"What if half the things ever said
Turned out to be a lie
How will you know the Truth?
If you were given all the answers
And you stopped to wonder why
But how will you know the Truth?"
This is the inaugural question posed by the opening title track of Prince's 1998 release The Truth, one of 5 cds released as apart of the Crystal Ball project. It's an appropriate track to kick off the album, which has much to do with inner peace and looking within oneself to settle the extremities of external forces. (It's also the last track Prince ever said '***' in, which is a cool little tidbit).
As a bonus disc on an out of print boxed set, it is one of the easiest Prince cds to forget ever existed, which is a true shame. The Truth is one of Prince's most consistent, intelligent and interesting records of his later career.
By 1998, Prince's heyday was long past. He hadn't had a Top 10 record in 3 years, or a Top 10 single in almost five. His tours were no longer money making powerhouses. The confusion surrounding his name change to an unpronounceable symbol was still eating away at his public image. Prince had become something of pop music pariah: while certainly still respected for his talents, his increasingly bizarre antics had driven away many longtime devotees.
At its best, The Truth gives essential insight into both Prince's beliefs and talents; songs like the title song, "Don't Play Me," "3rd Eye," and "Welcome 2 The Dawn" speak to Prince's philosophies and personality in a way that is equally cryptic and revealing. "Circle Of Amour" is one of Prince's most unique tales of lust and regret, while "Comeback" is deeply heartbreaking as Prince remembers his deceased son, Amir. There is also the biting "One Of Your Tears," the sultry "Dionne," and the brassy "Man In A Uniform," all of which put Prince's sense of humour on magnificent display.
At its worst, which is thankfully a rare occurence, the album is preachy and overwrought, no moreso than in the laughably bad "Animal Kingdom," in which Prince espouses his love of veganism through a series of truly ridiculous lyrical couplets that would make Dylan in his Christian phrase wince at their preachiness and condescension. The judgemental side of Prince wasn't really ever pretty and often offensive, and this is a pretty good example of why.
Sonically, this is one of my favorite Prince albums. It is impeccably produced, with Prince's acoustic playing sounding sharp and crisp, holding its own against his electric guitar tour de forces and proof that Prince was an all around firecracker with an axe. His vocals are also terrific; there's very little chainsaw screams or falsetto cooing on this record. Instead the singing on The Truth is done in a quiet mid-range style, with Prince's baritone carrying a mature warmth that he rarely displayed. His sense of dynamics and creativity is most apparent on the album's closer "Welcome 2 The Dawn," which contains one of his most tasteful vocals in addition to being a fantastic song.
The Truth is one of the most unique albums in Prince's entire discography, both for its stripped down sound and confessional subject matter. It's out of print, but can be streamed on TIDAL, where it can also be downloaded in top notch fidelity. Do seek it out.
