Musicology (2004)
Prince rages against The Machine over bluesy, smoky back-room funk. Although the tone is more despair than anger. A What’s Going On for the Dubya years. With Maceo, Sheila, Candy, Renata and Rhonda in tow, and armed with a bible and a copy of the constitution, Prince dictates a letter to politicians unnamed, listing depressing signs of the times and signing off with the three words “we tired U’all!”. In his late 40s he’s witnessed enough corporate and political rapacity that there’s no outrage left in the tank, just world-weariness. Ripe conditions for the languid kind of funk Marvin used to make.