Publication: Rumba [Fin]
Date: November 29 - December 12, 1996
Section:
Page Number(s):
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Title: "The Artist Keeps On"
Reviewed By: Jukka Väänänen

O(+>
Emancipation
(NPG)

[Translated by Mikko Kivinen]

Phew. Three CDs and three hours of music. Risen finally from the captivity of the Warner deal, Ex-Prince (or Symbol or nowadays The Artist) doesn't start his new time of liberation too modestly. The good news, however, is that Emancipation is the Artist's best album in a long long time. Diamonds and Pearls is the closest thing comparable in quality, but if and when the album starts to sink in more and more, we are starting to get closer to a masterpiece like "Sign O' The Times". The bad mouthing of the evil record company and the name changes are a thing of the past, because finally ex-Prince is concentrating on making music full-time.

Although the familiar funk workouts can also be heard on this album, the scale hasn't been this wide in a long time. You can actually listen to his rhytm-fest with pleasure, but in his recent albums the disobliging beast of numbness has been rising its head too often.

The cover of The Stylistics soulballad "Betcha By Golly Wow!" is a quite surprising choice for the first single especially when Mr. Squiggle's own productions are of the first class and are often far more catchy. The opening song "Jam Of The Year" isn't, according to its name, a rhytm orgy, but an incredibly stylish and sensual swingbeat. "Courtin' Time" on its behalf swings according to the 30's.

The first disc seems, at least at first, to be left in the shadows of its successors. From the second album rises almost a majestic pair, "Curious Child" and "Dreamin' About U". The first song waltzes with a dark and melancholy feeling and the latter could be one of Sting's most meditative works. The short solo of the fretless bass sounds stirringly magnificent.

The most listener friendly song is "The Holy River" a delightingly deliberate popballad. The opening of the third CD "Slave" seeks successfully the rhytmic magic of "When Doves Cry", and "New World" twitches like a psychopatic robot. The Delfonics-cover (of course everyone knew this) "La La La Means I Love U" is an extremely stylish ballad, but the Ex-Prince's view of "One Of Us" has to acknowledge the supremacy of the Joan Osborne-original. Kate "Goddess" Bush lends her vocal chords to "My Computer", which is like "Raspberry Beret" as a byte patchwork quilt-version. "The Love We Make" is a simple majestic performance that has a little bit of the same trance-feeling to it as "Purple Rain".

Emancipation is exhausting at first but it is also a very rewarding album. It is good to know that an album gives more and more by the listening and there is a lot of it in this package.

**** (out of possible 5)