Prince: The Rainbow Children

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * )

It's the "controversial new album" according to the coversticker. Which means this is the artist formerly better-known as Prince's first offering since his apparent conversion as a Jehovah's Witness.

On offer is quite an excruciating jazz-rock sermon that lyrically has one hand on the bible and one on the boudoir dimmer knob. That's when he's not adding Darth Vader-ish voice-overs to the beginning of the 14 tracks listed as "chapters".

Occasionally, it gets fired up and funky - as on the epic gospel-funk'n'rock workouts of The Work Part 1 and The Everlasting Now, the uncomplicated romantic ballad She Loves Me 4 Me and the crisp Prince-pop of 1+1+1 is 3 (attention K'Lee).

Those tracks might be just the thing to turn up loud when the nice folks come-a-knocking at the door, but the excruciating, unwieldy balance suggests this album might be a fair swap for one of their pamphlets.

Label: Shock