"Wait a few days before you waste any prayers."
Those were Prince's last words to his fans when he performed his last concert on April 17, 2016, and coming from him, it was a sign that his death was only a few days away. On April 21, 2016 at 10:03 A.M., Prince was found dead inside his Paisley Park Studios complex from currently unknown causes. Many fans, including myself were in disbelief when we heard the news about Prince's unexpected death, as Prince reportedly maintained a healthy lifestyle. To us, Prince defined what it meant to be a musical icon, with him working day after day recording song after song, with reportedly most of his material being locked away in his famous Vault. He was very passionate about his chosen profession, and you can tell in the tight instrumentation and charisma in his music that he truly enjoyed the time he spent creating musical classics such as the platinum-selling "Purple Rain" and the groundbreaking "Sign O' The Times". To fully appreciate Prince's genius and contributions to music as a whole, instead of reviewing any of his well-known albums, I have decided to take a step further and delve into his final works, with one of them being an album titled "Art Official Age", which was released alongside the rock-flavored "PlectrumElectrum" on September 30, 2014. I will review each song and give it a grade, and when I average out all the song grades, my overall album grade will be calculated. Also, before we get started, I'm counting "Affirmation 1&2" and "Way Back Home" as one whole song as the two "Affirmations" segue into "Way Back Home" and I feel they better fit into the context of the album when played together. With that being said, let's get started with:
Track #1 - Art Official Cage - The album starts off with the self-titled track that has a Danish vocal intro from 3rdEyeGirl member Ida Nielsen welcoming the listener. The instrumentation kicks off with an atmospheric synthesizer, piano line, and percussion, but after a small synth and drum breakdown, the track ascends into EDM-flavored funk with tightly-controlled slap bass and funk guitars accompanied with electronic percussion and semi-dubstep synthlines. The lyrics of the song consist of breaking free from your worries, having a fun time and looking optimistically towards your future. The track ends with an awesome orchestration with strings and a guitar solo. In my opinion, this is a perfect club banger that balances electronic and funk elements very well. I give this track an A.
Track #2 - Clouds featuring Lianne La Havas - This track is a duet with up-and-coming UK R&B singer Lianne La Havas. In this song, Prince describes how unexpected romanticism feels and his thoughts of time being unconventional, with Prince stating the harsh realities of living in a new generation, searching for love. Lianne's verse summarizes the idea of the lyrics, that with so much hate in the world, it's a challenge to find true love. As for the production, I really like the 90's R&B throwback style, with the synthesized bass and piano creating a relaxing atmosphere, and it progresses seamlessly to a violin and drum breakdown and an ending guitar solo that kicks all amounts of ass. A.
Track #3 - The Breakdown - I'm kinda conflicted on this track. For one, I really admire Prince's strong performance on this song, with his falsetto and screams on point as if he really was suspended in time (as the aforementioned "Clouds" mentions), and he demonstrates a lot of emotion when singing about how a broken relationship makes him wish that he could relive his older memories. However, I could go without the first two lines "Listen to me closely as the story unfolds. This could be the saddest story ever been told" that makes Prince sound like he wants attention, and the synthesizers & lasers that replace violins, which for me don't fit in context of a depressing break-up song. This song gets a very high B+.
Track #4 - The Gold Standard - This song right here is the embodiment of Prince maintaining the tight grooves and youthfulness of classic Prince. It's a funky jam accompanied by slap bass, trumpets, and synthesizers that remind me of Controversy-era Prince. Prince is very optimistic about having a great time partying without resorting to raunchy actions such as nudity and forgetting your troubles while getting into the groove of the music. I wish Prince would have released this as a single so "Uptown Funk" could have gotten a run for its money. This gets an A.
Track #5 - U Know - This is a very strange song. To start, Prince samples Mila J's "Blinded" (Mila J is Jhene Aiko's older sibling by the way), and you know you're doing great when he samples you. Prince loops the sample and adds his own touches such as backmasking at points, and when combined with his slightly autotuned sing-rap delivery, it gives off a somber gangsta rap atmosphere which I really like. The lyrics are a nice story of Prince being attracted to another man's girl, and while that subject matter may sound douchey in the hands of someone like Chris Brown, he handles it well by actually describing the point of view of the girl who ends up attracted to him as well. A.
Track #6 - Breakfast Can Wait - This song was released as a single back in 2013, and to me it feels a bit like a demo. Not saying it's bad, as I actually do like the song with the smooth slap bass and keyboard placed through the entirety of the song. In this song, Prince convinces his lover to make love to him using his smooth charisma, and I'm fine with that subject matter as he excels in making sex songs. However, what drags the song down for me is that chipmunk voice at the end of the song that grates on my nerves. Overall, a very decent song dragged down by an annoying final verse. this gets a B.
Track #7 - This Could Be Us - Here we have one of the songs Prince used to promote this album, and it's based off the popular "This could be us, but you be playin' " meme. Now you might think that this is pretty ridiculous, but Prince actually connects the meme to the idea of an aspiring relationship not working how it's supposed to pretty well. He describes the woman as someone who isn't ready for a relationship, and Prince tries his best to convince her that he's always there for her. As for the instrumentation, unlike Breakfast Can Wait before it, This Could Be Us actually sounds like a complete song, having that minimalist 90's R&B charm while showing off great guitar work near the end of the song, elevating the song's fullness and tying every element well. This gets an A.
Track #8 - What It Feels Like featuring Andy Allo - Another one of the duets on the album, Prince and Andy have loads of chemistry on this song, as they share backing vocals, exchange verses, and sing together on the chorus seamlessly. Although Prince and Andy's performances are solid, I feel like the production could have been better, as the combination of synth bass, electronic percussion, a sometimes appearing guitar, and synth notes that sometimes appear feel somewhat incomplete. Again, I realize this song is aiming towards that recognizable R. Kelly R&B sound, but I feel like some reverb could have been added on to some of the elements to make it a great song. Still, very decent work. I give it a B.
Tracks 9 & 10 - Affirmation 1 & 2 + Way Back Home - I'll just say it right here. This is one of the best songs Prince has ever recorded in his life, and also one of the most depressing, as the connection between this song's lyrics and his death is pretty apparent. In this song, Prince feels insecure about his place in this world, but he tries to maintain his optimism as he tries to find a reason to live for. However, the lines that hit me in the gut were "Most people in this world are born dead, but I was born alive", which say that while some people don't take full advantage of their lives, Prince enjoys his life for as long as he can knowing his time will run out soon, and knowing what happened to him on April 21 makes this lyric more reasonable, as Prince's health was declining at the time. As for the production, it comes together beautifully, with female backing vocals, backmasked claps, spacey synthesizers, and grandiose percussion creating the illusion that Prince is moving on to a better life. This song undoubtedly gets an A+.
Track #11 - Funknroll (Joshua Welton Remix) - Apparently, two versions of FunkNRoll were released, with the more rock oriented version ending up on PlectrumElectrum and the electronic remix ending up here, and man is it such a letdown compared to the original and the rest of Art Official Age. I won't discuss the lyrical content since this is a remix meant to fit in with the album, but even though I realize it was leaning towards a trap-flavored feel, it just doesn't work for me. We begin with the same energetic intro filled with guitars, only for it to jarringly transition to a weak beat with a minimal trap synthesizer and oddly placed guitar samples that don't belong in the song. Hell, Prince's vocals don't complement this production well at all, and they are meant for edgier, heavier material. The only good thing I can say about this remix is the ending synthesizer solo, which was a huge relief after listening to the monotonous beat. I could see this wearing out on me soon, but for now it's a C, and it's only because of that ending synth solo which kicks ass.
Track #12 - Time featuring Andy Allo - Andy Allo makes a second appearance on this album, with another duet, and thankfully this is a huge relief after sitting through the FunkNRoll remix. Once again, Prince and Andy have loads of chemistry as they sing about finally starting a relationship after longing for each other for so long. They bring loads of soulful charisma to the table as they exchange verses where they sing about needing each other to fill the void of their loneliness. As for the production, it's really stellar, with atmospheric synthesizers doing a great job at setting a seductive atmosphere and Prince just killing it with a bass solo in the middle of the song. The slow percussion also adds to that minimalist charm that makes the song feel really complete with the elements complimenting each other very well. I give this an A.
Track #13 - Affirmation 3 (Way Back Home instrumental) - As the last song on the album, this serves as an outro to Prince's musical journey with great orchestral elements extended throughout this instrumental remix. The voice-over (played by Lianne La Havas), adds some insight to the album, asking Prince if he has enjoyed his adjustment to the new age and encouraging him to stay optimistic about himself. Not much else to say here. This is a great way to close the album and it gets an A.
So that was Art Official Age. Overall, I give it an A. Like Purple Rain, this album shows that despite some minor bumps on the road, Prince is able to still groove out like he did in his older days and keep up with the times, blending new styles of music such as EDM and minimalist R&B with his signature funk, keeping that classic Minneapolis Sound charm. It is a great note for Prince to go out with, showing that even in the darkest of his times, he is still able to maintain his youthfulness and his maturity, creating an excellent record showing aspects of his life such as his maturity, relationship problems, and partying skills. Prince, I sincerely hope your music is remembered by future generations as you have been responsible for inspiring other aspiring musicians to follow their dreams. Rest In Peace.
Favorite Tracks - Way Back Home, The Gold Standard, This Could Be Us, Time, Art Official Cage, Clouds
Least Favorite Track - FunkNRoll (Joshua Welton Remix)
The album is available on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1xRg9g9QCGjFp9poxLnU5M
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/art-official-age/id911631220
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Prince_ART_OFFICIAL_AGE?id=Bjprj7i5o2cdnsw3czo2txvjcvu&hl=en
Peace!
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