The second release from Prince’s march back into the common pop consciousness, 3121 is an attempt at speaking the language. Time was, he used to write the grammar; Musicology was the public’s refresher course. But would relevance come via an outside producer? Hell no. But Paisley Park isn’t soundproof, and there are snatches of Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, and other producers of the moment, or at least a recently passed moment. There’s Auto-Tune on “Incense and Candles,” as well as a programmed tattoo that might’ve come from the Dungeon. (The vocal processing, while communicating ecstasy, does so in a diminished type of way, similar to Kanye West’s imminent, much more barren Auto-Tune work.) With its opening drum track, the Támar Davis duet “Love” feints toward throwback house, but it ends up as “Kiss” filtered through a Pussycat Dolls track.

As you might expect, the strongest cut plays to his vintage strengths. “Fury” is airtight synthrock, recalling the glories of the Oberheim years while adding the wrinkles of overlapping solos and an “All Along the Watchtower” (Jimi version) vocal attack. “3121” is demented funk, with atonal chicken scratches and a synth riff that flaps like a broken porch screen. And yet, the impulse to get, um, stanktified eludes him: “Beautiful, Loved And Blessed” is a trad gospel duet with Davis, with transcendence (to say nothing of lovely harmonies) nowhere to be found. It doesn’t help that her first verse, addressed to the Most High, could’ve been written with Prince in mind: “When you found me/I was just a piece of clay/I was formless, you gave me a new name…” “The Word” works better, and it’s a quease-making possibility that it’s because Prince focuses on evading wickedness, instead of running to God. Nagging cadences are the order, from his verses to the sax honk, and the result is a spiritual slinkiness. The album bested Musicology’s chart performance, dethroning the High School Musical soundtrack from the Billboard apex. But the marketplace was a different place from just two years prior, and the album has stalled at Gold certification. With the follow-up, Planet Earth, Prince bypassed the normal distribution methods, focusing instead on driving ticket sales. Hey, he’s always been a genius.