Prince's "The Breakdown" Reviewed

Another rotten Prince song

Is it too early to say I hate Prince’s first Warner Bros release? Using his aging soprano to some effect this dreary ballad is proof if you need any that Prince can’t write songs any more. His third complete and total dog is filled with little touches , a sort of Robin Thicke-y excuse to hide the fact that he just doesn’t have the song he needs here. 

“The Breakdown” doesn’t work because the song isn’t good. Prince doesn’t use his falsetto but he does manage to go higher and lower and the same time (up for “Keep breaking me” and down for “down”), the band sound fabulous and sure it is better than the execrable Zooey duet.

But I hope to never hear it again.

That’s the review, here is the news. Or did you know Prince re-signed with Warner Brother, right? He got the masters back but gave WB licensing rights. If I was WB I wouldn’t have done it. Prince hasn’t sold much in quarter a century, why should that change now? Based on “The Breakdown” it won’t in the slightest.

Grade: C-