Review 1 of 8

luvshooze4me writes:

4of 5 Stars

I am starting to notice that as fans, we would all be happy if Prince just played "Purple Rain", "Lets go crazy", "Darling Niki", "Take me with you", and "1999" FOR EVER! I can literally listen to one my favorite Prince song "Strollin" on repeat for weeks at a time in my car.

I don't neccessarily like the album over all. I could listen to all of it, but nothing grabs me. Prince is always exploring his musical genius and he gives us the best of himself. Expressed melodically, using rhythm and intonation to create snapshots into his emotions on this day, or at this phase in career, or time of life.

We ourselves aren't always the same now are we? You never change your hair, try a new word, buy a new car, hang with different folks? Difference is "we" don't have to contend with "us".

I like that he gives us something different to try, taste, wrap our minds around. And No, this one wasn't for me...but he has given me so many... I can almost track my life to his music... where I was, what I was doing, who I was dating...LOL...

But even though this may not be his best for me... its still tops the over all market place for lyrical content, musicianship, packaging etc. On his worst day he still deserves 4 stars.

Oh yeah...did somebody say "Come Back". Prince hasn't went any where. LOL He hasn't missed a beat... In reality he doesn't "have" to make any new music. We would all be just as happy if all he did was play his old stuff. Shoooot just the number 1's and most of us wouldn't complain.

Mar 7, 2008 17:46:44

Review 2 of 8

dayzero writes:

Not Rated

I've figured it out!

We've been conned into thinking Prince released a free ALBUM with the Mail on Sunday
the other week.

This was misleading.
We were misled!

What he actually did was release a fantastic single - 'Planet Earth'. This comes with a fairly okay b-side - "Guitar".
The rest of the tracks are bloody awful, but only to the extent that they're extra tracks, and many of them are what used to be know as 'swingbeat' - this is increasingly embarassing as hip-hop in it's entirety seems to have passed paisley park by. This is a glorified maxi-single, the title track is brilliant, the rest just gets worse and worse; soul-fusion funk [Somewhere Here On Earth], swingbeat [Mr. Goodnight/Future Baby Mama], some truly bad dad-disco [Chelsea Rodgers]. There's even a sub-standard nod to purple rain [lion of judah]
Don't let any of this put you off however
- THE TITLE TRACK IS EXCELLENT!

Sep 18, 2007 00:23:05

Review 3 of 8

Scooch writes:

4of 5 Stars

After the first listen I knew critics would say things like "this is the album Prince fans have been waiting for". And sure enough they are. Don't get me wrong, I like the album and I've been a huge Prince since 1981. I like the sound of this one, it certainly has that vinatge-Prince sound. But as a fan, I never expecting him to repeat himself, I liked being suprised with each release, which hasn't happened in a while. But this is still one of the better albums in 2007... it's no Sign O' the Times or even Rainbow Children, but still an enjoyable album (certainly better than Musicology and 3121 - IMO).

Aug 26, 2007 13:12:05

Review 4 of 8

DLaw1302 writes:

4of 5 Stars

I'm confused AZ1. Your review sounded negative but yet you gave it four stars. Which is it?

Honestly it's taken me several listens to come around to liking it. At first listen, I only enjoyed "Chelsea Brown", because it rocked like old James Brown, Louis Jordan and 1980s Prince. But the softer stuff like "Lion of Judah" and "Future Baby Mama" resonated with me. It was nice to see that Wendy and Lisa came back to the fold and I hope we see more collaborations down the road. I wasn't fond of "Guitar" or "Planet Earth", but they weren't God-awful either. If you are a big Prince like I am,there's nothing really new here. You can tell he's still experimenting, which is great for a guy who's been on the scene for at least 30 years.

A bad Prince is still 99.9% better than the rest of the field.

Aug 15, 2007 15:14:18

Review 5 of 8

AZ1 writes:

4of 5 Stars

Much stronger and much more balanced than Musicology and 3121, but make no mistake about it - it's over. This is no All That You Can't Leave Behind, no The Rising, Prince is now what we feared in the 80s - the male Madonna, throwing out attempted comeback after comeback, trying to stay "in" at a party that has had the lights up since the early 90s. The arrangement and placement of the songs is much more listener-friendly than on the last two efforts, but there's nothing new here. Unfortunately, it's still one of the better albums of the year (wake up 2007!).

Aug 11, 2007 19:41:59

Review 6 of 8

setbro72 writes:

4of 5 Stars

I know what people are thinking; It's STILL not like the stuff he USED to do! I never understood this assessment though because Prince has always been 'consistently inconsistent'. If you want the funky, Prince you have "The Chocolate Invasion" digital CD (if you don't have it, it sucks to be you). These songs are good in their own right though. Much has been said about "Mr. Goodnight" because Prince 'raps', but he's not really 'rapping' He's talking speaking on how a night with Prince might be, in key I might add. It's a solid number and not really like anything he's done before. Then there's "futurebabymama" which is a very smooth R&B ballad, but it has it's subtle charms and intricacies. Prince being Prince he can switch it up like none other and he jumps into the much loved rocker "The one U wanna C" with the ease and confidence of one that's been rocking for years. If there's a sleeper here it's "All The Midnights In The World". The song s has beautiful well written lyrics but the vocal jumping up and down is distracting. "The Lion Of Judah" is another perplexing song because the title seems pasted on and has nothing to do with the song. He finishes with "Resolution" a mainly acoustic rocker calling for world peace starting with personal enlightenment. He does this perfectly and confidently as almost everything he puts out these days. Every song reaches who he wanted it too and accomplishes just what he set out to do. No matter you personal take on "Planet Earth" you can be sure more is on the way!

Aug 4, 2007 11:28:18

Review 7 of 8

CarterWest writes:

Not Rated

I agree with the author of this review. Prince has made a great record about as hot as the summer sun. Here is another great review of 'Planet Earth' for all those Prince fans.
http://popmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/prince_planet_earth

Aug 1, 2007 08:04:17

Review 8 of 8

DonaldGibson writes:

2of 5 Stars

Prince needs to tap back into his dirty mind. His previous album, 3121, offered some hope that the man could still deliver the erogenous goods, with songs like “Black Sweat” and “Lolita.” However, his latest release, Planet Earth, regresses into safe and average R & B territory. If this album were released by anyone other than Prince, few people would even take notice.

One crucial factor to Prince’s appeal has long since been his gift for writing intriguing and innovative songs that, usually through adept use of metaphor, addressed sex (in its myriad facets and emotions) without sounding gratuitous. For clarity’s sake, if you’re still thinking that “Little Red Corvette” is a cute song about a car, well, it’s not.

Unfortunately, most of the songs on Planet Earth come across as pale derivatives of Prince’s libidinous past works. “Somewhere Here On Earth,” for instance, which is perhaps the most sensual song on the album, sounds like a clichéd and timid remix of an assortment of previous Prince slowjams. On “I’m The One U Wanna See,” he blandly says to a prospective catch, “So if you ain’t busy later/And you want some company/I ain’t trying to be a hater/But I’m the one U wanna see.” This is now the pick-up line for the man who once proposed, ”Excuse me but I need a mouth like yours/To help me forget the girl who just walked through that door”? How come Prince won’t do that anymore?

Most likely, Prince has curbed his carnal expression due to the influence of his faith, as he is a converted Jehovah’s Witness. In the 1980s, though, Prince openly practiced Christianity and he skillfully reconciled his sexual and sacred callings to create some of the most visionary music of the decade. Yet, his faith, at least on this album, appears to have hindered his natural creative drive. “Lion Of Judah,” a song with religious imagery that, for all intents and purposes should feel inspired, sounds downright dull.

The closest Prince comes to flirting with his own past brilliance is on the title track. In this one instance, he offers direct and relevant commentary on the current sociopolitical climate in the world to the sound of a guitar-driven fury.

That being said, little else on this album lends credence to Prince’s stature as the uninhibited musical genius he has proven himself to be time and again. Ultimately, Planet Earth is a disappointment, not only because Prince is more than capable of producing invigorating and innovative music, but also because, for once, the artist sounds restrained.

Jul 25, 2007 11:23:34