Newpower Soul (1998)
On the face of it Shoo-Bed-Ooh is a skippable track – unpleasant lyrics, lazy chorus, generic beat – but what makes it work is the glue. Sparkling synths slip and slide over the percussion, filling all cracks with effervescent elegance. Prince then ties it together with strings and leaves to harden into a Michelin Star melody. If you only listened to Newpower Soul once and discarded it because of the ‘plastic’ sound I urge a relisten. The delight is in the details.