. All the while, Prince has also been teasing audiences with the potential of releasing new recorded material with 3rdEyeGirl and now, at long last, the results have arrived and it is a MONSTER!
"PLECTRUM ELECTRUM," the debut album from Prince & 3rdEye Girl, is far and away one of the very best albums that I have heard in 2014 and for a Prince fanatic like myself, it is precisely the album that I have been just waiting and waiting and waiting for him to make and just knew that he could pull off if he only set his mind to it. The album is highly reminiscent of his classic period from the 1980's not in sound but in regards to how this music is created and performed. Prince and 3rdEyeGirl roar through the album's 12 tracks with a wild, walloping abandon, spectacular musicianship and most importantly, a complete disregard for all musical trends that may surround it on the radio and in the record stores. For the first time, in an extremely long time, it sounds as if Prince is not only having fun again but he is creating the very full length works that would please his artistic soul first and foremost. And when he pleases himself, I feel that's when we hear the very best material he has to offer.
Unlike the bulk of our Auto Tune, Pro Tools culture, "PLECTRUM ELECTRUM" was recorded live in the studio to analog tape, save for some minor overdubs. What this means is that we are hearing music realized in its own universe, performed by four extremely agile, spiritually in tune and powerfully focused musicians facing each other down and just bashing it out triumphantly. It is as if the band sort of made a garage rock album although within the state of the art "garage" of Paisley Park.
You will undoubtedly hear the influences of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Cream throughout the album but I would also add in the massive influence of Funkadelic at their heaviest. Even so, this is indeed Prince we're talking about and this music is the very type that only he could make and he is clearly thrilled with collaborating and surrounding himself with a trio of younger and female energy. The effect has reinvigorated his musical spirit tremendously as his singing has delivered more urgency than it has in far too long and his peerless guitar heroics still showcase why he remains one of the very best guitarists on the planet. His six string fireworks on this album can pierce the clouds in the sky and blaze as brightly as the sun.
"PLECTRUM ELECTRUM" opens with the appropriately titled "WOW," and that word is truly what you will say to yourselves when this track explodes through your speakers. But first, it starts with a bit of a tease. "Hello/How R U?/U're lookin' so fine/No, it's true," Prince begins towards either an old flame which just may be all of listeners. "Remember the time we 1st met?" he continues and then builds upwards with, "Think that was good?/U ain't seen nothing yet..."
And then, Prince and 3rdEyeGirl take their guitars, bass and drums and ferociously scorch the sky and part the Red Sea.
After that explosive opening, "PLECTRUM ELECTRUM" continues over the course of the stomping swagger of "PRETZELBODYLOGIC," the feedback drenched "AINTTURNINROUND," and the jaw dropping instrumental title track during which Prince and flamethrower guitarist Donna Gratis trade blistering leads over a jazz/funk/fusion backdrop superbly held together by the sensational rhythm section of the fluidly liquid bassist Ida Nielsen and John Bonham-esque drummer/vocalist Hannah Ford Welton,
Those very dynamic rhythms come into play during the more musically diverse selections on the album which arrive in the slinky slow jam of "STOPTHISTRAIN" and deep funk hip-hop of "BOYTROUBLE," featuring the raps and vocals of Lizzo and Sophia Eris and Nielsen's rumbling, hip rolling bass guitar. On first listen, those two tracks sounded a smidge out of place and possibly even a tad slight to my ears, but subsequent listens have found me anticipating those two selections excitedly as they showcase the flexibility and versatility of the members of 3rdEyeGirl, necessary qualities to have in one is to ever attempt to play with Prince.
But please allow me to assure you, that despite all of the rock and roll volume and guitar hero fury, this is not an album without a certain substance for within all of the flawless flash, Prince and 3rdEyeGirl definitely present a propulsive collection of songs designed with messages of empowerment, salvation, and that specialized paisley injected positivity.
"WHITECAPS," a dreamy and more acoustic based song that is very reminiscent of Prince's collaborations with former bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman from The Revolution, utilizes the watery imagery as a metaphor for overcoming the obstacles of life, whether external or more importantly, internal. The equally tranquil "TICTACTOE," where the guitars reminded me of the shimmery sonic landscapes created by the Cocteau Twins of all bands, presents a lyrical conundrum as the band philosophizes, "Like a buncha blind people playing tic tac toe/Who knows where the zeros and the X's go?"
The roaring "FIXURLIFEUP" addresses sexism ("A girl with a guitar is 12 times better than another crazy band o' boys/Trying 2 B a star when u're just another brick in the misogynistic wall o' noise") and the importance of blazing one's own path regardless what the majority has to say. And the purple punk rock of the under two minute "MARZ," tackles the social ills of the 21st century with palpable fierceness ("Lost my job at Mickie D's/4 giving away 2 much food 4 free/But eye couldn't watch another Black child go 2 school.../With nothing 2 eat").
"PLECTRUM ELECTRUM" is gritty and glorious as it is an album that celebrates the communicative power that occurs when real musicians are playing real instruments together, joyously lost in the beauty of collaboration. Throughout the entire album, Prince graciously makes room for his bandmates and special guests as all of the women often trade or downright take the lead vocals from the man himself...something that he seems to be more than happy to allow as his musical partners have obviously given him a renewed sense of artistic purpose.
When Prince sings "Eye'm the greatest living soul u'll ever know" before launching into another downright EPIC guitar solo on the blazing "ANOTHERLOVE," we are all reminded of why we all fell in love with him in the first place as he is truly one whose mold will never be re-created. And drear readers and listeners, as terrific as "PLECTRUM ELECTRUM" is, it did not even begin to truly prepare me for what arrived next.
Stay tuned...
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