Musicology is the twenty-eighthstudio album by American recording artistPrince. The album was given to concertgoers at hisMusicology Tour, from March 27 to September 9, 2004, in North America. A digital release followed two days after his tour started on March 29, 2004. The physical retail version was released on April 19, 2004 (Europe) and April 20, 2004 (US) byNPG Records and distributed byColumbia Records.Musicology was the first album in five years (ten as Prince) that Prince released through a major label (Sony Music) and, being partially recorded inMississauga,Ontario, Canada, was his first to be recorded outside Minneapolis in many years.Musicology isR&B-themed.[3]
Receiving generally positive reviews from music critics and benefiting from the novel ticket-bundling stratagem,Musicology became Prince's most successful record in years, peaking at number three on theBillboard 200 and reaching top 10 in ten other countries. It was Prince's first album to chart in the US sinceThe Rainbow Children (2001).
Musicology quickly proved to be Prince's most successful album sinceDiamonds and Pearls, reaching the Top 5 in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany and making an impression on charts around the world. It was also well-received by music critics. The title track was released as a single in Australia and Europe, where it enjoyed moderate chart success and airplay. However it was also a hit on the USR&B charts through airplay. The album was certifiedplatinum by theRIAA in June 2004[6] and was certified double platinum in late January 2005.[7][8]
Album sales were boosted by the bundling of a copy ofMusicology with each ticket sold for theMusicology Tour. This promptedBillboard magazine andNielsen SoundScan to change its chart data methodology. For future album releases,Billboard said that customers "must be given an option to either add the CD to the ticket purchase or forgo the CD for a reduced ticket-only price".[9] A purple vinyl edition was released in February 2019.
Musicology received generally positive reviews frommusic critics. In his review forThe Village Voice, criticRobert Christgau said that after the album's opening uptempo songs, "pleasant shocks lurk near the surface and go against the flow of the quality material, and almost everything packs payback".[22] In a less enthusiastic review,Mojo magazine found it better produced and performed than it was written.[16]
Prince won two Grammy Awards, for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("Musicology") and Best R&B Vocal Performance—Male ("Call My Name"), and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance—Male ("Cinnamon Girl"), Best R&B Song (awarded to the songwriter) ("Call My Name"), and Best R&B Album (Musicology). Prince was chosen byRolling Stone magazine's readers as the best male performer and most welcome comeback.[23][24]
Prince toured North America from March 27 to September 9, 2004, to promoteMusicology. The tour was often billed as theMusicology Live 2004ever, or more commonly, the Musicology Tour. The tour earned $87.4 million and was attended by 1.47 million fans[25] Although the tour promotedMusicology, only half of the tracks from the album were played during the concerts; the title track, "Musicology", "Call My Name" Life "O" the Party, "On the Couch" and "Dear Mr. Man". "A Million Days" was also performed, but only once. The tour featured many of Prince's more famous tracks, such as "Little Red Corvette", "Raspberry Beret", "Kiss", and "Purple Rain". A CD copy ofMusicology was included with every concert ticket sold.
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