Like
Come
before it,
Chaos and Disorder
is a contractual obligation album for
Prince
, a way to get himself out of his contract with
Warner Brothers
. Unlike
,
doesn't sound disjointed and pasted together -- it's a fun, offhanded throwaway. For the first time since 1987's
Sign 'O' the Times
has made a
pop/rock
album, complete with squealing guitars and sighing melodies. None of the songs qualify as major songs in
's canon, but that's part of the record's charm --
sounds like he's having a good time, and he could really care less what anyone else has to say. Or, as he puts it in one of the album's best and most careening tracks,
"I Rock, Therefore I Am."
sounds immediate, like the songs were recorded the same day they were written. While that might mean there's a handful of throwaways scattered throughout the album, there are wonderful moments like the stuttering
jazz-funk
of
"Dig U Better Dead,"
the scathing
"Had U,"
the psychedelic clashes of the title track, the heavy
rock
"I Like It There,"
and the beautiful
"Dinner With Delores,"
a rough gem that ranks as one of
's simplest and most charming singles of the '90s. So,
isn't
's best or most important work, but it is a really fun listen, especially if you're willing to accept it as what it is -- a record that does nothing more than rock. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine