On Saturday July 10, 2010, the artist born Prince Rogers Nelson decided to release his thirty-third studio effort, “20TEN,” which also coincided with his European tour. Understandably, those of us in his fanbase were incredibly excited to know that we were all about to hear something new from Prince. However, despite rumors that he was in talks with his former record label Warner Brothers, to possibly release the album globally, it became apparent that the album would only be available for free with certain European publications, including the Belgian newspaper, the German edition of “Rolling Stone” magazine and “The Daily Mirror” in Britain. Prince decided to go with this particular approach after iTunes had allegedly failed to pay him an upfront fee for his music. As a result, he claimed that iPods and other “gadgets” of that nature, were quite simply, not very good for people’s heads and that the internet was at first quite hip like MTV, but is now apparently “over.” Several months before making such claims, he gave away three lackluster songs, which, funnily enough, were distributed via the internet. The songs were titled: “Purple & Gold,” “Cause & Effect” and “Hot Summer.” Thankfully, none of those tunes were featured on the brand new album! Needless to say, this here Prince fan managed to score himself a copy of “20TEN” on eBay for a mere six dollars and sixty odd cents. So much for the internet being dead. On Thursday July 22nd 2010, (George Clinton’s 69th Birthday) the album was finally in my hands. It was on that very same day that I had also learned that two Australian retailers were actually selling the album in their respective stores for $19.95 and upward. Well, there ya go, I saved myself some cash. Mind you, I didn’t hear the album until I actually received a tangible copy. To say that I was feeling anxious was an understatement. So then…..exactly what do I think of this album? Great question! Here’s another incredibly long, honest review, which will hopefully provide you with an answer. By the way, this review comes only one day after having the album on heavy rotation. For all I know, I could come back in a few years time, look back on what I’ve written and realise that I have quite a different opinion on certain things. That’s only natural. For now, here’s my review of Prince’s “20TEN” album:

Compassion: My immediate reaction to this song was quite simply, that it sounded incredibly eighties and perhaps even a tad bit dated. After the second listen, however, it reminded me quite a lot of the Tom Jones song “It’s Not Unusual.” I almost expected Alfonso Ribiero of “Fresh Prince Of Bel Air” fame to come busting out of my stereo and start doing The Carlton Dance. Take that Tom Jones vibe and throw in a little “Play In The Sunshine,” add the drum programming from “Sexuality,” and you’ve got a pretty good indication of what this song sounds like. It’s quite funky, actually. Come to think of it, it would make sense that Prince would do a song in a Tom Jones style cos, he covered “Kiss” in 1988, so why not have Prince kick something back to Tom Jones? Aside from that, it’s a song that’s pretty much all about racial harmony – loving people regardless of their skin colour. Sounds like that’s Shelby in the background, saying her piece. I also think it’s quite funny how, in this song, Prince very openly says: “Everyone around you, acts like a bloody fool,” yet he still stops himself from dropping the F word or using any other form of profanity. Mind you he also said “bloody” back in 1995 on “The Gold Experience” album.

Beginning Endlessly: Prince begins this next song with a sample of his guitar feeding back. From there it’s onto some more programmed drum beats and synthesizers. For some strange reason, this song sounds just like the previous one. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps he wanted to have that consistency….or maybe he was just running out of ideas. Its opening lyrics are: “Nevermind the bird feet, honey just tell me your name.” Exactly what is Prince talking about, son? I can’t say I’ve ever heard somebody talking about bird feet like that. But anyways, this man has quite clearly met a woman who has evidently got him feeling smitten…..yet he feels as if the word “love” is too small to describe exactly what it is that he shares with this lady. Mind you, it’s not the first time he’s ever said this, ‘member the song “Adore,” where he said “Love’s too weak to define just what you mean to me”? Yep. He’s at it again. Although this time around, it turns out that even though he has a fairly strong connection with this woman – perhaps even a spiritual connection, she still hasn’t allowed him to explore her anatomy. We don’t know if that’s actually true, though. After all, Prince was always quite the horny one……yet here he is, claiming that his woman still hasn’t let him go all the way. Hmmm. Interesting. Although he wants to be able to open up his “dirty heart” to her at first, before anything else ever gets opened….so to speak, so I can see why he would feel that way.

Future Soul Song: The main reason why I, personally, wouldn’t call the first ballad on the album futuristic, is because it sounds very much like a combination of not only that vintage Prince sound from the ’80s, but also that good old soul sound from the 1970s. Also, the way he sings it reminds me of “Call My Name” from the “Musicology” album, while the guitar solo is, in my opinion, just a tad bit too similar to “Purple Rain.” That’s not to say the song is crap, in fact it’s quite creatively written. He sings about dreaming of being able to fly for the first time in his life, and how the plane that he’s in control of is only run by the thoughts within his mind. He says that every time he sings, every living thing on the universe will sing in harmony. You could say that that lyric was about the fact that his music can unify everybody in the world. However, after listening to the lyrics just a tad bit closer, it occurred to me that this song was, quite possibly a love song about God. The main reason why that thought crossed my mind was, quite simply because he outright says that he’s going to sing this song “louder than the dogmatic persecution.” Also, I thought he was saying “I’ll sing it like you got that ride,” as in “you’ve got that good….you know what down there where it counts,” which in turn also gave me the impression that it could very well be about his woman, as well as The Man Upstairs. However, it appears that the lyric is in fact “I’ll sing it like you got that RIGHT.” Obviously I can’t say for sure, as there is no official lyrics sheet sitting in front of me. Damn you, Prince! AOWAH! Although, knowing Prince, he probably is saying “Got that ride.” Finally, I’d like to say…..Prince is using a vocoder on his voice on this track…..I didn’t like it when he did it last year on his “Lotusflower” and “Minneapolis Sound” albums, but it kinda works this time around, even if it is a tad bit distracting at times.

Sticky Like Glue: For this next song, Prince has decided to get funky on us with his Linn drum machine and, presumably, his Honher guitar. Of course he’s singing the song in that high falsetto of his, as you would normally expect. In some ways, this song is similar to “When Doves Cry,” in that he’s singing about constantly fighting with his woman. The only difference is that now he feels like she’s the only one for him and that he really can’t see himself being with anybody else. Although at the same time, he knows that they’re quite a dysfunctional couple. At the end of the day, though, they’re stuck to one another like glue. Hence, the title of the song. He can’t seem to understand why he feels this way. Yeah, well, neither can I. That reminds me, in Prince’s “21 Nights” book, there was a poem called “Glue,” which may or may not have inspired him to come up with what we’re hearing now. Mind you, that poem was far from flattering – he said he couldn’t work out what he loathed the most, either the picture of his girlfriend or the piece of burnt toast that he was holding in his hand. That’s pretty cold. What I find to be quite stunning, though, is the fact that since 1988, Prince has never really had anything nice to say about hip hop, yet he still decides to incorporate elements of rap into his music. In this case, he’s decided to bust a rhyme about how his girlfriend can’t remember any of the scenes from the movie they were watching because they were having sex instead of paying attention to the storyline. That is so typical of you, Princey Nelson. Still, I was nodding my head back and forth to the funky music when I first heard this song. Basically, it’s tight. So because of that I’m gonna enjoy what I’m hearing and not post dumb ass messages on forums talking about how I think Prince is a washed up hack who needs an outside producer and that his studio days are over. Those who make such claims eventually end up eating their words. Trust me.

Act Of God: I never imagined that one day I would hear the words “Dirty fat banker” coming out of Prince’s mouth. It just seems kind of strange to me that he would actually say such things, which is why I took myself aside and had a really good listen to exactly what it was that he was saying in this song. Turns out that this “dirty fat banker,” who, by the way, just sold a house, kicked the former owners of said house out into the streets because he couldn’t afford to pay their taxes. As such, this man claimed that what he did was “an act of God.” Obviously Prince totally disagrees with what he’s done and is presumably feeling some sort of anger towards such situations. Right after that line about the “dirty fat banker” kicking the poor family to the curb, he talks about how he gets paid a million dollars after each concert….. but then he has to give half of that amount to the bank, who also claim said gesture to be an act of God. It may not seem that fair, but does Prince really need that much money? He also claims that his founding fathers in music were complaining about the same thing in their heydays and that “freedom ain’t really free.” Whenever you try to stand up for your rights, you get locked up in a jail cell. Basically, this is another one of Prince’s attempts at being socially conscious and political. Aside from that, the groove is nice and poppy…..just don’t expect to hear it on your favourite station. Although at this point it’s still early days, so I could be wrong about that one. Oh, that reminds me, Prince makes a reference to Sadam Hussein in this song. Ummm….. I hate to break it to ya, but….. he’s dead, Prince. So, like…. exactly what was the point of name checking him in your song that was released in 2010, no less? And when I say Sadam is dead, I’m not following that comment with, “Long live the NPG,” like you were saying when “Prince” was “dead” in 1993. I’m talking about he’s DEAD. Gone. Kaput. Seen? Yah, mon. Him dead, mon. Next song, then.

Lavaux: Those legendary Linn drums and synthesizers are once again in full effect. So is that extremely funky chicken scratch guitar. He’s talking about wanting to be taken away to the vineyards in Lavaux, which, in case you didn’t know, Lavaux is located in Switzerland. He feels that life back home in Minneapolis is far too depressing – it’s even “another form of slavery.” Again he’s talking about freedom having a cost, therefore the word is not really what it appears to be. There seems to be some sort of a racial message going on here, too…….he says something about it taking a black face to see a certain decay and that the sun will melt away that particular man’s chocolate face. Did he just say that? Or are my ears deceiving me? Of course, he couldn’t resist throwing in a reference to his Jehovah’s Witness faith: “The only casualty is The Word.” But you know what? I really don’t give a fonk what he’s talking about. This song is killer. Straight up.

Walk In The Sand: Here comes another ballad from Mr Nelson, which may or may not feature Cora Coleman on drums. What’s funny about this song is that right after I heard it, the chorus pretty much rang in my ears, so it’s most definitely a catchy little tune: “Nothing’s better than to walk in the sand, hand in hand with you.” I’d say that it’s a very personal song, because he sings about the fact that both he and she (presumably Bria Valente) have gone through trials and tribulations at certain points in their lives and as a result, they’re going to be there for one another. Then when you’re under the impression that things are getting all nice, soft, sweet and tender, he comes right out and says “We have danced for royalty and pimps alike.” Ummm……okay…..exactly what was the point of that, Prince? Somebody please enlighten me. That aside, it’s still nice to listen to this song….sorta. Mind you, this is not one of Prince’s sexy and seductive ballads, it’s much more about love. Now, the first time I heard “Walk In The Sand” segue into “Sea Of Everything,” I thought it sounded really weird, because “Walk In The Sand” features live drums, and the following song has programmed drums. As I type this review, however, it doesn’t sound that bad. So, then….let’s check out the next song on the album………

Sea Of Everything: One more ballad for the road. This one features our hero Signore Nelson singing in that high falsetto of his and staring at a framed picture of his woman. He knows that the world is calling out for her now and that she is destined to be a superstar. Basically, he wants to know if she would be willing to “settle for a prince,” rather than go out and look for a King to be with. I can’t speak for everybody, but I always think it’s cool when Prince refers to himself in his songs. It’s like “you know who this is, don’t cha, babe? It’s Prince. AOWAH!” (licks fingers) Having said that, this song was boring me when I was listening to it last night………that was probably because I was so very tired and needed to have a good ole snooze. Again, it seems to be more of a love song, but this time around, the music is quite seductive, so you could probably put this one on while you’re with your woman….man…tranzie…..whatever turns you on. It’s a great song. Bottom line.

Everybody Loves Me: This song reminds me of “Private Joy” from the “Controversy” album. Also “No More Candy For You” from “Minneapolis Sound.” It’s one of those types of songs with that really heavy eighties sound. He’s using some sort of affect on his voice, which, towards the end becomes just a tad bit annoying if I do say so myself. Other than that, Prince and Shelby (if that’s her in the background) are more or less just talking about getting together and having a great big party. Also they’re talking about the fact that everybody loves Prince. Well, duh it says so right there in the title. I don’t think this song is meant to be all that deep, just something to throw onto the end of the record. That reminds me…… there’s one more song on the album, but it’s a hidden track. Just like his “New Power Soul” album, he’s done the rather annoying thing of including numerous empty tracks. This time he’s made it Track 77, as opposed to Track 49…….I suppose that’s for the folks who are not expecting to hear anything. They’ll have the CD playing and then when they least expect it……… BLAM! The last song kicks in……yeah, well I hates to break it to ya, ole Prince, but people rip their CDs to their iPods nowadays. That means that they’re now going to cut straight to the chase…..so forget about all of that hidden track stuff. That was hip 10 years ago. But anyways, I’ll still check it out……let’s see what I’ve got to say………

Laydown: Basically, this is Prince taking a look at all the haters out there and letting them know that he’s the master of music. Indeed, he will whup your ass with that stratocaster guitar, which he’s playing through a fuzztone pedal on this track. It sounds really awesome. He’s funking it up at the same time, along with Shelby and a couple of other girls backing him up. He’s talking about how his name can be blasphemous at times……..uh-oh, I hope that doesn’t mean that he’s gonna start going by that blessid symbol again. Nah for real, we all know his name is Prince….and he is fonky. When it come to funk, he is a junkie. AOWAH! He got dat lil feminine screech. Anyways, there’s a lyric in this song that says “From the heart of Minnesota, here come the Purple Yoda,” which I unfortunately read about on the Internet. Had I not have read such comments, I would have probably thought it kicked ass that he called himself “The Purple Yoda,” but since I already knew it was coming, it was much ado about nothing, really. Although Questlove and D’Angelo once claimed that artists like Prince were their own personal Yodas, so maybe he wrote that lyric in response to what they had to say about him? Maybe he just thought it was cool? Yes, he’s rapping and there are even turntable scratches on this cut, but I’m not really bothered by any of that stuff……just like I’m not bothered by the fact that this song sounds a bit like “Hey Valentina” from “Minneapolis Sound.” Honestly, all I want to do whenever I hear this song, is simply……. turn that sucka all the way up and just get lost in all of that killer purple funk!!!! My only complaint about this song is that it really should have kept going. It would definitely make a killer live jam!!!

Verdict: First of all, I feel that it is quite a consistent album and as far as I can see, it’s been a while since he released an album where all of the songs flowed together quite nicely. Second, it’s the latest album from my favourite artist of all time, am I gonna really say that it sucks? What kind of a fan would I be if I said that? Of course it’s a damn good album…..maybe a little too eighties in some parts, but for the most part, solid. Come to think of it, I should be the last guy saying that anything on this album sounds too dated or eighties, cuz I was genuinely admiring stuff like that when I was in high school and every other sucker around me was listening to Snoopy Dogg and what have you. At the end of the day, though, I’m just glad that Prince is still out there doing his thing and willing to share his work with his audience. If you’re a Prince fan and you have yet to hear it…..what are you waiting for? Or rather, as the man himself said back in 1988, in the intro to the song “Dance On”: “Aw!!…… PICK IT UP!!!”

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