3121 (album)
| 3121 | ||||
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| Studio album by Prince | ||||
| Released | March 21, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2004-2005 | |||
| Genre | R&B, funk, pop, rock | |||
| Length | 53:42 | |||
| Label | NPG, Universal | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 3121 | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
| New York Times | (favorable)[5] |
| Newsday | (A)[6] |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.0/10)[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| Stylus | A−[9] |
| Village Voice | (favorable)[10] |
3121 (pronounced "thirty-one twenty-one") is the thirty-first studio album by Prince. The album, released March 21, 2006 in the U.S., is distributed through Universal Records.
Contents |
[edit] Album information
The album's first single, "Te Amo Corazón", was released in the United States on December 13, 2005, and debuted at number 20 on the VH1 countdown; the second single, "Black Sweat", was released on February 2, 2006.[11]
The title of the album was believed to be a reference to the address of Prince's rented Los Angeles mansion. A lawsuit filed against Prince by the landlord (NBA player Carlos Boozer) indicates an entirely different address (1235 Sierra Alta Way).[12] However, Prince has repeatedly referred to the property as "3121"; indeed, the lawsuit alleges he painted 3121 on the exterior of the property, and the album's liner notes indicate that it was "recorded at Paisley Park Studios and 3121."
According to another explanation the album's title refers to a verse in the Bible (Psalms 31:21). "Blessed be Jehovah (God/Yahweh), For he has rendered wonderful loving-kindness to me in a city under stress." Prince made a reference to this during a performance of the title track on the 2006 BET Awards; "Where's the real party at? Shake your tambourines! BET read Psalms; that's where it is."
Album sessions started in November 2004 with the recording of the song "3121" with Michael Bland and Sonny T.
Ostensibly inspired by the 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Prince included a limited number of "purple tickets" with the album. Lucky winners who found tickets were flown in from Europe, Asia, Mexico and the US to attend a semi-private performance (along with a long list of celebrities) at Prince's home in Los Angeles.
3121 reinforced Prince's big comeback after the release of 2004's Musicology. It became the first Prince album ever to debut at #1, with 183,436 sold in its first week. It knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot, and became Prince's first #1 album since 1989's Batman. Eventually it was certified Gold (for over 500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Prince, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "3121" | 4:31 |
| 2. | "Lolita" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Te Amo Corazón" | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Black Sweat" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Incense and Candles" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Love" | 5:45 |
| 7. | "Satisfied" | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Fury" | 4:02 |
| 9. | "The Word" | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" (Prince, Támar) | 5:43 |
| 11. | "The Dance" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Get On the Boat" | 6:18 |
[edit] Personnel
- Drums: Michael Bland (on "3121"), Cora Coleman Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón", "Get On the Boat")
- Bass: Sonny T (on "3121"), Joshua Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón", "Get On the Boat")
- Horn section: Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer and Ray
- Percussion: Herbert Urena, Ricky Salas (on "Te Amo Corazón"), Sheila E. (on "Get On the Boat")
- Strings arrangement: Clare Fischer
- Additional vocals: The New Power Generation (shouts), Támar (and co-lead on "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed")
- All other instruments and voices: Prince
- Produced by Prince
- Photo: Afshin Shahidi
- Designer: Sam Jennings
- Recorded at Paisley Park Studios and 3121
- Engineered by Ian Boxill, L. Stu Young
- Assisted by Lisa Chamblee Hampton
- Mastered at Bernie Grundman
[edit] References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: 3121 > Review" at Allmusic. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Prince". robertchristgau.com. http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Prince. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Fiore, Raymond (20 March 2006). "3121 (2006): Prince". Entertainment Weekly (Time). ISSN 0149-0434. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1174173,00.html. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (19 March 2006). "The doves can stop crying now". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/19/entertainment/ca-rack19.1. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (20 March 2006). "Puttin' on the Funk, Playing Sly Games". The New York Times: Prince: "3121". ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/20/arts/music/20choi.html. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Newsday Review[dead link]
- ^ Tangari, Joe (20 March 2006). "Prince: 3121". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/reviews/albums/6481-3121/. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (6 April 2006). "Prince's New Sensation". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media). ISSN 0035-791X. http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cdrev/prince-rs.php. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Inskeep, Thomas (31 March 2006). "Prince: 3121". Stylus. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3915. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ Cooper, Carol (25 April 2006). "Princely Digs". The Village Voice (New York). ISSN 0042-6180. http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-04-25/music/princely-digs/. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "3121". Prince Vault. 22 August 2011. http://www.princevault.com/index.php?title=Album:_3121&oldid=90411. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ^ "Extreme Makeover: Prince Edition". The Smoking Gun. 20 March 2006. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0320063prince4.html. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by High School Musical Soundtrack |
Billboard 200 number-one album April 2–8, 2006 |
Succeeded by King by T.I. |
