Prince tries hard to prove he once again has it. 3121 is ripe with sturdy songs with tactile hooks — the sensual “Incense and Candles” and the bump and grease of “Love” insinuate themselves like a mouse through a rattlesnake. Still, one can’t help but feel that 3121 is passé. There’s nothing here you haven’t heard before. And none of it stands up to classics like “Kiss” or “Let’s Go Crazy” or “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” No new ground is broken, and that used to be a Prince hallmark. It’s not impossible to reinvent your art in new and interesting ways past a certain point in life. Consider Kate Bush’s recent Aerial, which is both of-the-moment and timeless. She’s still the same Kate Bush of 1977’s The Kick Inside, but she’s not inextricably bound to her old sound and persona. Prince is. He may have killed on a recent Saturday Night Live, and overall 3121 isn’t a bad album. It’s just one that’s stuck in another time.
On the Web
Prince: http://www.npgmusicclub.com/
3121: http://www.3121.com/
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