Disco de Prince: “Diamonds and Pearls”

The review title pretty sums this record up. On the plus side, this album features four strong to excellent cuts: "Cream" (a rocking little boogie but one that borrows a little too obviously from T Rex's "Bang a Gong"), "Daddy Pop" (an unfairly neglected jam), "Gett Off" (an even hotter jam), and best of all, "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (a homage to 70s Philly Soul and ranks as one of Prince's best singles). Three tracks are above average to solid: "Walk, Don't Walk" (cute and catchy, but a little obvious in its message) "Insatiable" (a solid Prince slow jam, but far from among his best) and "Diamonds and Pearls" (a huge hit, but it never did that much for me). The remaining tracks have little to recommend them. If you find this album cheap (say for less than five dollars), it is not a bad investment (being that it has four strong tracks and three solid ones). But unless you are a major Prince fan, I would not recommend paying full price.

I wasn't too old when this album was released, so I don't know how well it was received or what singles got played alot and whatnot. I'm judging this cd based purely on the music only.

The musical styles on this album vary alot. You get power-pop, hip-hop/R&B, love ballads, and rock n' roll. Maybe Prince was experimenting or maybe he was trying to please all of his fans. Whatever the case, this album is pretty decent. I'll rate the songs as follows:

1. Thunder- 5/5: This song is like a rock opera with a gospel tinge to it. You can also hear a slight hip-hop influence with the backing beat. This tune is pretty catchy.

2. Daddy Pop- 4/5: This song is heavily based in hip-hop and even features some rapping. But the music is great and the refrain is pretty catchy too. It doesn't sound like classic Prince though if thats what you like.

3. Diamonds and Pearls- 5/5: This is a pretty little love ballad that makes you really pine for romance in your life.

It kind of reminds me of all those couples sitting down for champagne and making love afterwards near a fireplace.

4. Cream- 5/5: Pure R&B that coincidentally goes through my ears like a fine lotion. Its got that slight little hip-hop influence to it because you can dance to it.

5. Strollin- 4/5: This isnt a bad song; it just didnt really stand out to me. Has kind of a basic feel to it.

6. Willing and Able- 5/5: Shows some rock influence and kind of makes me bob my head.

7. Gett Off- 5/5: A major hip-hop influence here that benefits the song greatly. It's incredibly catchy and danceable.

8. Walk Dont Walk- 3/5: This song kind of bores me and I also think it's a bit corny.

9. Jughead- 3/5: The music is pretty good to this song but the rapping just totally messes it up. Prince could've at least got a cooler rapper for this song or something.

10. Money Don't Matter 2Nite- 4/5: Another R&B romantic ballad, but the title track was better than this one. That said, this really isn't a bad song; Prince has just done better.

11. Push- 3/5: An example of how rap hurt one of Prince's songs. And it's not even rap in general; it's the rapper he used. This song had great music and some good vocals but the rappers made it sound corny.

12. Insatiable- 5/5: This song is really cool. It's like a love ballad with the R&B feel, but as the song goes on it fades into a rockish vibe. The lyrics are great too.

13. Live 4 Love- 5/5: This might be my favorite song on the album. It's got the hip-hop feel to it but it incorporates funk really heavily. The chorus is infectious and there is some awesome guitar. Versatility is something I admire about Prince.

I hope that review helped. I basically say: this has a mostly R&B/hip hop vibe to it. If you like that side of Prince, then you'll probably love this. Even if you dont like that side of him, there are still some great songs on here worth having.

Prince enters the nineties on a promising note with this CD. The hits are there with "Cream", "Gett Off" & "Diamonds and Pearls". But for me the highlights are "Money Don't Matter 2Night" and "Live 4 Love". The latter being one of Prince's best funk jams.

Still, this is easily obtainable as a used CD at a bargain price.

When are they going to re-master those 80's classics?

Ardent Prince listeners would argue that this LP is no Sign O' The Times, or Purple Rain, or 1999. But Diamonds and Pearls is a nice collection of pop, rock and R & B that has aged well. Prince, for the most part, reins in his muse to produce music that may not appease his core audience but rocks for everyone.

The standout tracks on this LP are the title track, "Cream," the incredibly funky "Gett Off" (the child of the wicked Black Album cut "Rock Hard in A Funky Place"), the Steely Dan-esque "Money Don't Matter 2Night" and the slow jam "Insatiable." These tracks are most indicative of the musical range that marks Prince's greatness. The tracks that fall short are due mostly to the unfortunate involvement of the wack Tony M., who single-handedly ruins "Daddy Pop" and "Jughead," although he deserves credit for his nice turn on "Willing and Able."

Diamonds and Pearls is a solid, if not essential, album and showcases Prince at his most accessible. Fans and non-fans will enjoy it.

There are many albums by Prince that I've enjoyed over the years since I was a toddler and "Diamonds and Pearls" ranks as among my favorite albums of his as of writing this review. Released in late 1991, the album spawned his famous his single "Cream" which is one of my favorite chart-topping songs of his. Other favorites are the stadium-sized anthem "Thunder", the forward looking title track, the laid-back latte anthem "Strollin" and "Get Off". I enjoy this entire album the whole way through actually but the songs I mentioned are my favorites.