We might have expected ersatz Abbas, but Minneapolis has produced a sort of R&B vanguard of young blacks who are trying to ally funk with the white rock and pop they grew up listening to in that Scandinavian stronghold. The feisty singer Sue Ann Carwell, Lipps Inc.'s Cynthia Johnson and smooth Rockie Robbins have all broken out of the local scene, but the reigning act is surely Prince, and new...

With this blockbuster reunion album, the real Rhythm Nation declares its independence. No longer should the Time be considered a mere protégé of Prince's, a star vehicle for Morris Day or the band that bequeathed Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to Janet Jackson. Its separate musical parts are formidable, but the Time as a whole marshals a power that is all its own.

Pandemonium sounds more...