Prince's first real song in years and years harkens all the way back before he had convinced himself that he was James Brown (he wasn't) and the greatest living funker (second, after Larry Graham). On this new song, "Rock & Roll Love Affair", he falsettos like MJ on "Billie Jean" and pumps that organ like, well, like somebody pumping an organ. And that rock and roll in the title? Code: this is Prince in crossover mode and man, have we missed him.It is not that it sounds exactly like Prince circa Parade, but it is that it sounds like the man who made Parade. It is an alternative Prince Universe where decades of crap like Lotusflow have had people running for the hills at the mention of his squiggle.
Indeed, the years of funk noodling have finally affected his live show and Larry Graham blew him off stage when I caught the MSG gig a couple of years ago. Prince's problem is he thinks he is smarter than he is, that he can do it by metamorphoses and the truth is he can't. I'm not claiming Prince isn't great live, I am claiming I saw him at Roseland years ago and that Prince would wipe the floor with this Prince the way the 1998 Yanks would slaughter the 2012 Yanks.
Still, both the 1996 Prince and the 2012 Prince would be very very happy with, "Rock & Roll Love Affair" -an excellent song.
Grade: B+