Prince: 3121

These days Prince may worship Jehovah, but rest assured, when he comes door-knocking he's still up for some lovemaking. Preferably slow love.

On 3121, his 25th album, Prince reclaims the title of the world's funkiest man and with lines like "drink champagne from a glass with chocolate handles" it's clear he's doing it in style.

When you're Prince, it's easy to be funky - he's been doing it on and off since the release of his first album, For You, in 1978.

He's been through many fruity phases too, none more so than 2001's Rainbow Children (about his Jehovah faith) and 2003's N.E.W.S. (an album of four 14-minute instrumentals).

But 2004's Musicology signalled a return to writing more, ahem, conventional Prince tunes. That album was good, but bland compared with 3121.

The master songwriter - remember When Doves Cry, Little Red Corvette and Play In the Sunshine? - is back.

His secret is in the detail.

On this album it's the brittle and high-pitched guitar chinks, the outrageous flourishes, the "oowwws", and clever dual vocals (with guest Tamar).

Although he's not back to his dirty, dirty best, he's still risque and "workin' up a black sweat" on many of these tracks. But he's more coy about it these days.

"I don't want to take my clothes off, but I do," he coos at one stage.

It's all here: the romantic and loungey swagger of Te Amo Corazon, the glitchy nastiness of Black Sweat, and The Fury recalls the playfulness of his early 90s.

Even when it's a seemingly laborious slow jam like Incense and Candles, the mud pool beats, his half-sleazy, half-romantic rap, with lines like "there's a dancefloor but we can use a table", puts other R&B and soul music to shame.

There's nothing as stirring as Purple Rain, as dirty as Sexy [expletive], or as important as Sign O' The Times, but this is as funky as anything Prince has ever done. The man is back.

Label: Universal