Prince’s New Song Needs Some of His Old Kinkiness

We are not having a love affair with the new video for Prince's latest single

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEne4AoX_RU]

“All these computers and digital gadgets are no good,” Prince declared in an interview two years ago. And that was before the mercurial mononym subjected the Internet to “Rock & Roll Love Affair,” his first new release since 20Ten and his most disappointing since The Rainbow Children. His Purpleness has never been afraid of calling back to his catalog, but never before has he sounded so dated as in this “When You Were Mine” retread with phoned-in guitar work, uninterested vocals and a powerless New Power Generation backing him. It’s encouraging that Prince is once again embracing the digital delivery of music, but here’s hoping that whatever comes next from him has lyrics more clever than this somnambulent tale of the fated relationship between a rocker guy and his girl who “believed in fairy tales and princes.” (Or is that Princes?)

Listen for yourself, though, and we’ll be sure to watch for any chart action on “Rock & Roll Love Affair.”

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