N.E.W.S

Occupation

• Prince - guitar, keyboards, Fender Rhodes, Percussion
• John Blackwell - drums
• Renato Neto - Piano, Synthesizer
• Eric Leeds - baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Rhonda Smith - acoustic bass, electric bass
• Clare Fischer - String Instruments in North
• Joseph Lepinski and Takumi - Musical technician
• Jess Sutcliffe - sound engineer
• Prince - mix
• Prince and Jeremy Gavin - Vinyl Cover

NEWS is the 27th studio album by American musician Prince. It was released on 29 July 2003 at his own label, NPG Records. The album name is composed of the initial letters of the four songs North, East, West and South. Each of the four songs - named after the cardinal points - is exactly 14 minutes long. NEWS is an instrumental concept album from the music genre jazz and fusion. Prince thus moves in a musical terrain that with his previous albums such as Purple Rain (1984 ), Sign o 'the Times (1987 ) or Diamonds and Pearls (1991 ) has very little in common.

Registered members of his former home NPG Music Club.com could get the album on June 30, 2003 if they had pre-ordered it. Prince was in the period from 2001 to 2004, no record company under contract and led with the help of this site by its music distribution itself. He held no advertising for the album NEWS It is the most sold album of his career so far at least.

Formation

To Prince already employed in 1987 with the music genre jazz: he produced for the band Madhouse - a then side project from him - the instrumental jazz-funk albums 8 and 16, saxophonist Eric Leeds was at this time already one of Prince's accompanying musicians at Madhouse. Beginning of the 21st century, several Prince albums were then characterized by jazz influences; these include the album The Rainbow Children from the year 2001 and the download Xpectation album, which was released on 1 January 2003. On the album cover of Xpectation the message " new directions in music" is already (Eng.: new genres ) to find, which can be read also on the album cover of NEWS.

On February 6, 2003 Prince recorded the album NEWS on a single day in the Paisley Park Studio in Minneapolis ( Minnesota, USA ). The majority of the music had been composed in Prince studio before he recorded the four songs with his accompanying musicians. On the album, however, multiple improvised musical passages are to be found.

Music

The album contains four songs NEWS, which are divided into two or three different musical sections. Primarily album of jazz, funk and rock music influences is marked, sometimes also occur oriental and classical elements.

Saxophonist Eric Leeds plays a central role on the album; He submits, solos and adorns the songs from melodic, so a jazz ambience is created. The drumming of John Blackwell is also a formative part of the album. Pianist and keyboardist Renato Neto accompanies the music of the album NEWS from beginning to end, but his piano playing is only occasionally heard. Neto's musical roots lie in jazz. The keyboardist, the Prince had previously been used in its Begleitbands were, on the other hand have been mainly rhythm-and - blues and rock musicians. Unlike Leeds, Blackwell and bassist Rhonda Smith Neto plays a minor role on the album. Although it controls on the song East a short bass solo in, but their bass lines often revolve around a repeating element. Your bass playing is only used as a basis for the instrumental playing of the other sidemen.

The piece is based on a North gentle and unhurried drum and bass playing, the whole a quiet beat gives the song. The bass runs like a vibrant element from the beginning through to the end. Soft synth strings provide a cushion for smooth, jazz - tinged saxophone sounds. After about three minutes, Prince begins with a rhythm guitar, followed by jazzy intoniertem flute. The beginning of North is a leisurely, easy beat. By onset of the saxophone - playing and subtle guitar riffs, the piece gradually becomes more vivid. In the next musical section string sounds of Clare Fischer are lushly arranged, where Prince opposes a restrained guitar solo. The saxophone riff returns, punchy drumming joins should be. After about nine minutes, the music is much quieter and Renato Neto's piano begins to dominate. This is a mixture of improvised embellishment, paired with melodic proportions. Eric Leeds adds a mild saxophone, accompanied by stringed instruments. The short passage of this mixture is slowly faded out and the last two minutes consist primarily of nondescript synthesizer sounds that reverberate like an echo.

The song begins with East oriental -tinged sounds that are generated by the synthesizer and remember Violin game. John Blackwell begins with a lively rhythmic drumming. Occasional pitch shifting synth fade in, turn back and disappear in turn. The music sounds grumpy, underlaid with chords as if no harmonic Release Velocity available. The passage takes a few minutes and sounds similar to the beginning of an overture of a classical composition. After about four minutes Eric Leeds is a saxophone with fast game. However, Oriental sounds interrupt this rapid passage, the music is quiet and Prince plays an atonal sounding guitar riff. After about eight minutes the music changes direction and begins a passage from funk music, based on a rhythm guitar. The music leaves some room for instrumental solos from saxophone, electric piano and organ. After about 11:20 minutes followed by muffled drumming, which is accompanied by a humming bass game. Prince plays to rough guitar riffs. Rhonda Smith adds a short bass solo before the last 50 seconds East end quietly.

West begins with a three-note bass figure, accompanied by three lively plucked guitar chords. The music has a slow and relaxed beat. Eric Leeds plays to quiet saxophone phrases, accompanied by Prince, which adds to Carlos Santana reminiscent guitar game that reinforces the tranquil atmosphere of the West. After about four minutes, the influence of funk music is heard. Prince adds guitar riffs, accompanied by syncopated bass and drums game. Eric Leeds plays saxophone riffs. A little later, Renato Neto interspersed with jazz -tinged piano as a rhythmic support, with its improvised -sounding game takes on a lead role in the play. Eric Leeds is back with new saxophone riffs. From minute 8:33 the music changes direction to a passage from the genre rock music. Prince plays this guitar, which is supported by string instruments in the background. After that occurs Eric Leeds ' sax play in the center, before the music gradually fades out - only saxophone and drums are heard. In the last 40 seconds West is heard no more music.

The last part of South opens with conventional radio - music, in which a plucked bass with slap technique is heard. Prince plays rough sounding atonal guitar chords, followed by Eric Leeds ' smooth saxophone parts. From minute 4:58 the music abruptly changes, starting with a slow passage. Add a graceful played keyboard-phrases, John Blackwell plays the drums, that sounds like a drum machine. The bass is based on only one note and highlights the music at regular intervals. Renato Neto plays the piano, which consists of a mixture of chords and rhythmic phrases with melodic cascade of notes. Eric Leeds South accompanied with permanent jazzy saxophone playing. In the course of the song's musical intensity is built up continuously; especially string instruments come alive will also be in the forefront, saxophone and drums. Prince adds in the frenzy of the music up a guitar solo. Towards the end the music is significantly quieter and the last two minutes are dominated by an orchestra of string instruments. South ends with only piano sounds, which consist of a repeating figure.

Title list

No singles were released from the album and music video were not rotated.

Reception

Press

Due to the low sales of the NEWS media interest in the album was sparse. In addition, Prince is not even marketed the album; he had neither the album a tour to follow, nor Prince ever played one of the songs by NEWS at his concerts live.

The reviews of the album N.E.W.S were divided. Criticism was that the songs "Too Smooth" sounded. Another shortcoming of the occasional tendency for funk music in the style of James Brown was considered that would offer nothing new or interesting in comparison to Prince's earlier music.

Said Norbert Schiegl of the German music department of the U.S. online retailer Amazon but Prince was " always good for surprises " and would " also this time his reputation as unpredictable musical eccentrics justice ". Prince and his band bestächen " with four extremely expressionistic sound paintings, whose depth and complexity, completely opens up only after repeated listening. Effortlessly he commutes between radio elegant touches, wild free jazz excursions and wonderful pop tunes. " NEWS was "not a mechanism in which the trained on more classic Prince repertoire listener will find immediate access. But the effort is worth it, because Prince proved here again as a musician, which removes the boundaries between classical and popular music with admirable nonchalance. Especially the East titled second suite shows how far his musical abstraction ability is developed. The mixture of very quiet, lyrical and more rugged sound structures gradually wins more and more momentum and culminates in a grand finale in which particularly saxophonist Eric Leeds sets the tone. "

Harry Lachner of the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised: " Now he lives [ Prince ] on NEWS for the first time the Jazz to the ultimate consequence inside out: with a ravishing detail fetishism and the dramaturgical creative power of the true sovereign. Prince shows how original the fusion between jazz, rock and funk may sound today, if you alienate the prefabricated templates of its clichés and optionally sets aside sovereign. This will certainly give him no hit parade success. But Prince reached for something much more important: He has restored his credibility as an artist and brilliant musician. And by the way one of the nicest and most relaxing jazz and fusion albums of the last year published. So the album bears his boastful subtitles quite rightly: New Directions in Music. You do not know in which direction you should bow down now. "

Jörn Schlüter from the German music magazine Rolling Stone, however, said that the songs from NEWS were " four long instrumentals between ambition and boredom ." Prince and his band throw themselves " in loosely organized jams between subtle jazz vibe, rather stale Fusion radio and occasional onomatopoeia ". Except for the piece East album was otherwise " pretty dull and suffers from the Unvermittelbarkeit technically reproduced jam sessions, which all too often please himself only the actors. If Prince this record now with New Directions In Music ' signs and when so much and vieltönig making music, then you will think of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, who with Mr. Brecker and Hargrove once a plate with almost identical titles [ 2001: Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall ] recorded ". The Rolling Stone finally awarded 2.5 out of a possible five points for the album. William Ruhlmann from the U.S. online music database Allmusic showed from the album NEWS also very enthusiastic and drew it out with two out of five stars.

Charts

NEWS also reached number 83 in the Netherlands as the highest singles chart position, no other chart positions in the international charts are known. The album was the one Prince album that stands out in his music career the least sold (as of 2014).

Awards

In 2004, NEWS was at the Grammy Awards in the category Best Instrumental Album - Pop ( Best Pop Instrumental Album) nominated but did not win.