Publication: Detroit Free Press [US]
Date: March 8, 1998
Section:
Page Number(s):
Length:
Title: "'Crystal Ball' Strategy Unclear To Prince Fans"
Reviewed By: Terry Lawson

The boy can't help it. For all his braggadocio about sex and all his spiritual seeking, the true tabernacle-boudoir of the artist formerly known as Prince -- and currently known as erratic -- is the recording studio.

His prolific output has been both a curse and a blessing. Having so much music at his disposal has led to unfortunate tinkering with albums that could have been classics: "The Gold Experience" and multi-disc mistakes like last year's excellent "Emancipation," which provided an answer to the question "How much funk is too much funk?"

So the announcement last year that Prince would be selling a three-disc set of outtakes exclusively over the Internet or by calling 1-800-639-3865 seemed like a fine solution. He could unload his backlog and his head to his most devoted disciples without confusing casual buyers.

Proving, though, that he is nothing but perverse, "Crystal Ball" has been made available in a limited edition of 250,000 to select retail outlets such as Best Buy. Moreover, the outtakes and remixes are now accompanied -- and overshadowed by -- a new "acoustic" album called "The Truth," which contains some of his strongest songwriting in years.

Because Prince's vaults are clearly something less than airtight, much of what is contained on the three "Crystal Ball" discs has long been available on bootlegs, including the spacey and mesmerizing 10-minute title cut (usually referred to as "Expert Lover"). Many, though, have clearly been remixed and remodeled, most notably the gorgeous ballad "Crucial," once intended for a collaboration with Miles Davis (whose overdubbed trumpet noodling has been eliminated), and "Dream Factory," a dissing diatribe aimed at a defector. (Andre Cymone? Morris Day?)

An alternate take of the optimistic "Good Love," previously available only on the "Bright Lights, Big City" soundtrack, is far superior to the original.

The revelations on "Crystal Ball" are found in the tracks eliminated from "The Gold Experience," most notably "Acknowledge Me," which takes Prince's "1999" groove into the real 1999, and "Interactive," a song that lays his ambitions bare. But it's his musical heart that is laid bare on "The Truth," which isn't technically acoustic but which, outside of "The Cross," is the leanest, least over-thought music he has ever made.

The stripped-to-the-bone version of "Welcome to the Dawn" uncovers the beauty in its conception and reminds us just how fine a singer Prince is when he's not posturing or pandering.

But wait: There's actually more. If you did order "Crystal Ball" on the Web site or toll-free line and paid $50 instead of the $40 retail price, you are to be rewarded with both a T-shirt and yet another disc that consists of music written for the dance piece "Kama Sutra," which had its debut in Detroit last fall.

You will also be spared the awful limited edition packaging, a round, see-through container that seems designed to scratch the discs. But you will not get the song-by-song liner notes penned by Prince himself. Got that? I didn't think so.