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The San Diego Union-Tribune [US] - July 31, 1985
"Prince Spreads His Talent Around"
Written By - Divina Infusino

Nonetheless, no one can deny that the Minneapolis dynamo is loaded with musical talent -- so much talent that his work cannot be confined to just his own albums.

When Prince's film "Purple Rain" came out in 1984, it was news that much of the music coming out of Minneapolis, including The Time's straightforward funk records and all of Vanity's and/or Appolonia Six's sexy disco strut songs, owed much to the Prince touch -- either in concept, songwriting, arrangement or production. The same was true, although to a lesser extent, with Sheila E.'s debut album.

Prince's artistic control over his "subjects" is so strong that their departure for independent careers -- as Morris Day from The Time and Vanity did -- is inevitable if they want to establish their own identity. But that's OK. Prince seems to enjoy dabbling in new projects -- often under any number of pseudonyms.

He used the aliases Jamie Starr or the Starr Company to produce The Time. He wrote Sheena Easton's "Sugarwalls" under the name Alexander Nevermind. He contributed a song to the forthcoming album by the L.A. psychedelic pop quartet, The Bangles, under the moniker Raoul.

Prince uses David Z. for his work as producer (and who knows what else) with his latest, and publicly admitted, spin-off project, the Minneapolis-based band, The Family. Featuring members of The Time, including Jerome Benton, Morris Day's sidekick and the high-stepping valet in "Purple Rain," as well as new talent such as the cool voice of a woman singer named Susannah, The Family is obviously Prince's new R&B dance-funk outlet, replacing The Time. And like The Time's records, The Family's vinyl debut, a two-cut maxi-single titled "The Screams of Passion," is hot -- hypnotic funk grooves without monotony.

The B side, "Yes," an instrumental track from The Family's forthcoming album, is the real giveaway of Prince's involvement, however. The cut is another dance track. But its loose rhythms and bizarre, unexpected musical twists are the kind only Prince's expansive musical imagination could create. Cymone broke off to go solo.

Cymone's solo work centered on the smooth electronic funk that is part of Prince's sound. But without Prince's know-how in achieving a glossy, but still fiery modern dance production, Cymone's two solo albums fell flat.

"The Dance Electric," however, is quite a different story. With an enticing groove and an equally fetching melodic chorus, the song has "hit" written all over it.

Prince may be pop music's most misunderstood and mysterious stars, or he may be a jerk. Regardless, he is without doubt responsible for some of the decade's best music.