I'm a fan of his music from the late 70's through the early 90's only and only like a few songs here and there afterwards. New Power Soul is a solid r&b/funk album that is one of his better works of the 90's. Come On is so catchy and could have been an instant hit. Get this CD today if you just love good r&b and funk music, you won't regret it
Wtih this album, the "Artist" really hit a nadir after a long, disappointing slide into irrelevance and self-indulgence which began - arguably - with 1992's "Symbol" album.
This is bland "party" music, with a capital "B" - although there are a couple of nice touches here and there such as the instrumental coda to "If You Love Somebody", "New Power Soul" is totally lacking in any excitement, originality or great songs.
When you think of what the guy is capable of, you can understand why he was loathe to put his own name as the "artist" or as Prince or whatever to this utterly insignificant recording (it was credited to the NPG). This one really is for the diehards (like me!) only.
PS. If you wanna check out some quality post-"Diamonds & Pearls" stuff by the Purple One, I would invest in "The Gold Experience", his most satisfying 90's collection or check out his latest, "The Rainbow Children" - a startling return to something approaching Prince form.
Listen to it. Again and again. That's the way to best experience this creation by the Artist and his tight, soulful band. If you are looking for the same old tired stuff that rock and R&B have become, go somewhere else. The NPG and their tiny leader come up large on "NewPowerSoul," proving that funk will never die. From the infectious melody of "Mad Sex" to the over-the-top funk of "Freaks on this side," the band proves that they can have fun with music, without worrying about what corporate execs or critics think. It's refreshing to see artists creating art. Real music lovers, not tired, Purple Rain-obsessed fans will really get into this CD. It's a funky stroll down another new experience with one of the most amazing musicians of our time.
I love the song on this album "the one" the rest of the album is ok, i think you have to be a ride or die prince fan to really enjoy it...
When this album first came out in 1998, it wasn't a huge seller, mostly because people didn't even know it was out due to lack of promotion and spotty distribution. I remember it peaking at #22 on the billboard top 200 but falling down faster than lemmings walking over a cliff with a backpack of bricks. The people who did buy it, it seems, didn't like it. I really don't understand why, this is the R&B album many modern artists have been trying to achieve but haven't been able to pull it off. It blends old school style of horns and bass lines with modern drum programming. There's no room for samples and rip-offs here, thankfully. It also manages to throw in a couple of ballads, as well. Here's a track-by-track review:
1. Newpower Soul = the introductory song to this album. It basically takes all the song titles and turns them into a song and really sets the mood for the whole disc.
2. Mad Sex = one of the best and most funky tracks on the disk, it's a sleazy modern R&B number with Prince's typical eyebrow-raising sexual lyrics. It still manages to sound more fresh than other modern R&B songs of its kind though, probably due to the fact that it isn't bogged down in samples.
3. Until U're In My Arms Again = in my opinion, the worst song on this disc. Every album has at least one, and this is it for this album. It's basically a corny love ballad with lyrics that would make Diane Warren sound like Eminem. It also sounds pretty dated. So therefore, I usually skip over this song, but thankfully this is really the only bad song on this album.
4. When U Love Somebody = after I was cringing after listening to track 3, thankfully, this song was next. This is the best song on the album. Why? it's just so much fun to listen to! The real treat here is the crisp, live horns, which are just rewarding to listen to and make the song so catchy in the first place. The purple one's voice is at its best here, and the melodies are catchy and singable.
5. Shoo-Bed-Ooh = not much to say about this one, it sounds kind of bitter though, and Prince utters the one and only profane word in this album in this song, too. It's kind of funny, considering how explicit some of his past works were.
6. Push It Up = can't say much about this song either, it's funky like the last three and still sounds quite good.
7. Freaks On This Side = the best part of this song is the sound of a crowd chanting "freaks on this side". It's a very good power anthem and I could imagine it being played at sporting events.
8. Come On = an all-out dance song. Like the last 4 tracks, it's very fun to listen to. The best thing about this and the tracks preceding it, they aren't repetitive so you can enjoy them over and over.
9. The One = Prince decides to slow things down after songs 4-8 being loud, catchy dance tracks. This is a slow love ballad, but unlike track #3 it doesn't sound dated, and the lyrics are sweet. Basically, Prince tells a girl that "if you want a man to treat you like anything but a queen, i ain't the one" but if she wants to be treated good, then he IS the one.. get it? First time i've heard that in a love song, which makes it all the more better. U also gotta love his falsetto vocal in this song.
10. I Like Funky Music = this one is a lot like "freaks on this side" as it features a crowd yelling out the song title. It's a good way to end off the album (although technically it isn't the last track) and is an original power anthem, like the other dance songs on the album. I love how this album manages to give us tons of original songs for the feet instead of most albums in which all the dance songs sound so similar.
Tracks 11-48 just play a bunch of silence.
49. Wasted Kisses = a bitter song like track #5. It features some morbid eminem-style lyrics, basically asking a girl why he wasted his kisses on her, and telling the story of how he smothers her to death. The sounds of police sirens and the hospital really add to the spookyness of the song.
All in all, this album is very much worth picking up. It's very fun to listen to, and only has one bad song. Check it out!
