ART OFFICIAL AGE

Art Official is not only the best Prince album released in the 21st century, it is the best concept album of 2014. Critics have had mostly positive reviews of this album and younger people who were probably conceived somewhere between "Diamond and Pearls" and "The Gold Experience " are bumping tracks from this CD just as much as they are the latest Nicki Minaj tracks, so why has this album not received a single Grammy nomination? Rather try an make sense of the Grammy snub, I will go track by track and rate the high, middle and low points of this fabulous album. 1. Art Official Cage opens the album. The critics haven't been very kind to this track. I don't understand why. If you love to dance, this is a dance track. It is also proof that nobody mashes up musical styes as well as as Prince does. This song is pure funk crossed with electronica/dubstep. I give this track three out of five stars. It is a solid dance track. 2.Clouds, the album's second track and one of it's best. If ever there was a song that had its finger on the pulse of today's society, it's this one. The song is a lament over the lack of intimacy, subtlety , and reality in a personal relationships in today's social media driven society. Along with thought provoking lyrics, there is the amazing beat. This song is Prince at his absolute best. Five out of five stars. 3 The Breakdown slows the album down. This is a very touching and personal tune about figuring out one's priorities. Five out of five stars. 4. The Gold Standard immediately took me back to 1987. Is this a Black Album, or LoveSexy outtake that's been sitting around in the vault waiting to see the light of day???? If not , Prince has managed to recapture the spirit of that era, and still have it sound fresh thanks to some awesome production work by Joshua Weldon. Again Five out of Five stars. 5. U Know. My nieces and nephews are Lil Wayne , Nicki Minaj. and Drake maniacs who have little interest in older artists. They love this track. My 9 year old nephew became a fan and wanted to hear the rest of my collection after hearing this one song. I don't know if this can be classified as rap or what; it's simply an amazing song to jam to. Five out of Five stars. 6.Breakfast Can Wait was released last year and became one of Rolling Stone's top 50 songs of the year and it deserved to be. The baseline and drums on this track is sickening. If there is a low point at all, It has to be the high pitched , duck voice that takes over close to the end of the track. A polarizing element indeed, some critics love it, while others like me can't stand it. Three out of five stars. 7. This Could Be Us proves that very few people can write , produce and sing a ballad quite like Prince. I put this song in the same class as Adore,The Beautiful Ones, The One,and Insatiable as definitive and extraordinary Prince Ballads. Five out of Five Stars. 8.What it Feels Lie is the most pop sounding track of this Rnb and Funk driven album. It is a duet with the beautiful and talented Andy Allo. This is probably the least complex track on the cd. It's not bad, but it doesn't pack the same wallop as the tracks that follow and precede. It's like "It" on Sign O the Times or" Walk Don't Walk" on Diamonds and Pearls; it's just there. Two out of five Stars 9.Affirmation I and II are just that ; affirmations. They challenge one to remove self centered words and thoughts from one's relationship. 10. Way Back Home. Another beautiful and personal track. This is the song I've listened to the most on the CD. This is the track that touches me the most. I can relate to a lot of what he is singing about. Five out of five stars. 11. Funk n Roll this version is so funky it makes your stomach hurt!! While many critics prefer the version from Plectrum Electrum, I find this version more appealing. This version relies more on Funk than roll (Rock). It is another dance gem that will make you get out of your seat and shake something. My one complaint about this song is shared by many critics, it does not flow well sequenced between Way Back Home and Time. Perhaps Prince should have closed the cd with this song or put it on as a hidden bonus track. Five out of five stars all the same. 12. Time is my second favorite song on this album. Andy Allo is featured on this one. Her amazing voice is much better showcased on this soulful, bluesy, funky, guitar jam. This song reminds me of one of those old juke joint tracks my dad used to play. Five out of Five stars. 13. Affirmation III ends the album. This track is basically a reprise of Way Back home and showcases the vocal of Lianne La Havas who is also featured on Clouds and Affirmation I and II. Overall this is one of the best albums of 2014. It is a concept album that focuses on Love , priority, loss , and regret and trying to process it all in a world that has become artificial through social media and the thirst for instant fame. I don't know what the Grammys was thinking, but then again many of its heavily nominated artist represent some of the very issues addressed in this album.

For decades now, Prince has not, in fans nor critics eyes, been able to live up to his golden age of the 1980s. As a huge fan, I was excited to hear what he had to offer no matter what. The last and most recent "perfect" album I heard was Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience, Part 1. I wondered if Prince could still keep up. The answer is a resounding yes and beyond in terms of live performances, but what about with new music? Well, that's a yes too. He still has it. Going track-by-track, for the album in a whole is to be experienced that way. 1. Art Official Cage - I was a bit weary. It's up-tempo, and techno-like. I was reminded of Adam Lambert and wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. However, genius that Prince is, he's taking listeners on a journey through his music and lyrics. The track changes directions toward the end, after an "artificial" uninspired rap. At the 2:45 mark, the song does something interesting. The beat breaks down, the Prince guitar comes in. A voice pleads, "We need you to tell us what you know" and Prince repeats, mocking the plea. I WISH the whole track sounded like this. But just as it starts to get good, the track sounds like a toy whose battery is dying out. We all know Prince is a musical genius and we want him to show us this again. He KNOWS music. As fans, we are dying for him to "tell us what he knows!" or in other words, "Play/sing what you know. You know, the good stuff!" But as the track runs out of steam, dies and fades away...It's as if Prince's answer is "Not yet." Teasing us. So on to track 2 we are carried... 2. Clouds - Perhaps the teasing wasn't meant to last. We are going to get some good stuff! Prince's falsetto comes floating in, reassuring us, through the light, breezy, pretty, quirky vibe on this track. Later a voice tells Prince that he has been in "suspended animation" for 45 years. This album is taking place in the future, reflecting Prince's unconventional view of time. He is timeless. We all know that. We are treated to some timeless guitar playing toward the close of the song. Now that he has woken back up, what's in store? Should we be getting excited now? 3. Breakdown - At 56 years old, Prince's falsetto is still on point, sounding exactly as it did in the 1980s and making us think that maybe this man truly HAS been suspended in time. This is a beautiful rock ballad, with Prince lamenting about his past. The past where all outsiders thought he was in his prime, but he clearly thinks differently, singing "Give me back the time, you can keep the memories." This one will have you nodding your head along and wondering how can Prince be "broken down" when his voice hasn't aged a day. First time listening, I was sure this was a stand-out on the album...There also seems to be a subliminal message there. Prince is de-romanticizing his early days, and maybe asking us to do the same and focus on what he has to offer here, right now...(though for the man who made Purple Rain, this is easier said than done). 4. The Gold Standard - Reading the title, I thought this was going to be another version of the song "Gold", but I was wrong. This is an up-tempo dance track. Perhaps not as memorable as some of his previous classic dance tracks, but up to par with some of the more recent ones on albums such as "Musicology" and "3121." After a heavy and emotional song like "Breakdown", there was need to lighten the mood. 5. U Know - A beat sampled from Mila J (kudos to her, because you know you're doing alright when the Purple One uses a sample in his own music), Prince raps and sings over it, putting his own spin on it, and it is incredible! Prince is cool, creative, playful, toying with the verses (throwing in a cool backwards bit). The song is hypnotic, and most importantly, he sounds incredible. 6. Breakfast Can Wait - I think we all got a kick out of Prince playing off of Dave Chapelle's hilarious skit about Prince serving pancakes. We see that Prince does indeed have a playful side and whether it's about "Starfish and Coffee" or pancakes, he can make listenable, decent a song about anything. 7. This Could Be Us - A beautiful ballad with that trademark falsetto that everyone has imitated, from Usher, to Justin Timberlake, to Pharrell, to Robin Thicke, and on and on the list goes. This song is pretty, sensual, and features the trademark vocal acrobatics that pushed Prince to icon status. 8. What it Feels Like - A slow groove, that feels mid-tempo somehow. Hard to explain, you just have to listen to see what it feels like. It feels good. One of my favorites on the album after a couple of listens. 9. Way Back Home - (I'm skipping the "affirmations"). This song is so hauntingly beautiful. It's strange, abstract, bare, emotional...When you hear artists like Frank Ocean & Miguel reaching creatively trying to produce haunting melodies--they are aiming to create something like this. Prince shows how it's done. Toward the end of the song, he states "Power to the ones who can raise a child like me." Power indeed. 10. FunkNRoll - Just in case "Way Back Home" was too heavy for you, Prince lightens things up and brings the party back with FunkNRoll. Similar to "The Gold Standard" toward the front of the album, this is another dance track--still not on the level as the likes of the greats like "Let's Work" or "Let's Go Crazy", but still a decent effort. There's a fun twist at the end while Prince jams out while yelling "I don't really care what y'all be doing!" 11. TIME - "It's about time. About time." These lines open the track which is the reason this album gets 5 stars from me. Without this track, I'd give it 4. The star of the album, this is an INCREDIBLE track. It is hard to fathom why I love it so much. It's a duet that holds its own against fan favorites like "Take Me with You" and "Love Bizarre." Now, think of the sublime perfectly understated beat Prince created for the classic, "If I Was Ur Girlfriend." Now think of a song that somehow manages to be just as good, POSSIBLY BETTER. Well now, you're thinking of "Time." Remember the voice pleading, "We need you to tell us what you know"? Well, Prince has finally answered. He told us that he is STILL the musical genius he has always been. And while this album is full of good songs, imo, this is the one that stands the test of time against his former iconic hits. This track is not only my favorite on the album, but in just two days, it made its way up there as one of my all time favorite Prince songs. Well done, Mr. Nelson. It may be about time, but it was definitely worth the wait. And what an incredible talent Andy Allo is. Like Prince & Apollonia and Prince & Sheila E., Prince & Andy Allo are a golden pair when singing together. This is an instant classic. And perhaps Prince knows it, for the longest song on the album is also easily the best. I can only hope that this song is released on radio because it would definitely put Prince back on the top of the charts... 13. Affirmation III - I know I said I was skipping the affirmations, but there is something special and magical about this one. While Prince does not sing, he is all over the track. The music is absolutely gorgeous, bringing back the vibe of and reframe of "Way Back Home." It almost sounds as if it could have been background soundtrack music in the "Purple Rain" film. The voice speaking to him states that "There is really only one destination and that place is YOU." Hence, maybe Prince has indeed found his way back "home." And what a wonderful welcome back it is. Though Prince has already solidified his mark in history, I do believe this album will be one that stands out in the years to come as people discover its genius.

PRINCEの実質最終作。 最高！です。

Once again Prince delivers in every way, expanding his sound and still keeping his unique signature sound intact. Every track is magnificent in it's performance and creation, definitely a must have for any lovers of funk,rock, or r&b, or just anyone who loves good music and stunning production! The vinyl sounds warm and very fat, and is worth owning. Just buy it!

Tout est nickel colis reçu bien avant la date prévue Merci au livreur

disco vinile ben fatto, sia per qualità complessiva (packaging materiali) che per resa sonora. un concept album che non si vede e sente spesso, sonorità nuove e moderne, ma col classico animo del genio. per me un album eccezionale! ovviamente non è per tutti...da ascoltare più volte e riscoprirlo anche a distanza d tempo...!! consigliatissimo!

De entrada sorprende y no enamora pero hay algo que atrae. Conceptual y con múltiples registros, no es lo que parece tras la primera audición, es mucho mas complejo. Prince quiere quitarse las etiquetas de encima a toda costa y en parte lo consigue. A mi me sigue gustando mas el que acaba de sacar con las chicas 3RDEYEGIRL, este me resulta mas pomposo y por momentos pretencioso, pero no cabe duda que marcara el futuro próximo de la música soul. Menos funk, mas soul. Por momentos me parece suicida desde el punto de vista comercial, pero casi segundos después recupero el Prince mas comercial. Tengo claro que con el tiempo me gustara mas y sabremos de su importancia. Un disco desconcertante y demasiado elaborado. Justo lo contrario de PLECTRUMSPRECTUM . De momento encuentro cosas diferentes que ya es algo. PS. Tras cuatro días de escucha me reafirmo en lo dicho. El disco gana en cada audiencia, es mas complejo y enriquecedor. Tiene momentos increíbles y lo que es definitivo es que Prince ha decidido centrarse mas en lo electrónico que en las guitarras. Un nuevo Prince para años convulsos. Es cierto que todos esperábamos su lado mas oscuro pero él ha decidido decantarse por su lado mas luminoso. Lo correcto seria $ estrellas y media.