So let's get this straight... Now he's the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as Prince? Hmm. Who cares? The album says it's Prince, and the music inside proves it is. Chances are that you didn't see Girl 6 the movie, so I'll have to provide a complete rundown of what's on the soundtrack.
Of first note is a trio of classics from Prince's Sign o' the Times album. "Hot Thing", "Adore", and "The Cross" come in on tracks 8, 9, and 10 while "Girls and Boys" represents the Parade album. There's the non-album tracks of "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore", the short version of "Erotic City", and the new song "Pink Cashmere" which were all featured on The Hits collection. All of these are Prince classics, and given the huge catalog of material to choose from, it's nice that the obvious sexy songs like "Little Red Corvette" weren't included.
Sprinkled throughout the album are tracks from some of Prince's "protege" bands. With these bands, the credits rarely include Prince's name, but you can tell the group learned the songs by singing along to versions Prince himself recorded. The Family (who did the first version of "Nothing Compares 2 U") contribute the average song "Screams of Passion". It's possible that Prince didn't actually write this one, but die-hard fans will love it anyway. Vanity 6 adds the synthesizer heavy "Nasty Girls" that really only has the nasty innuendos going for it.
The New Power Generation tracks are hit and miss. "Count the Days" is a big miss. The setting of this kiss-off song is something like a gospel ballad, but something about a chorus in full soul harmony singing about a "motherfucker" just breaks the whole mood. On the other hand, "Girl 6" is a bullseye hit. It's a rolling, jazzy track that recalls US3. Tommy Barbarella ably helps on this one, and Nona Gaye contributes the vocals. Like "Batdance" almost 10 years ago, "Girl 6" is peppered with quotes from the movie as well as samples from some of Prince's biggest hits. The only bad thing about "Girl 6" is that one of the samples is a ringing phone, and every time it rings I jump to go answer it.
The highlight of the album is that there are two new Prince songs. "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" is a decent goodbye ballad that is fairly straightforward. "She Spoke 2 Me" goes beyond decent to incredible. The song shares a lot with "Pink Cashmere" and might have even been written around the same time. "She Spoke 2 Me" is a mellow, falsetto voiced masterpiece that embodies cool. Little horn bursts punctuate the bubbling bass line, and Prince layers his breathy vocals over each other in a two part harmony that proves not only his musical ability but his studio mastery.
The big question is, "Do I really need this album?". Definitely. Even the Prince fan who "has everything" will find that this CD is mastered impeccably. The levels are lively and the clarity is a step better than The Hits. The new songs are certainly worth having even for the casual Prince fan and the whole album flows very well for songs that span over 10 years. When set next to The Gold Experience, one can only conclude that Prince is on the official come back trail. Heck, the soundtrack for Girl 6 is good enough that you might even want to rent the movie!
