Planet Earth Reviews

[unique]

DJ Bobby Friction reviews Planet Earth


Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction is a perfect example of the breadth of Prince's appeal - he was just seven when the star's first album came out, but is the station's biggest Prince fan.

When we asked him to review Planet Earth, he was nervous - would it live up to the hype?

After ten tracks, he was adamant: "This is a Prince fan's dream come true - he's on top form. You've got rock Prince, funky Prince, sexy Prince and pop Prince. It's his finest work in 13 years."

Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction was just seven when the star's first album came out, but is the station's biggest Prince fan


1.PLANET EARTH
Brilliant anthemic rock - and Prince is back on his guitar! The fans have been waiting for this for 20 years. This is a real mix- it's got the funky bass, cheesy-in-a-good-way keyboards,and that screaming Purple Rain guitar.

2. GUITAR
Sounds like he's been listening to the Killers. He's normally a rhythm guitarist but this is driving lead guitar. Listen to the melody: it's so instant. That's his skill. Nice and simple like AlphabetStreet. This is Prince at his best.

3. SOMEWHERE HERE ON EARTH
Slow, sensual jazz - sexy Prince. I prefer it when he does it in a jazzy way rather than R&B, and this is a great example of that. This album's shaping up to be his most commercial since PurpleRain.

4. THE ONE U WANNA C
You can see this being a big hit. It's got a country-ish, Midwest sound you don'tassociate with him.Itreminds me of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Manon Sign'O'The Times,which became one of his best-loved songs.

5. FUTURE BABY MAMA
Classic R&£038; B. A poor quality version of this was leaked on a website ahead of the CD so I've already heard this.It's very much Prince talking to his female fans: it's got that talky bit in the middle, like Barry White.When he does that live, the women start screaming.

6.MR GOOD NIGHT
Feel-good,semi-rapped soul.He sounds at peace with what he is: a 49-year-old man talking to his lover.He tried rap in the Nineties but it didn't work.But this is honest.

7. ALL THE MIDNIGHTS IN THE WORLD
A pianoled ray of sunshine, with Magic Numbers-style West Coast harmonies. He's talking about God and love in an earnest, positive way. Great piano. It's another Prince song that has an older man's sense of experience, and I like that.

8. CHELSEA RODGERS
Three words - ecstatic disco funk. Wow, I love this, it shows the Scissor Sisters who had the funk first. This is the sound of his earliest albums when he was influenced by Stevie Wonder and Chic. Listen to that bass and brass! This is going to be excellent live.

9. LION OF JUDAH I'm a Prince air-guitar-head and this sad, guitar-driven anthem is great. The opening chords sound just like the start of Purple Rain. It's got that thick tone he hasn't used since the mid-Eighties.He's a meticulous composer and arranger, and his muso side is obvious here.

10. RESOLUTION
Happy psychedelic pop - that hippy, Seventies sound is big on this album. It shows you've got a bit of everything. He's back to the top of his form in every field.

Catch Bobby on Radio 1 Tuesdays,midnight to 2am, and the Asian Network weeknights,10pm to 1am

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=466921&in_page_id=1773

[unique]

Listen to a sample of Prince's new album HERE!


http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07_01/princegetty070707_186x250.jpg

Next Sunday The Mail on Sunday will make history by giving away Prince's new album FREE with every copy of the newspaper in the UK.
Planet Earth is the album the world is waiting for... and Prince is releasing his new CD inside The Mail on Sunday on July 15.

Click here to listen to a 30 second sample (mms://a1404.v266749.c26674.g.vm.akamaistream.net/5/1404/26674/468f8ab8/1a1a1a9b086f9d0162cb37b01d7ee75381e45381f66190f166 ca33a2d13bb01c95c7f7275e/prince.wma)

Read more...
Why Prince remains as innovative as ever (http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=466919&in_page_id=1773)
DJ Bobby Friction reviews Planet Earth (http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=466921&in_page_id=1773)
Find out how you can reserve your copy of Planet Earth here (http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/prince) To whet your appetite for the most amazing newspaper giveaway ever, you can now listen to a sample of the album.
Guitar is one of 10 new amazing tracks on the album.
It's classic Prince with a contemporary twist

[unique]

just a warning, it's the usual press/radio dj type review from someone thats spent to long being pushed music from promotors and asked to play certain tracks, instead of discovering and enjoying music for themselves. he's probably never even heard of NEWS or One Night Alone, nevermind heard them, and he's probably forgotten about TRC

some of the tracks are reminiscent of emancipation, such as the great stuff on disc 2, with others more like 3121. guitar certainly is a grower, the drum machine demo version was weak and put me off the song at first, but it's pretty much the "peach" of the noughties. mr goodnight is a bit like feelgood, so intersting to see him use that phrase. based on his comments i get the impression he left the £3 copies of emancipation in the bargain bins instead of listening to it. the guys probably never bought a peice of music in a long time, and why would he if he gets so much for free? at least everyone in the UK will get that feeling next week

[The One]

From The Times July 12, 2007

Prince: Planet Earth

July 12, 2007

Steve Jelbert

His contemporaries from the Class of 1958 no longer lead the way. Michael Jackson is now widely derided. Head girl Madonna becomes less interesting with every public pronouncement.

So the decision of Prince, still one of the planet’s biggest live draws, to sacrifice his miraculously preserved credibility by giving away this new album with a Sunday tabloid looks mystifying (in every other territory it will be distributed conventionally).

Although The Artist Now Known As Prince Again has long used the internet to distribute surplus material to loyal fanatics, this ten-track set, recorded earlier this year, is not mere filler. Fondly remembered former collaborators Wendy and Lisa even appear on the incongruous though wildly catchy funky-country of The One U Wanna C and the melancholic Lion of Judah, despite its title closer to Fleetwood Mac than anything spiritual.

Now clearly reconciled to a career in stadia, Prince smears bombastic lead guitar over several tracks, notably the crass eco-ballad of the title track (which unexpectedly resembles Barry Manilow’s Could It Be Magic at one point). Single Guitar borrows from U2’s early fumblings, yet possesses a bouncy charm while the short, sweet All the Midnights In The World is as elegant as Stevie Wonder.

Less effective is the run of the mill R & B of the interminable Future Baby Mama, surely testament that talking women of child-bearing age into bed takes Prince much longer these days. The blatant funk of Chelsea Rodgers certainly moves, though to nowhere in particular, while the supposedly seductive Somewhere Here On Earth returns us to the era that produced the water bed.

This probably won’t persuade anyone to change their newspaper buying habits permanently (only a new set from Sly Stone would ensure that). But nonetheless Planet Earth is too good to be so lightly sold. And, ironically, many copies of Planet Earth will end up right there - in landfill.

3 stars out of 5

source: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2064365.ece

[The One]

How good can an album be if its creator is giving it away with a newspaper? That was the question looming over Prince’s twenty sixth LP Planet Earth, which the diminutive Minneapolis genius is distributing as a covermount CD with that time-honoured champion of genre-traversing sex-funk, The Mail On Sunday. You suspect the latter was chosen more for the fact that it has a print run of two million, rather than its political affiliations, but it’s still a tacky move.

Understandably, the Purple One’s putative label Sony BMG has cancelled his one-album deal in the UK, while major retailers have been sent into a tailspin: HMV first lambasted the decision, then decided to cut its losses and stock the tabloid in its stores.

Last night, MOJO was able to hear what all the fuss is about first-hand, at an exclusive playback at the aptly titled Purple Lounge in The Indigo: a wine bar-style enclave of The O2 in North Greenwich. The arena formerly known as the Millennium Dome has been transformed from an unlovable large tent into a pleasingly airy, spotless and futuristic shopping mall/conference centre, full of soothing blue lights.
As a video of Prince’s triumphant half-time Superbowl show played silently in the background, his people announced that more tickets would be released this Sunday (onsale 10am) for the 21 shows he’s playing at the arena, and that the very bar we were sitting in would function as the official aftershow venue for all 21 nights, with Prince and his band jamming into the small hours. Entrance to these aftershow parties will be £25 (plus a £2.50 booking fee), with ticket holders for the gigs themselves being given first priority.

The assembled hacks were then treated to three spins of Planet Earth. Written and produced by Prince alone, with guests including old hands Wendy and Lisa, the album was recorded at Paisley Park this year. A concise effort, it features the following ten songs...

1 Planet Earth
An eco-themed power ballad that starts with a gentle piano intro before exploding into axe-strafed bombast. Prince’s vocal straddles the solemn/silly divide: “Imagine you could rid the Earth of anyone you choose... careful now, next one could be you.” Could almost be an outtake from 1985’s guitar-heavy pop-psych masterpiece Around The World In A Day, were it not for the brass and backing vocals outro, which resembles Barry Manilow’s cornball toe-tapper Could It Be Magic.

2 Guitar
The nominal first single (if he still had a record deal) and an undeniable blast, this streamlined rocker cheekily takes its guitar line from U2’s early anthem I Will Follow - seriously, The Edge could sue - while echoing the vocal melody of Prince’s own Parade-era smash Girls & Boys, with a hint of Robert Palmer’s yuppie favourite Addicted To Love. Easily worth the price of a hectoring, right-wing tabloid rag.

3 Somewhere Here On Earth
The kind of ballad that divides casual fans from the true Purple heads, complete with falsetto come-on (“I really want to touch you!” etc) and smoky muted trumpet solo. Once you get past the silky smooth setting, this is actually a rather touching lament for the downgrading of human contact in today’s computer world: “In this digital age, you could just page me/ I know it’s the rage, but it just doesn’t engage me/ LIke the face to face...”

4 The One U Wanna C
An arena-boogie update of U Got The Look’s very ’80s pop-rock, complete with slap-happy bass, syndrum and cheerfully banal lyric: “Got a lotta money/ Don’t want to spend it all on me/ I like pretty things and you’re as pretty as can be.” Sounds silly on paper, but is oddly charming over the speakers.

5 Future Baby Mama
Oh dear. Neo-R&B is not Prince’s forté. Not even a clever double-tracked vocal (one basso profundo low, one balls-in-a-vice high) can save this tedious slow jam. Slushy and aimless...

6 Mr Goodnight
...As is this one. Creeping bass and bad sex-raps, further proof that His Purply Majesty has never really been down with hip hop. He may as well be going on about the importance of a good night’s sleep. Putting these last two tracks back-to-back has rather halted the album’s momentum.

7 All The Midnights In The World
And he’s back! Poppy harmonies, bright piano and a finger-clicking Stevie Wonder vibe make this pop-soul gem another keeper. My notes say ‘Cranberry Beret’, which is surely a good thing at this stage of the game.

8 Chelsea Rodgers
Bah. Honking would-be street jam which is too jaunty to be funk and not graceful enough to convince as disco. Wailing diva backing vocals, flaccid horns and unresolved ‘bridge’ contribute to overall air of embarrassment. It’s like Rick James without the coke. No fun.

9 Lion Of Judah
The title suggests some ghastly reggae-toned cod-spiritual, so it’s a relief to report that this is superior AOR, like Fleetwood Mac on a massive downer. Catchy chorus and searing fretwork support Prince’s melancholy musings, which involve “sitting on the floor in an all-white room”, possibly regretting a relationship gone south.

10 Resolution
Finger-clicking pop-soul with vague allusions to social commentary: “How many people really want resolution?” A good time, Curtis Mayfield-lite vibe ensures this variable album ends on a high note. While it doesn’t recapture the form of his 1980s imperial phase - only a fool would expect that - Planet Earth does at least show that Prince remembers what made him great in the first place. Which surely bodes well for those 21 London shows...

[unique]

Prince: Planet Earth



http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00174/prince_174895a.jpg
(Mark J Terrill/AP)

Prince performs earlier this year

Steve Jelbert


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00136/rating_stars_3_136525a.gif

His contemporaries from the Class of 1958 no longer lead the way. Michael Jackson is now widely derided. Head girl Madonna becomes less interesting with every public pronouncement.

So the decision (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2064368.ece) of Prince, still one of the planet’s biggest live draws, to sacrifice his miraculously preserved credibility by giving away this new album with a Sunday tabloid looks mystifying (in every other territory it will be distributed conventionally).
Although The Artist Now Known As Prince Again has long used the internet to distribute surplus material to loyal fanatics, this ten-track set, recorded earlier this year, is not mere filler. Fondly remembered former collaborators Wendy and Lisa even appear on the incongruous though wildly catchy funky-country of [I]The One U Wanna C and the melancholic Lion of Judah, despite its title closer to Fleetwood Mac than anything spiritual.
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Prince's album giveaway still causing drama (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2064368.ece)
The pros and cons of the Prince giveaway (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2064247.ece)
Tickets to see Prince. Do we hear £7,500? (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article1875566.ece)



Now clearly reconciled to a career in stadia, Prince smears bombastic lead guitar over several tracks, notably the crass eco-ballad of the title track (which unexpectedly resembles Barry Manilow’s Could It Be Magic at one point). Single Guitar borrows from U2’s early fumblings, yet possesses a bouncy charm while the short, sweet All the Midnights In The World is as elegant as Stevie Wonder.
Less effective is the run of the mill R & B of the interminable Future Baby Mama, surely testament that talking women of child-bearing age into bed takes Prince much longer these days. The blatant funk of Chelsea Rodgers certainly moves, though to nowhere in particular, while the supposedly seductive Somewhere Here On Earth returns us to the era that produced the water bed.
This probably won’t persuade anyone to change their newspaper buying habits permanently (only a new set from Sly Stone would ensure that). But nonetheless Planet Earth is too good to be so lightly sold. And, ironically, many copies of Planet Earth will end up right there - in landfill.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2064365.ece

[unique]

NME.COM hears new Prince album

'Planet Earth' gets our initial verdict



Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) kicked up a storm of controversy when he decided to release his 24th studio album 'Planet Earth' through a national Sunday newspaper.

Unveiled as a covermount with the Mail On Sunday today (July 15) the giveaway led the UK arm of his record label, Sony BMG to suspend its planned release of the album.

NME.COM has had a first listen to the album and here's our initial reaction:

'Planet Earth'

Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince)'s answer to Live Earth, this eco-driven opening ballad sees the Artist Formerly Known As contemplating the future of mankind over gentle piano strings before the track swerves into a fully fledged gospel song. Paying homage to Barry Manilow's 'Could It Be Magic' in the middle, Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) eventually closes the opening number with a bombastic guitar solo.

'Guitar'

The album's first single sees Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) delving into more familiar pop territory on this bouncy distant cousin of 86 classic 'Kiss'. Smattered with a swaggering guitar riff which borrows heavily from U2 (http://www.nme.com/artists/u2)'s 'I Will Follow', the catchy chorus sees the singer confessing: "I love you babe/But not like I love my guitar."

'Somewhere Here On Earth'

Driven by gentle piano strings and a seductive saxophone, Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) turns on the charm for this late night jazz piece. Played over the sound of crackling vinyl, the singer's high pitched vocals eventually break into the booming line: "Do you want to do this at yours or my place?"

'The One U Wanna C'

The album's catchiest track is also the first to feature former backing singers Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman from Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince)'s former band The Revolution. Backed up by a funky bassline, a hip swinging country belter emerges on what is likely to be a future single.

'Future Baby Mamma'

Back in ballad territory, Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) serves up an R&B slow jam for a track which has been doing the rounds on the net for the last three weeks. Relying on his powers of persuasion once again, the singer whispers: "I'm going to make you happy baby/Happier than ever/You know what? If you ever need a hand call me and I'll help because I got you/Wherever you want to go."

'Mr Goodnight'

Keeping up with the R&B theme, the pop star turns his hand to rap as he reveals his new moniker 'Mr Goodnight'. Again the singer focuses on a tale of whisking away a lover, only this time in his "limousine" and "private jet".

'All The Midnights In The World'

Jangly piano ballad which clocks in as the shortest track on the album at just 2 minutes 21 seconds.

'Chelsea Rodgers'

Backed by a brass section and funky bassline this 70s disco club banger sees Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) handing lead vocal duties to his backing singer Shelby J for a tune that tells the tale of a mysterious model.

'Lion Of Judah'

This melancholic power ballad finds Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) in vengeful mood and deeply suspicious of his lover. Wendy and Lisa team up with the pop star for a final outing as he spits the harsh lyrics: "Like The Lion Of Judah I strike my enemies," over shimmering guitar licks.

'Resolution'

A jangly closer, sees Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) coming full circle on his world views, this time ruing war and the history of repeating mistakes from generation to generation. "Dropping bombs on each other/In the act of saving face," he croons before he asks: "Tell me now people how is that resolution?"




http://www.nme.com/news/prince/29699

[unique]

Another not-bad CD - but this time it's free



Most remarkable feature of Prince's latest album is the manner of its launch

Caroline Sullivan Monday July 16, 2007
[/URL]

Contrary to popular opinion in the form of youngsters texting opinions to yesterday's Radio 1 breakfast show, the new Prince album, Planet Earth, is not awful. It is not up to the standard of the albums produced during his 1980s high-water period - Purple Rain, 1999 and Sign 'O' the Times - but it is by no means terrible. Of course, to a 15-year-old who only knows the 49-year-old as an eccentric peripheral figure, his priapic entreaties on songs such as Future Baby Mama and The One U Wanna C will automatically trigger the "Ewww" mechanism. To anyone else bar obsessive fans, Planet Earth will be greeted by shrugs.


Prince albums don't generate much discussion now, and even less airplay. The only reason Radio 1 had got in there was that Minneapolis's most prolific pop star had released the CD - his 46th album, counting hits and live collections - via the unique route of distributing it free through a newspaper, the Mail on Sunday. Had it not been for the hype, Planet Earth would have slipped out almost unnoticed, as many of his recent albums have done.It is not that Prince no longer has anything to say. If anything, his mind seems to be swirling with thoughts, which come as fast as he can shape them into lyrics. Trouble is, his primary streams of inspiration - sex and religion/morality - just aren't producing the magnificent madness they once did. Nowhere on Planet Earth is there a "WHAT did he say?" moment along the lines of When Doves Cry's "Animals strike curious poses, they feel the heat, the heat between me and you". Instead, there's quite a bit of "I know what you want - what every good woman wants!" which is complemented by equally pedestrian funk twiddles and curlicues.

It's easy listening - you might even call it easy-listening - but it's not what Prince was invented for. Nor does he push the right buttons on the title track. Given that he named the album Planet Earth, we can take it as a clue to his current state of mind, which seems to be: worried enough about the environment to make the song the opening track (and that is worried - the sleeve photo, too, captures him brooding over a boiling blue-white globe). But the song's slow soulish meander and the question it poses - "What will be left in 50 years?" - is not a patch on Marvin Gaye's far more elegant, eloquent Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), released in 1971.

The album gets closest to the pizzazz of old on Chelsea Rodgers, a female-characterisation song which, like 1984's Darling Nikki, paints a picture in sweatily effective terms: "She's too original from her head down to her feet, still got a butt like a leather seat." Hip-twitching as it is, it's filler. If Prince had written Chelsea Rodgers in 1984, he probably would have judged it too slight to appear on that year's Purple Rain album.

These points are pretty moot, however. While Prince will never entirely be written off - his gigs are still considered the gold standard of live performance - his 46th album will mostly be remembered for the hype surrounding the means of release.



[URL]http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2127210,00.html (http://www.guardian.co.uk/)

[unique]

Reviews: Prince's Planet Earth

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44001000/jpg/_44001600_prince_afp203b.jpg Prince has already announced 21 concerts in London this summer

The first reviews of rock star Prince's latest album, which was given away free with a Sunday newspaper in the UK, have been fairly positive. The star's decision not to charge for copies of Planet Earth was criticised by the record industry, although it is available both online and in shops in other countries.
Here are extracts from some of the UK's music critics:

THE GUARDIAN - Caroline Sullivan
It is not up to the standard of the albums produced during his 1980s high-water period - Purple Rain, 1999 and Sign 'O' the Times - but it is by no means terrible...
[However] had it not been for the hype, Planet Earth would have slipped out almost unnoticed, as many of his recent albums have done...
While Prince will never entirely be written off - his gigs are still considered the gold standard of live performance - his 46th album will mostly be remembered for the hype surrounding the means of release.

Read this review in full (http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2127210,00.html)

THE TIMES - Steve Jelbert
Prince smears bombastic lead guitar over several tracks, notably the crass eco-ballad of the title track (which unexpectedly resembles Barry Manilow's Could it Be Magic at one point).
Guitar borrows from U2's early fumblings, yet possesses a bouncy charm while the short, sweet All the Midnights in the World is as elegant as Stevie Wonder.
Less effective is the run-of-the-mill R'n'B of the interminable Future Baby Mama, surely testament that talking women of child-bearing age into bed takes Prince much longer these days...
Planet Earth is too good to be so lightly sold. And, ironically, many copies of Planet Earth will end up right there - in landfill.

Read this review in full (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2064365.ece)

MOJO MAGAZINE - Danny Ecclestone
[The track Guitar is] the nominal first single (if he still had a record deal) and an undeniable blast.
This streamlined rocker cheekily takes its guitar line from U2's early anthem I Will Follow - seriously, The Edge could sue - while echoing the vocal melody of Prince's own Parade-era smash Girls and Boys, with a hint of Robert Palmer's yuppie favourite Addicted To Love...
While [the album] doesn't recapture the form of his 1980s imperial phase - only a fool would expect that - Planet Earth does at least show that Prince remembers what made him great in the first place.
Which surely bodes well for those 21 London shows...

Read this review in full (http://www.mojo4music.com/)

MAIL ON SUNDAY - Bobby Friction
The Mail on Sunday, which gave away the CD, asked BBC Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction to review each song.
[The track Planet Earth is] brilliant anthemic rock - and Prince is back on his guitar! The fans have been waiting for this for 20 years.
This is a real mix - it's got the funky bass, cheesy-in-a-good-way keyboards, and that screaming Purple Rain guitar.
[Resolution is] happy psychedelic pop - that hippy, 70s sound is big on this album. It shows you've got a bit of everything.
He's back to the top of his form in every field.

Read this review in full (http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=466921&in_page_id=1773)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6901255.stm

[unique]

Prince: Planet Earth

(no label)
Siobhan Murphy - Monday, July 16, 2007

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07/planetearth_175x125.jpg
Given the innovative approach of giving away Planet Earth with the Mail on Sunday, it seems ironic that this conceivably could have been Prince's biggest-selling album for some time.
The tight, commercially slanted set of ten tracks spans the range of Prince's multiple musical interests – perfect for reminding fans why they love this unpredictable talent and enough to impress any latecomers.
Of course, he throws in a few curveballs – country and western Prince, anyone?
In fact, The One U Wanna C is gloriously infectious, conjuring up I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man as much as it does a Midwest hoedown.
The title track's stadium-sized grandeur sits well alongside pounding, tongue-in-cheek first single Guitar.
Then Prince switches to achingly delicate, bluesy jazz for Somewhere Here On Earth.
Meanwhile, his soul/funk fans are well served by the r'n'b tinged Future Baby Mama and Chelsea Rodgers, which works out a Chic-style bass riff under Shelby J's house-diva hollerings.
Such a wealth of on-form Prince makes up for the few filler moments.
Planet Earth feels like an upbeat celebration of Prince's many faces – and a reminder his Purple Reign isn't over yet.



http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/music/article.html?in_article_id=57347&in_page_id=25

[The One]

Prince - Planet Earth Review

Brisk pop, late night jazz, and neo-soul make for a mish-mashy affair.

Prince is a tough nut to crack. The man is a veritable icon within the realm of pop culture, making each of his successive releases that much tougher to get a handle on, like any artist who has crossed the generational divide and lasted more than several decades in the spotlight he has a lot to live up to. While he has never truly recaptured the glory and classicism of releases like Purple Rain, 1999, and Sign of the Times, he still manages to be relevant and more often than not still kicks out a memorable tune or two every time he delivers something new.

The Purple One's latest offering is an incredibly streamlined--there are only 10 tracks on the album--endeavor that shows the legend keeping things mean and, for the most part, lean. To wit he leaves his signature funk extrapolation and dirty minded soul behind in favor of a much more pop oriented affair. But he's not tailoring his latest shift in sound to the glittering bubblegum pop one is naturally inclined to think of these days. Instead he's going for a more classic approach, evoking the likes of Buddy Holly and others from the early days of rock 'n roll. Of course this isn't to say that the "traditional" Prince ballads, filled with silky swerve, aren't prevalent here (one merely need check out "Future Baby Mama" to see that he hasn't abandoned this trademark styling).


http://musicmedia.ign.com/music/image/article/806/806680/princePEinline_1184890053.jpg
The album kicks off with the title track in which Prince proselytizes about the future of the planet and its inhabitants. It's a strangely socio-political stance for a man with hits like "Darling Nikki" under his belt. In terms of execution, it has that grandiose flair going for it, relying on stripped down keyboards and drums for the main verses and swelling guitars and fuzz drenched euphoria on the chorus. The last few minutes are classic Prince, his vocals building to a crescendo only matched by the eventual guitar blow-out.

A decidedly Edge styled harmonic crunch leads you into what is the album's first single, "Guitar." Prince and band then add rubber-band basslines and crashing cymbals to the mix. This is one of the tracks that resonates with more of a classic barroom rock 'n roll vibe. Lyrically speaking Prince wryly follows in the classic Country vein of a man's dog being more important than his old lady, except here he's replaced the canine with the six-string intoning "I love you baby, but not like I love my guitar." Naturally every time he mentions the "G" word he slips into a searing solo, with each requisite riff being pure Prince, although instead of his usual glistening tone he's gone for more of a hollow-body crunch. Clearly one of the high watermarks on the album.

After two rockers Prince goes for detached, yet sultry jazz expansion complete with trumpet, artificial static, and a wavering falsetto on "Somewhere Here On Earth." It's a torch song lament that screams crushed velvet and lost lovers wandering in the waning hours of the night and paints Prince as a mature contemporary songwriter. Meanwhile "The One U Wanna C" returns to the bubbly pop rock emphasis heard earlier on "Guitar." It's inescapably catchy and the lyrics are simple, focusing on getting with a lady and having a good time. It's a far cry from the lascivious glee he used to pump out in the '80s, but despite its squeaky cleanness, it's still a fun and buoyant romp. This is one of the tracks on the album that resonates with that rollicking '50s styled country twang inflected rock 'n roll sensibility.

Back to back slow jams occur with "Future Baby Mama" and "Mr. Goodnight," both of which reverberate with late night sultriness and between-the-sheets R&B sensibilities. "All The Midnights In The World" is a mid-tempo ditty revolving around introspectively playful piano and in the strangest way sounds like Prince channeling The Carpenters. It's eventually a beguiling little number, but a far cry from the Prince of yore.

Prince takes a backseat on "Chelsea Rodgers," as one of the female members of the New Power Generation (either Marva King and Bria Valente, though it's unclear which of them is actually taking the leads on this track) delivers contempo soul vocals singing about a woman who could be real or just another soon-to-be classic female character created by his majesty. Though not living up to the vixenette qualities of the always seminal Nikki, the girl in question and the song itself are playful enough, if not terribly memorable.

The final two tracks on the album unfold like warmly forgettable throwaways. They're nothing special, within the grand scope of Prince's catalog, yet they're also not mindless ear candy. They're just a little innocuous. "Lion Of Judah" is wrapped in shimmering guitar and sounds a bit like a post-New Wave ballad written by Crowded House. "Revelation" is one of those cloyingly catchy tunes that you can't help but love and hate simultaneously. It has a signature Prince screaming guitar solo; however it's buried under a gleeful sing-a-long/Up With People-styled musical outlook that has Prince decrying war and asking the rhetorical question, "How many people want resolution?" Lyrically speaking it's a fitting bookend that feeds off of the ruminations put forth on the opening track.

Planet Earth is an affable enough album, though it starts out with a much bigger bang than it eventually concludes with. This is its major weakness as Prince and company come out the gate with a flurry of catchy, upbeat pop tunes and then slip-slide into more down tempo-cum-borderline ballad territory for the remainder. What this does, in effect, is make the album very top heavy. Additionally, the heavier emphasis on more straightforward pop elements (not that Prince has ever shied away from these, mind you) and less on his own brand of twisted funk/soul, makes for a very straightforward album lacking in any kind of sonic controversy to match that generated by his much publicized mass giveaway of the album in the UK a few weeks ago. After all is said and done, PE feels like a white bread pop excursion, one that ends up playing more like a stopgap between other in-the-works projects, in effect a brief tide over until the next real event comes to pass.

Definitely Download:
1. "Planet Earth"
2. "Guitar"
3. "Somewhere On Earth"
4. "The One U Wanna C

http://uk.music.ign.com/articles/806/806680p2.html

[The One]

Prince: 'Planet Earth'

Released on Monday, July 16 2007

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a66135/prince-planet-earth.html

By Miriam Zendle (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a66135/prince-planet-earth.html#), Music Reporter Not by accident, but simply through sheer guile, Prince has made new album Planet Earth one of the most talked about of 2007. By deciding to ultimately bypass the supermarkets and music stores and rather release his album as a freebie in one of the national newspapers, he has guaranteed himself miles of press coverage from those who laud and those who spout angsty, drippy phrases about the pop star single-handedly killing off the music industry, already in decline due to falling sales figures.

The album itself, meanwhile, has taken somewhat of a back seat during this row, but it really should be considered on its own merits, and not simply how it is being marketed. And how does it sound? Well, alright, on the whole. Despite the fact Prince's work has gone a little knowing and although there's far too much of a love-in with largo and cheesy pop-r'n'b sounds, most tracks are listenable enough.

It's a pity that the same can't be said for the album's title track, which flails lazily throughout, failing to make much of an impact or show any focus, strangely stealing chord progressions from 'Could It Be Magic' to supplement the 'muzak' feel. Meanwhile, songs like 'The One U Wanna C', 'Guitar' and 'Chelsea Rodgers' keep the side up with their bouncy, poppy dizziness and 'All The Midnights In The Worlds' win the crown for best low-speed song.

Although there's no doubting Prince's legendary status, Planet Earth is a big letdown. This is the gentlemen who brought us some of the seminal tracks of the past couple of decades, and has inispired countless musicians to seek fame and fortune, yet looking at the album as a whole, it's hard to see where the brilliance is.

http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/design/rating_3stars.gif

[The One]

Okay, hands up – who bought it? For reasons unclear, Prince has chosen to release Planet Earth through The Mail On Sunday. For a one-time gender bender whose explicit lyrics flicked Vs at the petit-bourgeois conservatism of an era, this is a sequence of events which aforementioned rag would no doubt describe as ‘vile’. It still feels wrong even typing it. And for those of you that did choose to grease the palms of those loveable fear mongers for your funky fix, here’s the worst part: it wasn’t really worth it.

Yup, as Faustian pacts go, Planet Earth’ll leave you feeling decidedly short-changed. The title track is a blustery epic that retains something of the creepy insularity that permeated Around The World In A Day, and suffers the twin misfortune of resembling both Michael Jackson and, via a creamy jazz interlude somewhere in the middle, Barry Manilow. And 'Guitar' is a slick FM groove sorely lacking in edge – it used to be that Prince could sing about incest or fellatio and make either seem like an agreeable way to spend an evening, but the newly-religious Prince has to content himself with penning neutered-sounding six-string serenades.

After this, er, hi-octane opening, things take a turn for the schmoove. One or two obvious exceptions notwithstanding, ballads have never exactly been Prince’s forte, sharing as he does modern-day R ‘n’ B’s predilection for schmaltzy production values and trilling vocal histrionics, and unfortunately Planet Earth is brimming with them. 'Somewhere Here On Earth' is a personality-free ballad that could have been written by computers, and 'Mr Goodnight' boasts an attractive chorus which sounds very TLC, but sadly revisits its author’s ill-advised dalliances with rap. Prince’s hackneyed loverman flow frequently comes up short in the syllable stakes, and ends up revealing how a night spent on the receiving end of His Purpleness’ attentions is improbably dull: “We can watch Chocolat on the big screen / before we convene in the pool”. Let’s just see what’s on telly, eh Prince?

When he does eventually tire of serving up this pasty slop, he drops in a couple of reminders of former glories, 'All The Midnights In The World' and 'Chelsea Rodgers' demonstrating the melodic yin to the rhythmic yang of Prince’s undisputed genius. The former has a surprisingly thoughtful lyric and pretty, almost folksy melody, and faintly resembles 'Starfish & Coffee' from his ‘80s masterpiece Sign O’ The Times, while the latter is a tightly-marshalled funk jam that wouldn’t disgrace the aforementioned record.

Sadly, this isn’t enough to distract from the muzaky, phoned-in feel elsewhere on the album, and ultimately you’re left to dwell unhappily on the image of Mail readers nationwide slipping the disc into their Mondeo car stereos and thinking to themselves: “Y’ know, maybe this guy isn’t such a pervert after all. I’ll check out his other stuff.”
They’re in for a shock.

Rating: http://www.drownedinsound.com/static_images/ratings/5.gif
Alex Denney


http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/10850

[The One]

Prince, Planet Earth



http://image.guardian.co.uk/stars/guardian3.gif (NPG)

Caroline Sullivan
Friday July 20, 2007
The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/)

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sp.gifhttp://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2007/07/19/Prince1.jpg
Buy Planet Earth now (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Earth-Prince/dp/B000RMC7H0/ref=sr_1_2/203-3515046-3429529?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1184843584&sr=1-2/guardianunlim-keyword-21)

It would be a pity if, as a result of this album being released free through the Mail on Sunday, this was someone's first exposure to Prince. Though it's all right - in the dispiriting way that everything he's put out since his "Symbol" era has been all right - a first-timer would wonder what the little guy had done to merit the veneration that still (just) attends him. Age has not stemmed his libido, so half the 10 tracks deal with the fact that he's up for it any time, anywhere. These range from the insinuating Future Baby Mama to the candied hip-hop of Mr Goodnight (in which Prince promises the object of his affections a "private jet," just as if he hadn't spent the morose title track reflecting on the effects of climate change). He ups the ante a bit on Chelsea Rodgers, with its precision horns and party vibe, and the power-rocking Guitar. And that's about it, the once-mesmeric Prince's 24th studio album.

[The One]

Prince

Planet Earth

Posted on Tuesday July 17th, 2007

http://www.scenepointblank.com/reviews/covers/01403.jpg Columbia/Sony, 2007

Author: Peanut (http://www.scenepointblank.com/reviews/reviewer.php?writer=56)

Score: 8.5 / 10

Hulk and Hulk Hogan?” and “How do they get cranes on top of half built skyscrapers?” there is only one other question that seems impossible to answer: "Is there anything that would make The Mail on Sunday worth buying?"

And so, humble reader, I have decided to take it upon myself to find out if the release of Planet Earth, the new album from Prince, makes the embarrassment of taking a right wing turd of a Sunday paper to the counter and handing over money in return for it worthwhile.

You see, The Mail on Sunday (and his shows at the O2 Arena) are the only ways for the common Brit to buy Planet Earth after Prince gave the license to the newspaper in exchange for £250,000 and Columbia decided this would make releasing it in the shops a waste of time and money and pulled it from the U.K. shelves. Oh, Prince! You crazy little man with a weird obsession with the color purple, always pulling japes on the recording industry! What ever will you do next? Write “Slave” on your face?

To do this test I will be reviewing not just Planet Earth but also The Mail on Sunday, which from now on will also be italicized, and will make my conclusions at the end much like my GCSE science experiments.

Let's start with the purchasing of the newspaper, I walked into my local shop and had to search for my paper, already things are looking grim but luckily I find a copy, though it is a little creased in the top corner. I make sure the only reason I'm buying this quasi-racist waste of trees, the album, is enclosed and meekly move to the till. From the look I got from the shopkeeper you would have thought I just shot his brother, raped his sister, drowned his kids and then ran over his mother and not just tried to buy an album. So far, it's not looking good for Planet Earth. I get home and my housemate asks what I bought, trying to distract her I pull out a shitty glossy mag about council scum and their real lives. Alas this does not work as she spots the paper and gives me a look that I'm sure Hitler would have got if he were still alive. So far this is not worth it.

Having already suffered all of this I can finally get to the album and holy shit is it good! Title track “Planet Earth” is a lush epic that is a perfect start to any album, and as Prince croons his way through the chorus you can already see this could finally be his return to form. And when the funked up bluesy guitar solo kicks in you find yourself trapped in a world where there is only one true messiah and his name is Prince. From there it's on to the first single “Guitar,” a song about how much Prince loves his guitar - and who wouldn't? It's purple and shaped like that wacky symbol he named himself, and just proves no one writes songs to strut/dance sexily to like this man. As you would expect the guitar comes to the fore on this track with a sweet riff and at times Prince just goes off on one with strange and fun guitar licks.

Meanwhile back in The Mail on Sunday, The BBC has ****ed over Gordon Brown, Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan are back together (even though they deny it), and Thierry Henry's move to Barcelona has cost him his marriage. So the standard mix of anti-BBC/Labour and celebrity reporting that no one cares about outside of the suburban stronghold of middle England.

“Somewhere Here on Earth” is the first slower ballad song on the album and it's a real hair raising take with a superb piano piece underpinning it along with a wailing sax just low enough in the mix to not be offensive. And talking of the mix, the track is given a hiss to it, making it warmer and more loving in this day and age of overproduced soulless pop songs about love. Prince also manages to show he's lost none of his flair for lyrics as he somehow manages to make “In this digital age / You could just page me” sound romantic. How? It really shouldn't work but yet he makes it sound like the greatest line you could you in a club/pub/bar.

Whilst reading The Mail on Sunday I reach the celebrity column: much talk of David and Victoria, a picture of Lily Allen, something about Rod Stewart's daughter, followed by an article about Osama Bin Laden's daughter being married to a broke English biker. Riveting!

Sounding like an outtake from the Revolution days, “The One U Wanna C” is a fun track and is the sort of thing you could quite happily find being played in a club. Again Prince is playing the misspelling the title trick to good affect. “Future Baby Mama” slows it back down to good affect as Prince seems determined to show off all the sides to him. “Mr. Goodnight” is probably the track of the album. Featuring the frankly genius line “People all over the world call me Prince / But you can call me Mr. Goodnight” as Prince goes into full-blown seduction mode. This song is yet more proof that Prince is better at writing songs for romance than Barry White, Lionel Richie, and Slayer put together. Prince's sultry voice, the simple soulful bassline, and the female backing singers seem to have found the way to sing in a swoon and by the time Prince whispers “I love you” even I'm giggling like a schoolgirl in the hope he's singing to me.

Winston Churchill has an article in The Mail on Sunday about him no longer being taught in secondary schools, good work for a dead fella. Peter Hitchens is a daft racist. I saw him on Question Time and I thought he was a prat then, reading his column just confirms this. The Mail on Sunday gets all on it's high horse in an article about opium being grow for morphine - finally the real reactionary right wing bile is being spewed, now onto the letters page!

“Chelsea Rodgers” has the bassline from the Scissor Sisters song “Filthy Gorgeous” but other than that it is nowhere near as terrible. With a scratchy, bouncy guitar riff ringing through and the regular duet with a female singer, sadly due to the lack of any details on this album I'm unable to find out who this is, makes this sound like a record from the mid to late 70's and shows just how good Prince is at writing songs of different styles.

I love it when daft middle-aged housewives write into public forums to discuss their outrage at today's society and the decline of morals. This week's The Mail on Sunday features a letter about half a frog in a woman's salad and her concern and disgust that she may have eaten the other half, a request for the death penalty to be brought back, and the required Labour bashing.

It's a shame that “Lion of Judah” is a clone of “Money Don't Matter 2night” because it just makes me reach for that song instead or trying to sing over the record with the real lyrics rather than something about superstars.

The supplements this week in The Mail on Sunday are pretty terrible. Why waste the time and effort and pay people to write such inane nonsense?

The album ends with “Resolution,” a very hippyish song about war and hypocrisy in today's society. It's an interesting way to end an album as musically it does have a definite feeling of bringing it all to a close but lyrically it seems very much like the sort of song you would throw in around the middle to make the listener think, but maybe that is the point.

All in all to pay £1.40 for a brand new album is pretty much worth it no matter what you have to do to get it. Sadly in this day and age where you can get free posters and ring tones with new albums that I got a terrible newspaper with completely bizarre views on the world is a real crying shame. I'm not to sure what the regular readers will make of Planet Earth, I however have to say that after two albums that had great starts and then fizzled out, it's great to have Prince back with an album that you can listen to all the way through and not get bored half way through. Welcome back to form Prince! It's been a long time coming and in true showman-like style you've made sure that everyone knows.

Planet Earth: 8.5
The Mail on Sunday: 1.0

http://www.scenepointblank.com/reviews/1403

[The One]

Prince’s Planet Earth - A Review (http://ickmusic.com/index.php/2007/07/18/princes-planet-earth-a-review/)


This Tuesday, Prince’s new album, will be released in the U.S. This past Sunday, British fans could pick up the album by buying an issue of a newspaper, The Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/). Thanks to a fine, upstanding Brit, I got a copy. It’s been on steady rotation here this week, and I thought I’d share my initial thoughts. As with all albums, opinions shift over time. I could feel differently in 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years. But this is how Planet Earth sits with me after a few days. Here’s a song by song review….

“Planet Earth” - I take my Prince album openers seriously. Take a look back to the golden era: “Dirty Mind”. “Controversy”. “1999″. “Let’s Go Crazy”. “Around the World in a Day”. “Christopher Tracy’s Parade”. “Sign o the Times.” All became classics, and gave you the feel you were in for something special.
As Prince has done with most of his studio albums, he kicks it off with the title track on this album. It has an ominous, apocolyptic feel to it. Not a feel-good opener, but then again, there’s an ominous, apocalyptic feel to the state of our planet today, right?
“1999″ had its apocalyptic message, but the way Prince dealt with the end of the world was different then, when he wrote the song in his early 20’s: “Everybody’s got a bomb / We could all die any day / But before I’ll let that happen / I’ll dance my life away.” It may be the end of the world, but damned if he’s not gonna party until his dying breath.
On “Planet Earth”, the party’s over, and it’s time to get serious: “Just like the countless bodies / That revolve around the sun / Planet Earth must now come into balance with the one that caused it all to be / Then we’ll see His kingdom come / So shall it be written, so shall it be sung” - Sheesh, too heavy for me. The teachings of Jehovah hath crept into Prince’s pen. Sure, he’s always thrown his brand of religion into the mix, but he used to serve us with equal portions of sex (”Erotic City” vs. “God”). Yeah, I’m one of those who misses dirty ol’ Prince. Not a bad opener, though.

“Guitar” - This song was first offered as a download on Prince’s site (for a fee). Then, another version soon showed up on Verizon’s TV commercials. *sigh* We lose another one. Oh well, we still have Springsteen, who will never sell his art to the advertisers. I have to admit I’m not crazy about “Guitar”. It’s a funny, silly song (”I love you baby, just not like a love my guitar”), but just seems a little bland for my taste.

“Somewhere Here on Earth” - Now we’re talking. This one quickly became a favorite. A classic old school vibe, complete with the sound of a needle hitting the record at the onset. It’s soft, it’s sweet, with muted horns right out of “Adore”. For fans of Prince’s slow jams (’Insatiable”, “Scandalous”, “Adore”, “Damn U”, etc.), you’ll like this one. Odd lyric: “in this digital age, you could just page me”. Isn’t “paging” more 80’s / 90’s? I guess he couldn’t work “text message” into the mix.
But this is classic falsetto, slow jam Prince. Excellent song.

“The One U Wanna C” - A killer Prince pop song. My other favorite on the album. He has a cool effect going in this one where the guitar sounds like it’s being played underwater. Our boy is back:” U don’t need 2 fix your hair / 4 somebody u don’t care 4 / U don’t need 2 shave your legs / If it ain’t me that’s knocking at your door…. If u wanna get creamy / I’m the one U wanna C”. My only gripe is the fade out during a guitar solo, which just begs for a classic 12″ extended remix.

“Future Baby Mama” - Another slowed down, old school Prince vibe. Sure to make all the future baby mamas swoon. Nice.

“Mr. Goodnight” - “All over the world they call me Prince, but you can call me Mr. Goodnight.” Prince brings back his seductive rap for this one. Another fun one with some interesting lyrics. Case in point: “I got a mind full of good intentions / And a mouth full of Raisinets”. Alrighty.
When I first heard the “rap”, my instincts said “Uh oh.” But I enjoyed it, and it grows on me more each time I hear it.

“All the Midnights in the World” - If you’ve waited for the day you’d hear Prince sing the words “prickly-fingered scallywags”, then your day has come. This one clocks in at under two and a half minutes, the shortest song on the album. The lyrics show this tune has great potential (”Amethyst and rubies / Crystals and black pearls / I’d trade them all, just to spend with U /All the midnights in the world). But in the end it sounds to me like it was thrown together at the last minute.

“Chelsea Rodgers” - The Chelsea Rodgers hype continues to build (her official web site (http://www.chelsearodgers.com/) is “coming soon”, but already it’s quickly evolving into an ad for Prince’s new perfume). Is this song another one of Prince’s clever marketing ideas? To announce a new protege with a song written about her? Well if she’s gonna live up to the hype, the song better be funky, right? And funky it is. Cool drum intro, retro-funk bass line, horns. But Prince doesn’t take the lead vocals on this one. There’s a female lead that I’m assuming is Shelby, who joined up with Prince and his gang at the end of last year. She overdoes it on the vocals, particularly during the opening part. It doesn’t ruin the song for me, but it distracts me from what could have been a standout tune on the album. Leaving her out of the mix would have taken this track to the next level.

“Lion of Judah” - The opening guitar chord sounds like “Purple Rain”. The rest of the song is reminiscent of Musicology’s “A Million Days”. More religious imagery in this tune. “Like the Lion of Judah / I strike my enemies down / As my God is living / Surely the trumpet will sound”. Can you picture a concert crowd singing along to this? Me neither. But this one has the potential to grow on me.

“Resolution” - I remember when the album closers used to knock me out. “Temptation”, “International Lover”, “Sometimes it Snows in April”, not to mention the granddaddy of them all, “Purple Rain”. Yeah, I know it’s not the 80’s any more, but Prince is still Prince, he’s still capable of a solid album closer (and a solid album, I just know it!). But a knock out closer this ain’t. It’s more of a yawn than anything else. “Dropping bombs on each other / In the act of saving face / Tell me now people, how is that resolution?” You get the idea. A noble effort, but just ho-hum to me.

As someone who’s been an avid devourer of Prince’s music since 1984, it’s hard for me not to compare every new Prince album with his 80’s output, the “golden era” of Prince, as many would agree. And it’s ridiculous to think anything Prince puts out will ever rival those albums. It’s a different time, and we’re all different people. But I’ll continue to follow Prince down any path he decides to wander down. He’s still creative, prolific, and at 49 - still one of the very best live performers around.

Speaking of his live performances, he’s been all over lately. This past weekend he played for the rich folks in the Hamptons (”Lovey, did he just say masturbate with a magazine? Egads sweetie!”), then zipped over to the Montreaux Jazz Festival (http://ecnirp.over-blog.com/article-6947346.html). Funny thing is, the only song he has played live from the new album is “Guitar”. [Update: he also played “The One U Wanna C” at the Target Center on 7-7-07] What is he waiting for? He has some savvy marketing ideas, but this is one of the things that makes me go “Hmm.”

http://ickmusic.com/index.php/2007/07/18/princes-planet-earth-a-review/

[unique]

Prince's decision to package this disc inside copies of tabloid newspaper the Mail infuriated British retailers. However, judging by the tracks that "Planet Earth" contains, he won't encounter fans' ire. While the album doesn't break new ground, there's plenty to like about its mix of pumping rock and old-school soul. The tight 10-tracker opens and closes with social commentaries (the title cut and "Resolution"). Both showcase Prince's dexterity on the guitar as he effortlessly rolls with intriguing tempo twists and turns. Marva King's delicious vocals set off the rollicking, funky ode to model "Chelsea Rodgers." Then Prince shifts gears to mellow on the smooth-flowing "Somewhere Here on Earth" and "Mr. Goodnight." With such longtime colleagues as Sheila E., Maceo Parker and Wendy & Lisa in tow, you can hear how much fun Prince is still having—and why he shouldn't be counted out as he approaches the 30th anniversary of his first chart hit. —Gail Mitchell

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3i4e5cfeef7081c5c89e36702520d19c79

[unique]

Comeback accomplished, Prince now settles into a groove with 2007's Planet Earth, his 26th studio album and successor to the two deliberate comebacks, Musicology (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:knfoxqualdhe) and 3121 (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kpfixqldldte). Those two albums were designed to storm the top of the charts but, more importantly, they were made with the intention of making Prince prominent again -- a gambit that worked since Prince worked hard, stealing the show at both the Superbowl and the American Idol fifth-season finale and turning into an in-demand concert ticket once again. Both records were recorded with the expectations of making a splash, and 3121 (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kpfixqldldte) even made some overtures toward modern music, most noticeably in the sleek electro workout of "Black Sweat," which suggested that Prince had heard the Neptunes (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0cfwxqqjldhe), even if he didn't pay them much mind. In contrast to such grudging nods at his progeny, Planet Earth doesn't attempt to make concessions to contemporary music, although it does make a point of addressing the modern world, whether it's in the neo-apocalyptic warnings of destruction and God on the title track or his offhand reference to "this digital age" on the sweet slow jam "Somewhere Here on Earth." Such passing asides are enough indication that, even if Prince may belong to his own universe, he surely lives in our world, something that's also apparent from his move to give away the album with Sunday newspapers in the U.K., a move that infuriated record labels in Britain -- since how can you sell something that's being given away for free? -- yet makes some sense in terms of sheer marketing. After all, Planet Earth is the kind of sturdy, highly enjoyable music that needs some manufactured hoopla around its release; otherwise, it will fade into the artist's prodigious back catalog because of its very nature. This isn't a self-styled comeback, it's an album that showcases a still-vital veteran relaxing and playing music that's not surprising, not fashionable, but not stodgy or fussy. That may mean that Planet Earth isn't much more than a quite good Prince album, one that hits upon his most accessible personas -- impish popster, funk-rocker, seductive balladeer, charmingly mystic weirdo -- and doesn't go much further than that, yet it still offers plenty to enjoy, either as sheer music (some of the synths are a bit glassy, but nobody knows how to make a record sound warm like Prince) or as songs. If there are no classics here -- or even songs that are as instantly grabbing as "Lolita" -- there are no bad songs either, with the very funny, tightly wound rocker "Guitar," the light, frothy "The One U Wanna C," and the NPG (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3xfexqegld0e) knockoff "Chelsea Rodgers" being as engaging as slow jams like "Future Baby Mama." There's no fluff and no fat, just ten strong songs delivered with just enough flair to remind you it's the work of Prince, yet strategically avoiding the indulgence that marginalized him throughout the '90s. Ultimately, Planet Earth is the sound of a working musician working, which makes it a bit of a passing pleasure, yet there's no denying that it is indeed a pleasure having him turn out solid records like this that build upon his legacy, no matter how modestly.


http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dnfwxzy5ldfe

[The One]

Prince, charming

http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2007/07/21/amd_prince_portrait.jpg http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2007/07/21/amd_prince_album.jpg

Prince. "Planet Earth." Columbia.

You never know which Prince will pop out on one of his CDs: The funkster? Jam man? Rock star? Soul smoothie? Or a confusing combination of all the above?
On "Planet Earth," Prince favors one of the least common roles in his career - as melody-mad pop star.

"Planet Earth" has to rank as the lightest, fastest, rocking-est Prince album in years. Nearly the entire disk plays to the top end of his sound - i.e. the tuneful side.
Any nod to the funky bottom comes as an afterthought. You'd have to push back to his earliest days with the Revolution band to find a Prince disk this brisk and bouncy.
No wonder he rehired Wendy and Lisa from that era for several songs on the disk.
Before the album takes off, however, it briefly stumbles. The opening cut, which doubles as the title track, is one of those ghastly "save the environment" harangues, a green plea saddled with a polluted melody. It even has a drag of a beat. Together, it's enough to make Madonna's new Earth-happy salute ("Hey You") seem revelatory.
Luckily, Prince recovers fully with "Guitar," one of his most fantastically flip singles since "Kiss." It boasts a chiming, double-timed guitar hook (think: U2's "I Will Follow") matched to a flirty vocal. "I love you baby," the lyric teases, "but not like I love my guitar."
Nice.

Prince goes for a chugging T-Rex-ish rocker in "The One U Wanna C," which could just as easily have slinked off 1980's "Dirty Mind." "Lion of Judah" rocks out sweetly, as does "All the Midnights in the World," even if the latter does contain hints of the corny Broadway-style "rock musical" Prince often falls prey to.
Along the way, the disk offers a few brief peeks of soul. "Somewhere Here on Earth" has the swank of the Stylistics. "Future Baby Mama" brings out a beautifully feminine falsetto from Prince.

The only time the star approaches funk is in "Chelsea Rodgers." And really it's more of the disco variety, ending up closer to the Trammps than James Brown. The song also features a cameo from a hot new Prince find: Shelby J, who has some of the grit of a young Mavis Staples.

The ease of the whole CD comes as a special relief after Prince's labored, techno-heavy last work, 2006's "3121." This time he's not trying to sound at all contemporary. Even the disk's one rap, "Mr. Goodnight," sounds more like Barry White than T.I.
But who needs to be in step when you can write a tune as singable as "Resolution," the album's apt finale?

Notably, the lyrics to this song take an antipopulist stance. According to Prince, we still have wars because most of us secretly want them. That's a rare perspective from this seldom contrary writer.

How nice to know that, 30 years into his career, Prince can still keep those little surprises coming.

source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2007/07/22/2007-07-22_prince_charming.html

[The One]

The Once and Future Prince

By JON PARELES (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/jon_pareles/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: July 22, 2007
I’VE got lots of money!” Prince exults in “The One U Wanna C,” a come-on from his new album, “Planet Earth” (Columbia). There’s no reason to disbelieve him. With a sponsorship deal here and an exclusive show there, worldwide television appearances and music given away, Prince has remade himself as a 21st-century pop star. As recording companies bemoan a crumbling market, Prince is demonstrating that charisma and the willingness to go out and perform are still bankable. He doesn’t have to go multiplatinum — he’s multiplatform.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/07/22/arts/22pare.1901.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/07/22/arts/22pareCA01ready.html', '22pareCA01ready', 'width=387,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))Afshin Shahidi
Prince has caused a stir by distributing his new album free in a British newspaper, one of many ways he is showing that he thinks differently about the music business.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/07/22/arts/22pare.1902.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/07/22/arts/22pareCA02ready.html', '22pareCA02ready', 'width=720,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Prince playing last weekend in East Hampton, N.Y.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/07/22/arts/22pare.1903.jpg Retna Limited
Prince on the “Purple Rain” tour in Detroit in 1984.




Although Prince declined to be interviewed about “Planet Earth,” he has been highly visible lately. His career is heading into its third decade, and he could have long since become a nostalgia act. Instead he figured out early how to do what he wants in a 21st-century music business, and clearly what he wants is to make more music. Despite his flamboyant wardrobe and his fixation on the color purple, his career choices have been savvy ones, especially for someone so compulsively prolific.
Like most pop stars, he goes on major tours to coincide with album releases, which for Prince are frequent. But he also gets out and performs whenever he chooses. Last year he took over a club in Las Vegas and renamed it 3121, after his 2006 album “3121,” which briefly hit No. 1 and spawned multiple conflicting theories about the significance of the number. He started playing there twice a week for 900 people at $125 a ticket. In February he had an audience in the millions as the halftime entertainment for the Super Bowl. He has gone on to play well-publicized shows at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood for a few hundred people paying $3,121 per couple, and another elite show last weekend in East Hampton for about $3,000 per person.
Meanwhile Verizon put Prince in commercials that use “Guitar,” another song from “Planet Earth,” as bait for its V Cast Song ID service, making the song a free download to certain cellphones. On July 7 Prince introduced a perfume, 3121, by performing at Macy’s in Minneapolis.

In Britain he infuriated retailers by agreeing to have a newspaper, The Mail on Sunday, include the complete “Planet Earth” CD in copies on July 15. (The album is due for American release this Tuesday.) Presumably The Mail paid him something in the range of what he could have earned, much more slowly, through album sales. British fans have remunerated him in other ways. On Aug. 1 he starts a string of no fewer than 21 sold-out arena concerts, 20,000 seats each, at the O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome) in London at the relatively low ticket price of £31.21, about $64. The O2 ticket price also includes a copy of the album; Prince did the same thing with his tour for “Musicology” in 2004. Those “Musicology” albums were counted toward the pop charts, which then changed their rules; the “Planet Earth” albums will not be. But fans will have the record.

Prince’s priorities are obvious. The main one is getting his music to an audience, whether it’s purchased or not. “Prince’s only aim is to get music direct to those that want to hear it,” his spokesman said when announcing that The Mail would include the CD. (After the newspaper giveaway was announced, Columbia Records’ corporate parent, Sony Music, chose not to release “Planet Earth” for retail sale in Britain.) Other musicians may think that their best chance at a livelihood is locking away their music — impossible as that is in the digital era — and demanding that fans buy everything they want to hear. But Prince is confident that his listeners will support him, if not through CD sales then at shows or through other deals.

This is how most pop stars operate now: as brand-name corporations taking in revenue streams from publishing, touring, merchandising, advertising, ringtones, fashion, satellite radio gigs or whatever else their advisers can come up with. Rare indeed are holdouts like Bruce Springsteen (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/bruce_springsteen/index.html?inline=nyt-per) who simply perform and record. The usual rationale is that hearing a U2 (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/u2/index.html?inline=nyt-org) song in an iPod commercial or seeing Shakira’s face on a cellphone billboard will get listeners interested in the albums that these artists release every few years after much painstaking effort.

But Prince is different. His way of working has nothing to do with scarcity. In the studio — he has his own recording complex, Paisley Park near Minneapolis — he is a torrent of new songs, while older, unreleased ones fill the archive he calls the Vault. Prince apparently has to hold himself back to release only one album a year. He’s equally indefatigable in concert. On the road he regularly follows full-tilt shows — singing, playing, dancing, sweating — with jam sessions that stretch into the night. It doesn’t hurt that at 49 he can still act like a sex symbol and that his stage shows are unpredictable.

Through it all he still aims for hit singles. Although he has delved into all sorts of music, his favorite form is clearly the four-minute pop tune full of hooks. But his career choices don’t revolve around squeezing the maximum return out of a few precious songs. They’re about letting the music flow.
Prince gravitated early to the Internet. Even in the days of dial-up he sought to make his music available online, first as a way of ordering albums and then through digital distribution. (He was also ahead of his time with another form of communication: text messaging abbreviations, having long ago traded “you” for “U.”) Where the Internet truism is that information wants to be free, Prince’s corollary is that music wants to be heard.

How much he makes from his various efforts is a closely guarded secret. But he’s not dependent on royalties trickling in from retail album sales after being filtered through major-label accounting procedures. Instead someone — a sponsor, a newspaper, a promoter — pays him upfront, making disc sales less important. Which is not to say that he’s doing badly on that front: “3121” sold about 520,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and “Musicology,” with its concert giveaways, was certified multiplatinum.

Prince ended a two-decade contract with Warner Brothers Records in 1996 after a very public falling out with the label. During the mid-1990s he appeared with the word “Slave” painted on his face and said the label was holding back material he wanted to release. For a while he dropped the name Prince — which was under contract to Warner Brothers and Warner/Chappell Music — for an unpronounceable glyph; when the contracts ran out, he was Prince again. And since leaving Warner Brothers he has been independent. He owns his recordings himself, beginning with a three-CD set called “Emancipation” from 1996. He has released albums on his own NPG label and Web site or has licensed them, one by one, for distribution by major labels, presumably letting them compete for each title. Over the past decade he has had albums released through EMI, Arista, Universal and Sony.

The idea behind long-term recording contracts is that a label will invest in building a career. But Prince (in part because of Warner Brothers’ promotion) has been a full-fledged star since the ’80s. So now a label’s main job for him is to get the CDs into stores.

Prince also experimented with having fans subscribe directly to receive his music online, which turned out to be a better idea in theory than in execution. After five years he quietly shut down his NPG Music Club in 2006. Still, his Web site (which is now 3121.com (http://3121.com/)) usually has a rare recording or two for streaming or downloading. Why not? There’s plenty more.

“Planet Earth” is a good but not great Prince album. Unlike “3121,” which built many of its tracks around zinging, programmed electronic sounds, “Planet Earth” sounds largely handmade, even retro. “In this digital age you could just page me,” Prince sings in “Somewhere Here on Earth,” a slow-motion falsetto ballad. “I know it’s the rage but it just don’t engage me like a face-to-face.”

Prince, as usual, is a one-man studio band — drums, keyboards, guitars, vocals — joined here and there by a horn section or a cooing female voice. This time he leans toward rock rather than funk. Serious songs begin and end the album. It starts with “Planet Earth,” an earnest environmental piano anthem with an orchestral buildup, and winds up with the devout “Lion of Judah” and with “Resolution,” an antiwar song. In between, Prince flirts a lot, playing hard-to-get as he rocks through “Guitar” (“I love you baby, but not like I love my guitar”) and promising sensual delights in the upbeat “One U Wanna C” and the slow-grinding “Mr. Goodnight.” There’s also a catchy, nutty song about a model, “Chelsea Rodgers,” who’s both hard-partying and erudite; Prince sings that she knows about how “Rome was chillin’ in Carthage in 33 B.C.E.”

Although Columbia probably thinks otherwise, how the album fares commercially is almost incidental. With or without the CD business, Prince gets to keep making music: in arenas, in clubs, in the studio. Fans buy concert tickets, companies rent his panache, pleasure is shared. It’s a party that can go on a long time.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/arts/music/22pare.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em=&en=ee5075b0e5a4d37e&ex=1185163200&pagewanted=all

[The One]

It's worth a visit to Prince's 'Planet'

The Purple One reinvents himself again, and the result it as catchy as it is cutting edge.
By Ann Powers, Times Staff Writer
July 24, 2007


http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/photo/2007-07/31377820.jpg (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/lat-prince2_jlb0xunc,1,2264344.photo?coll=la-headlines-entnews)
http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2007-07/31380422.jpg (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-prince24jul24-pg,1,4511971.photogallery?coll=la-headlines-entnews)

Prince must wake up some mornings — or, let's be realistic, afternoons — and wish he'd never recorded "Purple Rain." Dozens of albums into his career, with a sound as sharp and renewable as anyone's in pop history, he's still slapping away the assumption that he peaked in the 1980s.

Lately he's been getting attention for innovative sidesteps, playing in unusual spots such as the Roosevelt Hotel and giving away close to 3 million copies of his new album to lucky Brits in last week's Mail on Sunday newspaper. But the music at the center of this latest whirl of activity will still be judged against the 49-year-old rebel's youthful landmarks.

On "Planet Earth" (due in stores today), Prince confronts this problem by creating a cunning homage to himself. This tour of the master's cabinet of wonders opens with a spiritually minded power ballad that evokes 1987's "The Cross" without imitating it; the kundalini-stimulating slow jams and genre-hopping hook-fests that follow — a few reuniting Prince with Wendy and Lisa, the main muses of his big-hair heyday — explore old themes with just enough variation to stimulate affection instead of a yawn.

What each listener likes will depend on the corner of Prince's aural empire he or she fancies. So far, many prefer "Chelsea Rodgers," a funk throw-down about a book-reading model who "likes to talk to Jimi's ghost," with Prince's new favorite earth mama, Shelby J, nabbing the vocal lead. (Ms. Rodgers, not evident on the track, is apparently flesh and blood; she was by Prince's side during at least one Roosevelt Hotel after-party, and has a website, though it's still under construction.)

Onetime wearers of raspberry-colored berets might prefer "The One You Wanna C," a Wendy and Lisa-powered slice of sunshine that brings back the mechanical hand clap, or "Resolution," an offhanded singalong in which Prince explains how to save the world.

The pimp rap "Mr. Goodnight" also deserves mention, for its smooth delivery and lyrics that would have fit into the script of "Under the Cherry Moon." "I got a mind full of good intentions, and a mouth full of Raisinets," Prince murmurs. Just listen to that eyebrow rise.

There's also "Guitar," in which Prince gets bored with mining his own mother lode and turns to U2's, modifying the Edge's famous riff from "I Will Follow." "Guitar" is a slap at an unfaithful lover and a sly satire of rock 'n' roll grandstanding: "I love you baby, but not like I love my guitar," Prince spits as that riff chases him around the corner. As if he'd ever have to make a choice between the two.

Uniting seeming opposites has always been Prince's mission: masculine and feminine, rock and soul, spirituality and sex come together in his utopia. The deepest track on "Planet Earth" has him working toward this vision again.

Pulled forward by a kick-drum and a thick current of open-tuned guitar, "Lion of Judah" is a cry from the wilderness — whatever wilderness a multi-millionaire pop star experiences — blending scriptural references, bedroom musings, and even a veiled reference to John Lennon's "Instant Karma." A ghost of the melody from 1991's "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" lingers around the song, but this is something different. It's Prince now, as conflicted, imaginative and wonderfully weird as ever.

--

Prince
"Planet Earth"(NPG/Columbia)* * * 1/2

source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-prince24jul24,1,256698.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true

[unique]

3121 Inbox: Prince’s Planet Earth - Brilliant in More Ways than One (http://www.3121.com/blog/?p=43)

by David Sapp, via The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sapp/princes-planet-earth_b_58167.html?view=screen)
James Brown would be proud of “Chelsea Rodgers,” the standout track on Prince’s new album Planet Earth released earlier this week. However, Donald Trump may be even more proud of the way Prince has been conducting business lately. Since the days when he wrote “slave” on his face in protest of what he believed was the recording labels’ exploitation of artists, Prince has enjoyed being a royal pain in the ass to the music industry.
The funny thing is that even though there is no doubt that Prince is a musical genius, it’s not really the music on Planet Earth or even his recent live shows (including his spectacular rain-soaked performance at Super Bowl XLI, just nominated for two Emmys (http://www.emmys.tv/awards/2007pt/nominations.php)), that has ensured his continued brilliance.
The risk he took last week in England provides us with an illustration. Before its official release, Prince gave away nearly 3 million copies of Planet Earth with the Sunday edition of a newspaper. Prince’s decision enraged much of the music industry, including Columbia Records (who was under contract to distribute the CD worldwide) and record-store chains that said Prince was disrespecting them by not following the traditional ways of selling music (and thus cutting their profits).
The record stores threatened boycotts, Columbia Records canceled the distribution deal in England (but not elsewhere), and Prince somehow came out on top. While the newspaper deal apparently paid Prince approximately what he would have earned through record sales (according to Jon Parales (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/arts/music/22pare.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em=&en=ee5075b0e5a4d37e&ex=1185163200&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1185547094-m5gzTkhDQiCOmlbmg7+Gtg)), Prince must have gained even more satisfaction in preventing the music industry from taking its normal cut. And despite the controversial deal, or perhaps because of it, Prince’s upcoming “21 Nights in London” tour is nearly sold out.
Now the music industry is scrambling to figure out what happened.
Read More (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sapp/princes-planet-earth_b_58167.html?view=screen)

[unique]

Prince's Planet Earth: Brilliant in More Ways than One (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sapp/princes-planet-earth_b_58167.html)

James Brown would be proud of "Chelsea Rodgers," the standout track on Prince's new album Planet Earth released earlier this week. However, Donald Trump may be even more proud of the way Prince has been conducting business lately. Since the days when he wrote "slave" on his face in protest of what he believed was the recording labels' exploitation of artists, Prince has enjoyed being a royal pain in the ass to the music industry.

The funny thing is that even though there is no doubt that Prince is a musical genius, it's not really the music on Planet Earth or even his recent live shows (including his spectacular rain-soaked performance at Super Bowl XLI, just nominated for two Emmys (http://www.emmys.tv/awards/2007pt/nominations.php)), that has ensured his continued brilliance.
The risk he took last week in England provides us with an illustration. Before its official release, Prince gave away nearly 3 million copies of Planet Earth with the Sunday edition of a newspaper. Prince's decision enraged much of the music industry, including Columbia Records (who was under contract to distribute the CD worldwide) and record-store chains that said Prince was disrespecting them by not following the traditional ways of selling music (and thus cutting their profits).
The record stores threatened boycotts, Columbia Records canceled the distribution deal in England (but not elsewhere), and Prince somehow came out on top. While the newspaper deal apparently paid Prince approximately what he would have earned through record sales (according to Jon Parales (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/arts/music/22pare.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em=&en=ee5075b0e5a4d37e&ex=1185163200&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1185547094-m5gzTkhDQiCOmlbmg7+Gtg)), Prince must have gained even more satisfaction in preventing the music industry from taking its normal cut. And despite the controversial deal, or perhaps because of it, Prince's upcoming "21 Nights in London" tour is nearly sold out.
Now the music industry is scrambling to figure out what happened.
About three years ago, Prince gave away millions of copies of his CD, Musicology, at U.S. concerts. And a funny thing happened as a result: the copies he gave away counted as record sales, boosting the CD up the charts where it remained--more or less--throughout the tour. Was it fair for Prince to give away CDs and then benefit from his position high on charts traditionally based on record sales? Perhaps not, industry insiders believed. However, the chart position, no doubt, led to increased ticket sales for his concerts, resulting in Prince's tour being the most profitable of 2004.
Now, in 2007, Prince is making another creative move, this time with a twist. He's still giving away CDs to promote his live performances (instead of the other way around). But this time, instead of scheduling a grueling six-month tour in which he performs nightly in every small city with a 25,000-seat arena, he has set up performance "residencies."
That is, following several high-profile TV appearances last year (e.g., the Oscars, American Idol finale, etc.), he set up for several months in a small theater at the Rio in Las Vegas where he played intimate yet high-profitable weekend shows. Ticket packages, some that included dinner served by Prince's personal chef and informal jazz concerts after each show, cost fans several hundred dollars each. Then, in recent months, Prince moved west to Los Angeles to the Roosevelt Hotel, and now, after making a quick stop in East Hampton where he played a quick gig (for $3000 per ticket), he's off to London for three weeks of shows.
In sum, these concert residencies have been highly-profitable financially, and have provided him with flexibility in his schedule. During the last few weeks, for example, he's launched a new perfume in Minneapolis (an event that included three short performances, most notably a late-night one at First Avenue, the club featured in the movie Purple Rain) and a surprise appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival (http://www.montreuxjazz.com/news/index_en.aspx?id=15). He's on MTV, yet this time it's in a Verizon commercial that offers free downloads of a song from Planet Earth to its subscribers.
To some, it may seem that Prince is selling out (it's even rumored that he's exploring a deal (http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2130145,00.html) with Starbucks' to distribute his music in its stores). But we should not blame him for these bold moves.
For Prince, it's been over a decade since he wrote "slave" on his face and began his struggle against the music industry. At the time, he seemed motivated by fellow artists (such as TLC) who had sold millions of records yet had little to show for it financially after the industry's cut. After signing multi-album contracts as new artists, they were not allowed to release music necessary to fulfill their obligations and move on to more lucrative deals. For Prince, the issue was not necessarily about the money but about the fact that he was not able to own the rights to his music.
Of course, questions remain regarding Prince's recent efforts: Is Prince revolutionizing music distribution in the best interests of his fans and fellow musicians, or is he simply besting the capitalist, profit-mongering music industry at their own game?
In general, Prince's fans have enjoyed his creative strategies though, understandably, some have been frustrated by high costs of tickets to his recent live performances. Some fans also point out problems with ticket distributions, claiming on the fan-site housequake.com (http://www.housequake.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=89767) that tickets designated for fan clubs have been mismanaged for some of the "21 Nights in London," resulting in some members buying tickets only to learn later that additional tickets were being released to the general public much closer to the stage.
Despite these kinds of issues, in recent years, Prince has been highly successful in distributing music directly to his fans. His latest CD, Planet Earth, while being given away in the U.K., is widely available for free listening on the internet and for sale on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/) for only $9.99 in the U.S. While the CD lacks a booklet insert and the cover reminds one of the 3-D baseball cards children used to find in cereal boxes, Prince has made the lyrics available for free download (http://www.3121.com/planetearth/PrincePlanetEarth_Lyrix.pdf) at his website: 3121.com (http://www.3121.com/)
In terms of Planet Earth itself, there are additional reasons for Prince's fans to appreciate the present and be optimistic about the future. While it is true that this particular CD contains few tracks near the level of his true classics and that many will find the references to Jehovah excruciating, there are indeed a few treats.
In addition to the retro-disco "Chelsea Rodgers," other highlights include "Future Baby Mama" (with its reminders of "Do Me, Baby" and more recently "Call My Name"), "The One U Wanna C," "Mr. Goodnight" (which is much like the very best of his early-'90s music), and "Guitar," the song currently being used to sell Verizon phones. "Somewhere Here on Earth" is simply beautiful with its arrangement of horns, piano, vocals, and touching lyrics. This song contains reminders of those released on Parade as well as a few of the best ones on the Batman soundtrack (e.g., "Scandalous").
The title track, reminiscent of "Sign 'o the Times" and perhaps "Ronnie Talk to Russia," has received mixed reviews. On it, Prince is trying to offer commentary on the current political situation: "Fifty years from now, what will they say about us here? Did we care for the water and the fragile atmosphere? There are only two kinds of folk, and the difference that they make the ones that give and the ones that take.... Imagine sending your first born off to fight a war with no good reason how it started or what they are fighting for. And if they're blessed to make it home, will they still be poor? Pray for peace now and forever more." While not entirely successful, his efforts here should be applauded.
But, by far, the biggest treat is the return of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, former members of Prince's band from the early 1980s, The Revolution. While their contributions seem limited on Planet Earth to "additional keys" and "acoustic guitar and mandolin" (as they're listed in the credits), it is important to recall that Wendy and Lisa served an additional purpose in the band up until their departure in 1986. That is, they served as a critical voice in Prince's world, often urging him to explore new musical genres and work more creatively. It's been widely-reported that Wendy, in particular, pointed it out to Prince when he fell back into musical territories that he'd previously exhausted. This role has been glaringly absent in Prince's professional life since then.
Wendy recently told Jon Bream (July 13, Star Tribune) that their contributions to Planet Earth were made, not in person, but over e-mail, with Prince sending tracks to them electronically. This may explain how lesser tracks such as "All the Midnights in the World" could have made it on the final version of the CD.
Wendy has performed quite a few times with Prince during the last three years, starting with an acoustic performance on the Travis Smiley Show in 2004 up to the recent Roosevelt Hotel gig. She may also join him for some of the dates in London. Wendy and Lisa's being back in the picture has generated great excitement among Prince's fans, and when one looks at the whole picture (i.e., the music, live performances, and creative marketing), there should be little doubt: it's a good time to be a Prince fan.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sapp/princes-planet-earth_b_58167.html?view=screen

[unique]

3121 Inbox: Prince’s Paisley Parade Marches On, Despite What The Critics Say (http://www.3121.com/blog/?p=44)

By Jeff Miers, via Associated Press
Prince is pop music’s tabula rasa. You can interpret him however you like. Want him to be the funky sex god and logical precursor to hip-hop? He is that. Want him to be the suave American idol pouting all over the teen-dream screen in “Purple Rain”? Been there, done that — and can still be that, if he feels like it.
Want him to represent how far R&B has fallen, and how little genuine musicianship and musicality has been involved in the production of that idiom for the past two decades? He has done that, unquestionably.
With all these choices, it is both frustrating and odd that so many opt to cast upon Prince’s blank slate the role of fallen giant, failed genius, and betrayer of his own talent. Yet even a casual glance at the veritable flood of press that greeted the Purple One’s new album, “Planet Earth” — out now in the States, following an earlier release in Europe — reveals a community of pop scribes almost unanimously befuddled by Prince’s inability to be what they want him to be — which is essentially the Prince they knew when they were younger, thinner and had more hair.
“Planet Earth” is a great album. In fact, like almost every album Prince has released since “1999,” it’s far better than it needs to be. The problem — which doesn’t apply to Prince fans who’ve been paying close attention over the past 10 years, or to Prince himself — is that he is much more concerned with matters of the spirit than he was back when he rode a purple motorcycle and groped a scantily clad Vanity all over the silver screen in the ’80s.
Oh, and he has also had the audacity to include some ecological and political commentary this time around, something that has earned him the scorn of the majority of the critics.
There are two tunes on “Planet Earth” that have been deemed offensive, and they book-end the album. First is the disc-opening title tune, a poignant minor-key soul ballad that, though its lyrics merely point out the obvious rather than bringing anything truly new to the ecological discourse, is both heartfelt and stunningly performed.
The second, the anti-war meditation “Resolution,” ends the record. This song has been interpreted as self-righteous and preachy, which it is. Prince, remember, is an awful lot like Bob Dylan, if not in the abstract-poetic lyrics department, at least in his ability to lean on scriptural references to support a righteous indignation.
That righteous indignation must be what’s upsetting folks who seem to want Prince to stick with “Let’s get it on”- styled “club jams.” I may be wrong, but it sure seems like part of the reason for this is self-serving; if Prince is suddenly dealing with more than sex-and-beats, then maybe so much of the cynical hip-hop and shallow-is-better stuff these critics have been giving high marks to for so long will be revealed as an emperor sans clothes.
Pop critics more often than not need a context to criticize something within. If they can’t deduce an overarching ethos, they’ll create one out of thin air. With Prince, this has largely meant employing him as a justification for hip-hop, which is only part of the real story.
Tellingly, “Planet Earth” is all over the place, musically, and espouses just as many rock music tropes as it does R&B ones. There’s jazz, funk, pop, rock ’n’ roll, some screaming blues-based guitar solos, nods to U2 and power-pop, and lyrics that have no problem celebrating pleasures of the flesh and matters of the spirit, often within the same tune. This is too confusing for folks who don’t like their musical chocolate mixed with peanut butter.
But the ability to follow wherever the muse leads — and make no mistake, this ability comes from studying, knowing, feeling and being able to play music — is what makes Prince brilliant, and always has. This is a guy who made great records before Pro Tools, cut-and-paste and pitch correction made “artists” out of folks who’d have a tough time explaining to you the difference between a major chord and a minor one.
Happily, Prince gives no inclination of caring what anyone thinks of him. “Planet Earth” proves his internal barometer is still dead-on.

[The One]

REVIEW: Prince’s latest a purple drizzle
Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com


Like Bruce Springsteen, fellow ’80s icon Prince recently checked in with a new release. But where Springsteen’s “Magic” provides cause for celebration and is the Boss’ best work in years, Prince’s “Planet Earth” is just OK.

What with his career enjoying an upswing of sorts these last few years, it’s a shame that the Purple One only managed a base hit instead of a home run this time out. Especially since Prince’s recent resurgence comes after more than a decade of indifference from most of the masses. An indifference that no doubt sprang from the at-times-approaching-Michael-Jackson weirdness of battling his record label and temporarily changing monikers to that goofy symbol. Add the perception shared by many that Prince’s post-“Sign ‘O’ The Times” releases — and there have been a ton of them — fairly stunk. I say perception because such is partly the case. All those double, triple, Internet-only and contract-fulfilling releases contain abundant gunk for sure. Most also contain musical gems aplenty for those willing to wade through the jetsam to find them. Which, it turns out, most weren’t willing to do.

Strange behavior and 20 years of uneven musical quality after such early promise and delivery aside, you do have to kind of admire Prince, who, like Neil Young and Bob Dylan, does whatever he feels like with basically no concern for audience expectations or commercial consequences. Which is probably why once most had written the guy off, he defied expectations by returning to form with 2004’s “Musicology” and this year’s stupendous Super Bowl half-time performance. “Planet Earth” stalls Prince’s journey back into the public’s good graces, unfortunately. Or at least takes it on a temporary detour.

For one thing, the album sinks under the weight of too many lame, soft R&B ballads. Worse yet, several such songs offend by coming off merely all right albeit not in the least interesting.

All is not bad though.

The opener and title track delivers simplistic eco-friendly homilies and veers too close to ’90s power-ballad territory at times. But what starts a trifle soon builds into a satisfying crescendo of musical goodness. Prince has visited this territory with much better results before — “Purple Rain” and “The Cross” come immediately to mind — but “Planet Earth” grabs hold and starts proceedings off with a bang. “Guitar,” an even better song, follows. It’s great until, wait a minute, you realize it’s a rip-off of U2’s “I Will Follow.” Oh well, if Prince had to look toward one of music’s dullest ever bands for inspiration at least he had the sense to steal a riff from one of the only two good songs that lousy band ever managed. Doesn’t matter in the end. “Guitar” comes off a joy, a great car-cruising rock-n-roll throwaway of a song. “The One U Wanna C” channels “1999” and “Purple Rain”-era Prince. “Chelsea Rodgers” mixes early ’70s funk with late ’70s disco and sounds like the perfect summer song of 1978 that never was.

Too bad four great songs don’t a classic album make. It’s also too bad the remaining six tracks rate blah to so-so.

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