Publication: The Courier-Journal: Louisville Scene [US]
Date: March 21, 1998
Section:
Page Number(s):
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Title: "King Prince"
Reviewed By: Bob Bahr

Look no further than the first song of this three-CD set to get a handle on the other 29. It's the title track , "Crystal Ball", and it roams over 10 minutes like a feverish mind over a dreamscape.

Oppressively static for 90 seconds, it starts shifting gears every few minutes, going from a thin groove to a fat funk and pausing for drum solos, bass solos, tight hits from the full band, swells from a string section, and, at one point, a woman girlishly saying "I don't know... I'll have to ask my mommy first."

It's a catchy, sprawling, confused song that has a fun groove but a bleak scenario about an urgent love affair on the eve of the apocalypse. Who else could pull off something like this but the Artist Formerly Known As Prince (hereafter referred to as Prince)?

The other songs on Crystal Ball aren't as complicated. "Cloreen Bacon Skin" is 15 minutes of inconsequential playfulness and funky drumming captured during a forgotten recording session. "The Ride" is a rather straightforward (and delicious) blues tune. But complicated or simple, they all seem to come from the Island of Misfit Tunes and were either cut at the last minute from great albums or incorporated into other songs. According the the liner notes, some of the tunes that close friends of Prince have loved as private treasures.

An yet, because this is Prince, even the throwaways are fun. It's almost maddening how easily making great music is for the Minneapolis musician. Consider "Poom Poom", which is described in the CD booklet as "never intended 4 any album, just a funny track 2 make a female laugh." It's an innovative dose of r & b, endearingly lighthearted and a pheromone-drenched expression of yearning. Little gems like this are throught Crystal Ball.

Anyone who loves pop music should hear "Last Heart", a mere demo that outshines almost all radio pop, and "She Gave Her Angels", a lovely and sentimental ballad. Fans of Prince's silky falsetto ballads will cherish "Crucial", while those whodig his ethereal, a cappella pieces will find "An Honest Man" a revelation.

He rocks out hard on the sonically assaultive "Da Bang" and the slightly cliched "Calhoun Square". Prince's odd and wonderful period when he sped his vocals up and called himself "Camille" is represented by the infectiously ebullient "Good Love". And the part of Prince that favors big, bombastic productions contributes "Strays of the World", an ambitious song that once was intended for an aborted Brodway musical.

Songs are pulled from as far back as the Purple Rain days, and it's a kick to hear Sheila E.'s brum beat on the swaggering "Sexual Suicide". Also harking back to an earlier era is "Lovesign", a laid-back, un-Princely r & b tune that includes a sample of "D.M.S.R." It's hard to believe that this vicious groove wasn't sampled sooner by someone else.

There are forgettable tracks: "Acknowledge Me" is the most-tired r&b song from Prince scince "Shhh"; "18 & Over" is like a poor imitation of Snoop Doggy Dog; and "Ripopgodazippa" is a reggae-style Twinkie of a song, mere junk food compared with Prince's usual cuisine.

Many who buy Crystal Ball will get a fourth disc, depending on where and when they make their purchase. There are a number of ways to order, as Prince continues to experiement with distribution. The results have been mixed.

Hard-core fans who orderd the set more than a year ago via his phone line may end up paying $20 more for the $40 set --- although they will get a fifth CD and a T-shirt. Others may pay $40 to get only three CDs. But order from www.CDNow.com or go to Sam Goody or Best Buy Stores --- the two chains authorized by Prince to carry the set --- and you can get the four-CD set.

Confused? Some of the Prince's staunchest fans are too. In Louisville, Crystal Ball is available at Sam Goody and Blockbuster video stores, which are affiliated with Best Buy, and at ear-X-tacy records.

What's the fourth CD like? Well, this CD is very odd indeed. Stripped down to primarily acoustic guitar, electric bass and some light percussion, the production is familiar in the post-unplugged era --- it's just not Prince as we know him. This isn't an acoustic version of "Kiss", but a new approach to his muse altogether.