N.E.W.S Prince album

Big Daddy Music

album

There’s certain songs I don’t play any more.

Following the death of his father in August 2001 and his mother in February 2002, Prince began to step back from major commitments after completing the One Nite Alone… World Tour at the end of 2002. The year 2003 became a period of personal reflection, marked by the loss of his parents.

In the wake of his father’s passing, Prince created his first fully instrumental album, Xpectation, a project that honoured the jazz influences from his father. Continuing in that creative vein, on 6 February 2003 he recorded a second instrumental collection, N.E.W.S, named after the four compass points titling each track on the album. A jazz‑funk exploration recorded in a single day in Studio B at Paisley Park, its four tracks are improvisations performed and led by Prince, playing electric guitar, Fender Rhodes piano and digital keyboards. Joining him are four other band members, adopting the setup reminiscent of Madhouse. Each track runs to exactly 14 minutes. Indeed, a frequent member in his bands 1984, Eric Leeds reappears on sax for what would be his final collaboration with Prince. The track North contains string samples arranged by Clare Fischer.

N.E.W.S (stylised as N·E·W·S) was firstly a digital exclusive released to the subscribers to npgmusicclub.com, on 30 June 2003. It subsequently received a wider commercial release from 29 July through a publishing arrangement with Big Daddy Music Distribution, a New Jersey-based independent outfit that in November 2002 released One Nite Alone… Live! Arriving consecutive to the release of Xpectation, fans were largely disappointed by the jazz instrumental direction Prince was clearly adopting and N.E.W.S retailed poorly as result. Achieving just 30,000 sales it was his lowest selling album to date. The public’s opinion of it was reflected in its non-appearance in the US charts, reaching 8 in Billboard’s internet albums, it failed to enter the main chart at all.

This most obscure album in Prince’s catalogue, N.E.W.S did however trigger a fortuitously unexpected turn of events. In 2003 N.E.W.S was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album, it yielded Prince’s first Grammy nomination since 1995 for The Gold Experience. Prince marked the occasion by playing a live performance to open the ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on 8 February 2004; a barnstorming duet with Beyoncé performing a medley of three hits from Purple Rain in celebration of its twentieth anniversary. That appearance returned Prince to public attention following a long absence from the mainstream, and the event is thereby credited as heralding the revitalisation of his later career. This period of creative reflection led Prince to creating a stripped down record, Musicology in 2003. Full of radio friendly tracks on its release in 2004 Musicology produced what would be his most successful album for a decade.

Cover story

The album, released only on CD, is presented within a digipak illustrated by Paisley Park’s art director from 2003 to 2007, Jeremy Gavin, under the direction of Prince himself. The CD’s casing is wrapped by four fold-out corners representing the compass points that when open forms the shape of a ninja star. The design was also printed onto a working clock face, the wall clock was available separately.

Performers

Keyboards/Guitar

Prince

Drums

John Blackwell

Keyboards

Renato Neto

Bass Guitar

Rhonda Smith

Saxophone

Eric Leeds

Orchestration

Clare Fischer ^North

Data

Producer

Prince

Label

NPG Records

Distribution

Big Daddy Music

Cover/Design

Jeremy Gavin and Prince

Released

23 years ago on 30 June 2003

Running Time

56:00

US Chart Peak

Did not chart

UK Chart Peak

Did not chart

Prince Album

#27

Orig. Format

Tracklist

1. North (14:00)
2. East (14:00)
3. West (14:00)
4. South (14:00)

Singles from N.E.W.S

N.E.W.S produced no singles.

N.E.W.S album review

N.E.W.S is the instrumental album in a row. And it is without a doubt one of those that best comes to you at the right time in life, and so is probably the most overlooked release in Prince’s catalogue. On the surface, N.E.W.S comprises four rambling tracks, named after the compass points North, East, West and South. Is that because Prince lost direction? Putting the release into context with the full catalogue do things get a lot clearer. This would be like listening to Camille without first hearing Sign O’ The Times. Your reviewer must therefore admit in having previously judged N.E.W.S unfairly; dismissing it fit only for hotel lounges and being far too trigger happy to hit Skip. Only when looking back at it the true quality shines through and reveals a charming, absorbing sonic journey, one so dreamy and sometimes dark you are consumed at fine example of Prince’s genius. N.E.W.S‘ case was not helped by having followed dreary Xpectation

Although lacking the urgency of Prince’s popular albums, N.E.W.S breaks ground in so many other ways, nor does it let up on quality. The four tracks are equally 14 minutes long. The first, North is the album’s best, aided by the opening moody porn bass and then later on, Prince’s licks on guitar. Each member in this tight band steps to the fore in each track, chock-a-block with musical mastery, most notably Renato Neto on the keys, and the late and great John Blackwell on drums. East contains echoes of the live Family Name, you wait to hear “Rebecca Outlaw” at any minute. West evokes the soaring feeling of Venus De Milo. South offers Eric Leeds in full Madhouse flow. The jams are best appreciated played in a single session, a-la Lovesexy. N.E.W.S is far more than simply a showcase for Prince’s musical dexterity, it never succumbs to self-indulgence. The music is full of the mastery you expect of Prince, the Musicology tour and Grammy success came off the back of this, so N.E.W.S is a seminal album, but comes at the price of being able to enjoy his smart, albeit cleaned up, lyrical craft.

N.E.W.S is rated 3 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.