Black Album

by

Prince

Edit

What is there to say about the Black Album that hasn't already been said. This album was supposed to be the follow-up to the 1987 masterpiece Sign o' The Times. The album was made but weeks before it's release Prince refused to put it out there and went to work on another album. The album released instead was Lovesexy, which (if you've heard the Black Album) proves to be great in its own way but the exact opposite of the Black Album. For Prince this was a spiritual thing. He said that something told him not to put out the Black Album. But what Prince didn't know is that while WB destroyed most copies, some of the promotional LPs were sent out. That's when the bootlegging began. The Black Album was one of the most bootlegged albums in history. The Black Album was still alive when Prince began performing some songs on stage during his Lovesexy Tour.

Years went by and in 1994 Prince had to fufill his contract with WB and did something he didn't want to do back in '88. Release the Black Album to the mass public. For years he'd been warning people not to buy the Black Album and now it was available but with a catch, it was limited. The Black Album's shocking lyrics and overt sexuality threw many people off. Here was the guy that sang "Little Red Corvette" talking in this pimped out voice calling a woman something besides her name. But even with all the controversy it was well praised.

Prince's The Black Album is an all out funk fest. With jams like "Le Grind", "Cindy C." and "Superfunkycalifragisexy". The only ballad on the album that was also featured on Lovesexy, "When 2 R In Love" is great and among the greatest Prince songs. "Dead On It" is a cool parody of rappers with an addictive yet simple beat that's sure to having you bobbing your head. "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" is mostly an instrumental but has a little intro at beginning that has a conversation between Prince and Cat behind the drums of his song "Housequake". But listen closely and you'll hear a slew of voices chattering spewing curse words and conversations of their own. "Rockhard In A Funky Place" is a cool song too, with Prince ripping the guitar while Shiela, Cat and anothers yell "Rock!". But the infamous and controversial "Bob George" takes the crown for the best cut on the album. It is Prince in rare form. A deep voice and a pimp attitude. He's even making suggestions to using a gun, something that shocked critics and even made them come to the conclusion that Prince pioneered "gangsta rap".

To those that love Purple Rain and the legendary status of the man will find this album and "Bob George" in particular somewhat different and very disturbing. But to those that can enjoy Lovesexy and all of his work that the albums that weren't lighting up the pop charts, this is a masterpiece. Enough said.

The history of this album is well-documented, but in a nutshell (for those not in the know), Prince wrote and recorded it for Sheila E.'s birthday one night, and eventually decided not to release it due to religious reasons. The acetate got out, however, and the rest is history. This version is the Warner Brothers 1994 re-issue, and it contains no liner notes. The songs are merely listed on the disc itself.

It's unfortunate that the hype machine got ahold of this album before it could be properly reviewed. It contains exactly HALF an album worth of good material, and the rest is experimental at best.

The gems? "2 Nigs United For West Compton"; a funk/fusion classic that probably belonged in a live set somewhere. "Rock Hard In A Funky Place", a low-key funkfest that's similar to "Housequake", but way more minimalistic. "Superfunkicalifragisexy", a rave-up that surely belonged on "Parade".