My 3121 Review

My 3121 Review






Its taken me a while to write this review because I wanted to fully digest the album before I put pen to paper. 3121 is Princes follow up to his comeback album Musicology of 2004. Musicology wasnt a comeback for Prince. He never left. The dude literally writes songs in his sleep. See 1999. It was a comeback for fans. A comeback for the popular acceptance and critical praise Prince longs for. With the confidence of a 2X platinum album and a ..1 $90 million grossing tour gave him, Prince returns with his most consistent album since Sign O the Times in 1987.

Tracks:

1. 3121: 5 stars out of 10 From the opening notes of this track, you can tell what kind of album this is gonna be. This is a party album with much more up tempo music than on Musicology. Too bad this title track doesnt get me hype. Outside of a short guitar riff this track is uninspired.

2. Lolita: 6 stars out of 10 On this track it at least sounds like Prince is trying. Its gotta a nice pop appeal to the beat the lyrics are insipid and lazy. However, it is somewhat catchy. Prince has done worse, but hes done a WHOLE lot better.

3. Te Amo Corazon: 4 stars out of 10 More like Te Amo BORAzon. When I first heard this single, I thought this was the most boring song Prince could make. Its a light, airy ballad with a latin flair that sounds like a song Prince wrote, performed, and cut all in one night. Thats the things with most Prince songs. They sound like something he knocked out in one sleepless night. Sometimes they turn out to be great, Sign O The Times or they turn out like this. Its a crap shoot. With Te Amo, it sounds like Prince shot the crap.

4. Black Sweat: 6 stars out of 10 Track 4 is Black Sweat aka Prince discovers ProTools. If anything this song is an indication of Princes updated production skills. The drum programming here is inspired and is a stark contrast to the programming thats been on Prince albums since 1996s Emancipation. Too bad his songwriting hasnt caught up. He appears to have trouble crafting the memorable hooks that made him an International Pop Star. Another good thing about this track is this is where the album starts to pick up and the quality of the songs improve.

5. Incense and Candles: 9 stars out of 10 And just like that, Prince comes up with a memorable hook on this track.

Come into my room of incense and candles/I got something that you wont know how to handle/You can tell me nuh uh but you know how this man do/Imma want it all night long. This smoldering groove is definitely the grind on your chick in the club type song.

6. Love: 6 stars out of 10 This is a nice dance song. The subject matter of love may be corny to some, but it has a nice groove and the hook is somewhat catchy. You cant help but sing along at times.

7. Satisfied: 8 stars out of 10 I liked this song better when it was called On the Couch. This is a perfect example of the kind of bedroom numbers Prince can do in his sleep. That is to say, hes not going to make ever to make a bad one, but he doesnt knock your socks off everytime either. Its still a good song, but he just made On the Couch on Musicology and this sounds like a rehash.

8. Fury: 9 stars out of 10 This song is Princes strongest candidate for a single to make noise on the charts. Prince puts together a song with strong lyrics, a catchy hook and great music. The only problem with this song is that he put the wrong version on this album. Prince debuted Fury on Saturday Night Live earlier this year showcasing unbelievable guitar riffs, poppin drums and an urgency that you can only find on live performances. This is almost the same as the live version except Prince mixed the guitars too low. The guitar playing is top notch and the solos are typical Prince, but the fact theyre so low in the mix makes those who have heard the live version feel somewhat disappointed. But if you havent heard the live version.dont worry about it. Its still a great song. If you want a copy of the live version from Saturday Night Live, inbox me. Ill hook you up.

9. The Word: 8 stars out of 10 In case you cant tell from the title, this song is about The Word. You know the kind you can find in the good book. For some reason I like this song. The lyrics for the most part are very good. Just ignore the line about the spiders.

Get up. Come on lets do something, no reason to feel this pain. Get up. Come on lets do something, come on go lets get saved.
Listening to this song makes me feel good. Plus what would a Prince song be without a blazin guitar solo at the end?

10. Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed: 7 stars out of 10 I must be the only person in the world that likes this duet with Tamar. Its a light, breezy R & B joint. It has another catchy hook.

Thats when you came and said I was beautiful, loved and blessed/Im better than the day before cause you made me confess/that I am beautiful, loved and blessed/when youre free youre really free indeed, all you gotta do is plant the seed.
The song loses cool points for Tamars rap around the midpoint of the song. Other than that I find it quite enjoyable. I also have a live version of this song from SNL. Inbox for a link.

11. The Dance: 10 stars out of 10 This song, along with Incense and Candles, is my favorite on this album. The music is both haunting and relaxing. This is a GREAT chill song. Prince gives you some great guitar, some great piano and a great Prince Scream. The last 60 seconds of The Dance is already one of my favorite conclusions to a Prince song ever. The subject matter is reminiscent of the I Hate U Remix from the 1995 I Hate U Maxi Single, where Prince spends the entire song talking about how much he hates his ex lover only to come to the realization that he still has feelings for her. From I Hate U: If I sound a little bitter its because my baby, you danced for a dollar/I know he didnt make you holla/and if he did, it wasnt like that time we did it to Mahler.

Throughout the first 4 minutes and 20 seconds of The Dance, Prince tries to convince his lover (and himself) that he doesnt need her anymore. He almost succeeds, then he just loses it in the final 60 seconds and realizes that he will miss her.

Baby! How you gonna really just stand there and act like you dont want this
Baby! If you do then you know I just dont care
Oh Baby! I can find another just like you anywhere
Oh Baby! They might not have your hips girl and oooh that pretty hair
At least they wont spend all day in the mirror tryin to find something to wear
At least they wont want to make love like you do on the stairs, against the pole, on the north corner of the... aww baby, baby, baby, baby
It's just not fair, it's just not fair, Ooo Ooo...

Those 60 seconds, for me, are worth the price of this album alone.

12. Get on the Boat: 5 stars out of 10 The hierarchy of Prince James Brown songs goes like this:
Sexy MF >> Prettyman >> The Work >> Get on the Boat. Prince needs to retire these James Brown rips cause the law of diminishing returns is in full effect. Theyre just tired and too easy for him to do. Get some Maceo horns and some drums. Ta Da! You got a James Brown inspired Prince jam.


Overall: The only real clunker on this album is Te Amo Corazon. It has more than a couple of Prince songs that a fan could list among some of his/her favorites. Its Prince doing *his* music again without trying compromising his sound for the sake of record sales or beating you over the head with evangelizing. It is a definite buy for fans of Prince or those who havent heard a Prince album since sung about a skinny man [who] died of a big disease with a little name.

Prince performs "Fury" and "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" on SNL

Click the image to start the video. Press "pause" and let it load all the way then press "play" when it's done to get the best experience. I suggest you have high speed internet.

These songs are off his new album "3121" set to drop in stores 3-21-2006.

Prince to perform an "Unplugged"?

It could happen.

Swiped from prince.org:

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP'S EXPECTATIONS ON PRINCE'S PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE UPCOMING ALBUM!

Radio:
2/7 add date for 'Black Sweat'. Vinyl will be serviced to clubs and mixshows

Video:
'Black Sweat' will impact BET, VH1 and MTV mid February
• MTV Unplugged from the house and VMA performance from his house via satellite
• Making The Video for next single.
• Possible Storytellers from the house...

New Media:
• Never before done retail campaign beg. Feb 7th with 6-week global iTunes pre-order. Digital 'purple ticket' promotion
• Mutli-tiered countdown on AOL music kicking off with First listen world premiere of single
• Superstar feature placement of 'Black Sweat' video on major online partners including Yahoo! Music, AOL Music,MySpace, Apple iTunes...
• Aggressive online promotions campaign hitting music, lifestyle and tastemaker blogs & sites

Press:
• Targets will include: 60 Minutes, CBS Sunday Morning, Ellen, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Oprah, SNL, Today Show, Tonight Show
• MAJOR '3121' TV Special in progress.... details TBA

Marketing:
• Heavy media campaign to include major market advertising w/ • TV • radio • Snipes in top 10 markets • Print
• Purple Ticket promotion: "An Evening With Prince - A private performance at Prince's house".
(7 winning tickets will be inserted into the initial run of CDs.)

Tour:
Worldwide tour begins in May


*** "Nothing is confirmed..." Says Spokesperson of Prince's camp NPGMusicClub.

Though they (NPGMC) stated that: This is a "wish list" Universal created and is using on a sales page 2 start taking orders from retail for the new album. We xpected it 2 b leaked online (because everything from Universal gets leaked eventually).

But again, "NOTHING is confirmed yet" *** - Says NPGMC

Prince's Black Sweat

After his "comeback" of 2004 with a hit album and the highest grossing tour of the year, Prince disappeared in 2005 and for the first time since he 1978 (As far as I can tell), did NOT release an album. Well in 2006, he's got a new album on the way titled "3121". This album is rumored to be inspired by his legendary "3121" celeb studded parties thrown at his Beverly Hills mansion throughout 2005. Check Below for the latest Prince News:

Best of Prince 2 CD Set
According to Bestbuy.com: http://www.bestbuy.com/si...id=1517461
A Prince "Best of" will be released by Rhino/WB on March 14th

Prince to appear on Saturday Night Live Feb. 4th
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and musical superstar, Prince will be a special guest on SNL live on February 4th. Arguably one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the 20th century, Prince makes his first appearance on the show since 1981. Fresh off his double Grammy Award-winning release “Musicology” and his top-grossing tour, Prince is back with an eagerly anticipated album “3121”. Always on the cutting edge of music and the music business – from his rare triple-threat in “Purple Rain” which was the No. 1 movie, album and single simultaneously in 1984 (winning an Oscar® for Best Score as well) to some of his seminal albums, “Sign O’The Times,” “Around the World in a Day” and “Diamonds and Pearls” – he has sold over 60 million records and was at the forefront of web-based music distribution with his NPG Music club.

Tune into SNL on February 4th!

Prince 3121 In-Stores March 21st
Big News! The release date has been announced for Prince's new album 3121. Look for it in-stores 3/21! You saw the AV "Te Amo Corazon". Get ready for a taste of the album as two new tracks "Black Sweat" and "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed" go to radio on 2/07. Stay tuned for more exciting Prince news coming soon!

Catch me on "Veronica Mars" Wednesday, Jan 25th

Catch me on the UPN series Veronica Mars! I’ll be on Veronica Mars, 9/8 central this Wednesday, January 25th and Next Wednesday, February 1st. While in San Diego, I did some “extra” work for “Veronica Mars” in my free time.

The episode on January 25th is titled “Donut Run” and it’s about Sheriff Lamb looking for an abducted baby. The scene I’m in is when the sheriff first pulls up to the border checkpoint. I’m one of the border patrol officers in the scene. Right when Lamb pulls up through the border patrol checkpoint, I open the back door of a truck. Unless they cut me out, you should catch about 3 seconds of the back of my head! LOL!

The episode on February 1st is titled “Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle” . I’m in the karaoke scene when Veronica shows up late to work. I’m wearing a tan colored sweater…I think…it was two months ago. :)

Anyway, I walk right past her on her left shoulder then I go sit down at a table behind her. She goes over to talk to Weevil and (name withheld to protect from spoilers) and if you look over her shoulder you may be able to see me and a few of my “friends” talk about how much the guy on stage singing sucks.

My 24 Thoughts 11:00am to 12:00pm

My thoughts as I watch.

1. LOL! Look at Curtis riding on the side of the truck! I don’t know. That’s just a funny sight.

2. “Don’t worry. I have someone on the inside.” Whaat? I’m shocked. There’s a mole inside CTU? How can this be?

3. Chloe is COOOLD. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. That’s her style.

4. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! (c) Gomer Pyle The guy Chloe’s boning is the mole. Wow! Didn’t see that one coming either!

5. Wow. That whole exchange with Jack, Diana, and Audrey was awkward.

6. Okay, let’s cut through this melodramatic BS.

7. Come on! How can you NOT love Chloe? That girl is so socially inept it’s hilarious.

8. And she caught feelings over Spenser.

9. Spenser acting like he ain’t gonna talk. Trying to lawyer up. I guess it’s time to call in Richards.

10. Yeah…this guy doesn’t know who Jack Bauer is. If he did, he wouldn’t have tried some BS like that!

11. Ooooh...Jack know he didn’t have to push it in like that. Dude was clearly incapacitated.

12. “I’m not CTU. I’m Jack Bauer B - - - -!"


JBBCM (Tonight’s episode) = 1
JBBCM (Season to date) = 9



Grade
B
This episode started off slow but picked up speed with the suspense. The episode JBBCM stands at a “below average” score of “1” body dropped. Jack was at CTU the whole episode. There’s only so many people at CTU Jack could kill. With him getting outside next week, I expect the JBBCM to increase to normal levels.

Battlestar Galactica 2.13 EPIPHANIES

1. It’s nice to see Gaius back to his BS’ing. He’s so good at that!

2. Roslin is Gangsta now! She’s trying to kill any and everybody.

3. LOL! He doesn’t even know if he’s talking to Six or Gina.

4. Helo looks like he’s ‘bout to unload on Adama!

5. Cylon sympathizers? Interesting.

6. Sharon…Ooooh, that’s gotta hurt.

7. Dude…seeing bodies blown into space NEVER gets old!

8. Woah. Tricia Helfler is looking even better with the girl next door look.

9. And she’s a leader of the Cylon Sympathizer group.

10. Woah Part II. Roslin was doing the President?

11. President Roslin. Prognosis: Negative (c) Seinfeld

12. Ironic. The baby she was going to kill, ends up saving her life.

13. Woah Part III. I didn’t know a flashback could have an “Oh S---!” moment. Looks like Gaius is going to have some trouble with the President.

14. Baltar just found a cure for cancer! That *might* makeup for causing the destruction of the human race.

15. “And if you renege I’ll have the Admiral hunt your friends down and show no mercy.” GANGSTA!

16. Hey! How can the figment of a man’s imagination read a letter?

17. I never wanted to know what was in a briefcase so much since Pulp Fiction.

18. Okay, I’m confused. What is that? Nuclear device? Baltar’s Cylon Detection system. Does anyone know?

Grade
B+
A lot of intense scenes and I truly wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. It’s nice to see Baltar back in the foreground. He’s been in the background the past 3 or 4 episodes. Now we’re back to scheming, lying, duplicitous, crazy, Gaius. I like that Gaius! Next week? BILL DUKE! “Apollo. You know you done f-cked up right?”