This doesn’t mean Planet Earth sucks, however. One of the best axemen of his generation, Prince cranks through a Coldplay/U2 riff on “Guitar,” an ode to loving his instrument more than his lady.
Ditching the synth drums that define his ’80s work, Prince follows the full-drum lead established on 1991’s Diamonds and Pearls. Tracks like “Lion of Judah” and “The 1 U Wanna C” are his first collaborations with Wendy and Lisa in 20 years, and they’re better for them.
But the problems here aren’t technical. Once upon a time, Prince strutted around, strumming G-chords in a G-string, screaming about blowjobs and incest. But along came the shock and awe of hip-hop, something Prince could never match. As a result, he turned syrupy in the ’90s, with tunes like “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”
Planet Earth‘s “Future Baby Mama” comes in that model, an easy-listening ballad passé by anybody’s standards, much less his. More successful is “Somewhere Here on Earth,” a slow jam with muted trumpet up front, as Prince rues the BlackBerry era: “In this digital age/You could just page me/I know it’s the rage/But it just don’t engage me.”
Until an ’80s nostalgic like the Roots’ ?uestlove becomes executive producer (assuming Prince will ever relinquish control), we’re going to end up with mixed-to-middling records like Planet Earth.
This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2007.
THIS IS PROOF POSITIVE TO WHAT I THOUGHT YEARS AGO. WHOMEVER REALLY WROTE THE LYRICS TO HIS BEST WORK, WAS NOT PRINCE!!! SO WHAT HE PLAYS GUITAR ECT. HE CAN’T WRITE HIS WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG REALLY. THE INDUSTRY FIGHT -HISSY FIT WAS REALLY A SMART DISTRACTION TO THE TRUTH, ABOUT HIS MANIPULATION OF A SALES COUNT THAT SHOWS, IN FACTS, ACTUAL SALES, MOST OF HIS ALBUMS , AFTER WHOMEVER GAVE HIM THE WORDS LEFT, ALL STINK. HE IS JUST A GREAT CONARTIST. ALWAYS HAS BEEN. I NEVER SAW A MUSICIAN GET AWAY WITH THIS FOR SO LONG AS THIS LOSER, FOR THAT ONLY HE SHOULD GET AN AWARD. AFTER YEARS OF LISTENING IT IS SO OBVIOUS HE CAN’T WRITE. NEVER COULD. HE DID COMPLAIN ALOT HOW THE RECORD COMPANIES RIPPED HIM OFF, BUT, HE NEVER PAID THE ONES WHO REALLY GAVE HIM THE HITS. WE NEVER HEARD FROM THESE PEOPLE AGAIN, BECAUSE HE GOT THEM TO SIGN THAT LITTLE LEGAL FORM, THAT PREVENTS THEM FROM TELLING US ALL THE TRUTH. HES A FAKE, HE DIDN’T MAKE THE WORLD OF MUSIC BETTER, HE RUINED IT FOR FUTURE ARTISTS. HE TOOK AS MUCH AS HE COULD, HE USED EVERYONE HE COULD, EVEN IF ONE OF THOSE POOR GIRLS FLIP THE WRONG WAY WAY SOMEDAY, AND ARE CRIPPLES FOR LIFE, HE WOULDN’T PAY THEIR MEDICAL. HE WOULD BE FAST ON TO THE NEXT ONE TO USE. BLACKHEARTED AND THE WORLD’S BIGGEST FAKER. THE ALBUMS PROVE IT!!! FOR SURE. 3121 BORING STUPID SONG, AND ALL THE REST. IF NOT FOR HIS KEEN MANIPULATION OF THE REAL SALES NUMBERS, WE WOULD HAVE NOTICED LONG AGO. HE HAD TO GIVE IT AWAY, NO ONE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT, AND THEN HIS FAKERY WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT REDHANDED. AS IT IS HE RAN OUT OF RECORD COMPANIES, HE CLIPPED THEM ALL, IS THE REAL TRUTH, WHATEVER HIS STORY IS.