The strange and complex being again known as Prince here comes full circle. The first single from 3121, the petite Minneapolis sometime superstar's most commercial offering in ages, is Black Sweat. Gone are experimental doodlings. It's primal.
Vocals here are all his, but the various tracks range from libidinous, sleazy pimp to ecstatic female hooker. Pharrell Williams surely studied Prince's vocal delivery when deciding how to sing, for his style is the most obvious reference point here in amongst the stop-start, bass-heavy drums and stark synth effects.
And of course Prince plays everything as well as singing everything - his days as the control freak par excellence are plainly not over. But it's good to hear him so alive and relevant.
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