Savor Prince’s evolution
The amount of music left behind by groundbreaking funkmaster Prince is, thankfully, good and voluminous.
To that end, a newly remastered reissue box set, “Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Edition” (NPG Records), offers his 13th studio album from 1991 with his backing band, the New Power Generation, once again. There are 47 previously unreleased tracks for Prince fans from his vaunted vault and more than two hours of live performance footage.
Sure, the lush Dolby Atmos mix of the title track “Diamonds and Pearls” is there, with its gorgeous musical swells and Prince’s soulful voice. So are a handful of other versions of the track, including a longer version and audio from live tour performances.
“Cream” is back with its salacious delivery. But better still is “Cream (N.P.G. Mix),” a version with an extra layer of stuttered percussion and a deep, melodic synth.
The unreleased tracks range from middling reworks of “Daddy Pop” and “Gett Off ” to the torchy “I Pledge Allegiance to Your Love,” a superbly slow blues scorcher with Prince soloing skillfully on the guitar throughout.
For some Prince purists, his New Power Generation backing band beginning in 1990 and leading to this 1991 album offered a bit too much polished pop, lacking some of the grittier approach of the famed Revolution. Regardless, Prince’s N.P.G. phase still delivered his evolving musical vision, as is evidenced here — particularly in the in
TODAY
Jason Aldean, “Highway
The Beatles, “Now and Then” (single)
Van Morrison, “Accentuate the Positive”
NOV. 10
Todd Snider, “Crank It, We’re Doomed”
Chris Stapleton, “Higher” clusion of real hip-hop influence: Rapper Tony M is featured throughout.
The complete “Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition” includes 75 audio tracks across seven CDS and 12 vinyl records. It also comes with a 120-page hardback book with unseen photos and essays.
All told, this massive special release is a musthave for Prince fans who have been partying like it’s 1999 since roughly 1982.
Ron Harris, Associated Press
Song of the moment
Silvana Estrada, “Qué Problema” (Glassnote Music): The problem in “Qué Problema” (“What a Problem”) is a rapturous infatuation, verging on the mystical, that may never be fulfilled. “Your skin has the color of time,” sings the Mexican songwriter Silvana Estrada. “When you smile, the wind stumbles.”
A swaying, flickering rhythm, with a six-beat undercurrent that’s sometimes only implied, carries a vocal that radiates affection, no matter how things turn out.
Jon Pareles, New York Times