Prince & the New Power Generation - Diamonds and Pearls

How is it even possible to give Prince a low rating?

Even at his worst, he's a master! And his musicians are the best. Of course, being that he is a local boy, I might be biased. But whether or not you like Prince's music, you have to be impressed with his ability to remain on the top, and at the cutting edge of music. In fact, he is IN FRONT of the cutting edge! Him music has always been futuristic, and everything that follows takes his lead. He is a master of the media of music.

This album contains some of my favorite classic Prince songs, and I can listen to it over and over. March 27, 2008

To quote the DDR Voiceover Guy, "Reeaaally unsteaaady..."

Now, when Prince is on top of his game, he's one of the most talented musicians in the history of Earth, putting out classic albums and songs effortlessly. Seriously, when this guy was at his prime, his album tracks were BETTER than most the hit singles of the era, which admittedly isn't very impressive. I mean, when you've got something as good as "The Beautiful Ones" in your backlog, you're probably really, really talented. And Prince, as a singer, songwriter, musician, and innovator, is really talented.
With all that said, Diamonds and Pearls generally reeks of insipidness. I don't know why - I'm not here to say Prince lost it after Sign o' the Times, because my favorite Prince album is Emancipation. But it's not really worth listening to, outside of three of the four hit singles: ballads like the lovely title track ("I'll give you DIAMONDS AND PEARLS!"), the slightly hokey but melodic as all get-out "Money Don't Matter 2Nite", and the dirty as dirty can be funk-rap crossover "Gett Off" (I'm sure he wrote several of those lyrics from personal experience) - it's really the catchiest I've ever heard the lyric "Twenty-three positions in a one-night stand!" The fourth, "Cream", is one of Prince's least creative moments, just dull funk. And most the rest fits in with that mold, other than on the decent ballad "Insatiatable", which even then isn't one of his best moments as a lyricist - not everyone's interested in your budding career directing "home videos"! As for the rest - either trite steamy bedroom lyrics about doin' the big nasty or points about spirituality ("Thunder", which has none of the resonance of early spiritual gems like "Purple Rain") or individuality ("Walk Don't Walk", ironically not very original); and one random folk-pop song that has no reason for even existing ("Strollin'"). And a LOT of jarring, abraisive raps that might as well be Prince shooting his fanbase collectively in the head ("Jughead"; "Daddy Pop"). And one big long waste of seven minutes that would've been better off silent ("Live 4 Love"). And one big, long, rambling, convoluted review of the whole mess, for those inclined to care. I'll end the madness right now and tell you this isn't one of Prince's better albums. November 16, 2007

A timeless classic that I'll enjoy for a lifetime!

There are many albums by Prince that I've enjoyed over the years since I was a toddler and "Diamonds and Pearls" ranks as among my favorite albums of his as of writing this review. Released in late 1991, the album spawned his famous his single "Cream" which is one of my favorite chart-topping songs of his. Other favorites are the stadium-sized anthem "Thunder", the forward looking title track, the laid-back latte anthem "Strollin" and "Get Off". I enjoy this entire album the whole way through actually but the songs I mentioned are my favorites. October 30, 2007

The "Minneapolis Sound" Goes Old School and New School

Following the release of his 1986 album, "Parade", Prince's career would begin to move into transition. The big change would be that Prince would dismantle his longtime backing band, "The Revolution". Prince's post-Revolution career would be filled with mixed results from both a critical acclaim and commercial success standpoint. While he would find success with "Sign O The Times" and the "Batman" soundtrack, he would not have as much success with "Lovesexy" and "Graffiti Bridge". In fact 1990's "Graffiti Bridge" would serve as his long-awaited sequel to the motion picture "Purple Rain". Like many of the albums that followed "Purple Rain", "Graffiti Bridge" - the album and movie would not resemble much of the 1984 landmark soundtrack and movie. In fact many people consider "Graffiti Bridge" to be a low point in Prince's career. As a result, Prince needed to find a way to reconnect with his audience. As a result, Prince would assemble a new backing band entitled the "New Power Generation" or "NPG". By working with the NPG, Prince would return to trying to refine the "Minneapolis Sound" and start to re-establish the success and creativity that would be so much a part of his 1980s' work.

There is a definite Hip-Hop element on this album. Hip-Hop/Rap is not new to Prince as this has shown up on previous work - such as "Housequake" from the "Sign O The Times" album. However this is the first time where there is a major Hip-Hop element on a Prince album. Prince makes a lot of use of his new band NPG to drive a lot of this. This is seen on songs such as "Push" and "Jughead". In some cases I don't mind the Rap element - such as on "Live 4 Love" and "Gett Off". However with "Push" and "Jughead", it was just too much for my liking.

On several tracks, Prince returns to a more traditional R&B. Tracks such as "Strollin", "Willing and Able", "Walk Don't Walk", and "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" are the best examples fo this. Prince's "return to basics" might be some of the strongest material he recorded since "Purple Rain". While I didn't care for the Hip-Hop above, it is clear the NPG was able to pull off both the Hip-Hop and R&B sounds.

Prince will also continue to demonstrate his trademark Funk. It is also worth noting that Prince abandons much of the psychedelic sound that was found on his material from the mid 1980s. In fact Prince will showcase some of his strongest guitar work since "Purple Rain".

Here is a track by track summary:

"Thunder": This song has a definite religious influence - something not uncommon in Prince's music. The thing that stands out to me is some of the Middle Eastern influences in the melody of the song. There is also some very good guitar work on this track.

"Daddy Pop": On this song, Prince showcases some of his trademark Funk. This isn't one of my favorite tracks, but I do like the Funk guitar on this song. This song has some Hip-Hop toward the end of the track.

"Diamonds and Pearls": When Prince shares vocals, he historically has made some very good tracks. This track is no exception as he shares the vocals with NPG member Rosie Gaines. This song is worthy of being a title track.

"Cream": At first this song wasn't one of my favorites, but it slowly grew on me. In particular the bass line for this track really proves to be the driving force on this track. This track also features some very good guitar work as well.

"Strollin": This song has very much a retro-jazzy-supper club feel to it. Prince demonstrates some terrific falsetto on this track. While it isn't classic "Minneapolis Sound", it still is a terrific track.

"Willing and Able": This track the classic R&B element. I particularly like the classic R&B groove to it. While Prince doesn't have the falsetto like on "Strollin", he still does good on the high octave vocals that this song requires. There are also some great gospel-like background vocals.

"Gett Off": This song has a strong Funk element, but it also has some Hip-Hop on it. Prince incorporates some of the Middle Eastern feel into this song. This song has a good beat to it. It is worth noting this track has some of the album's more suggestive lyrics.

"Walk Don't Walk": Once again Rosie Gaines shines on sharing vocals with Prince. As mentioned this song has a classic R&B feel to it. Prince improvises with some "traffic sounds". This song is an underrated gem on this collection.

"Jughead": This is a Hip-Hop track. Prince almost takes a secondary role on the vocals on this track. There is some good improvisation with the "dialogue" at the end of this track.

"Money Don't Matter 2 Night": A very classic sounding 1970s R&B track. Nice guitar and keyboard work on here. I particularly liked Prince's vocals that he put down on this track. This song is another underrated gem. There are some nice background vocals on this track.

"Push": This is another Hip-Hop track. Again not one of my favorite tracks. Like "Jughead", Prince also seems to take a secondary role letting the NPG drive this track.

"Insatiable": Prince goes back to his falsetto on the vocals to this track. This song has has more of a passionate romantic ballad theme.

"Live 4 Live": Perhaps one of the most innovative Prince tracks of all. It combines the Hip-Hop, Funk,R&B, and even heavier guitar work into a song that describes the final moment before a fighter plane is about to crash. Great song and might be the most underrated of all Prince tracks on any Prince album.

Overall, this is a very good album. If I was more of a Hip-Hop fan, this album would be very close to perfect. However, this is still a very good album and one I'd recommend. October 30, 2007

A gem of an album!!!!

One of my favorite albums by Prince would definitely have to be Diamonds and Pearls. Every song is beautiful, especially Diamonds and Pearls. Prince is a musical genius. One of my favorite songs on the album is Insatiable. This album is a must have for anyone who calls themselves a Prince fan. July 25, 2007

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