Planet Earth

Comeback accomplished, Prince now settles into a groove with 2007’s Planet Earth, his 26th studio album and successor to the two deliberate comebacks, Musicology and 3121. Those two albums were designed to storm the top of the charts but, more importantly, they were made with the intention of making Prince prominent again — a gambit that worked since Prince worked hard, stealing the show at both the Superbowl and the American Idol fifth-season finale and turning into an in-demand concert ticket once again. Both records were recorded with the expectations of making a splash, and 3121 even made some overtures toward modern music, most noticeably in the sleek electro workout of “Black Sweat,” which suggested that Prince had heard the Neptunes, even if he didn’t pay them much mind. In contrast to such grudging nods at his progeny, Planet Earth doesn’t attempt to make concessions to contemporary music, although it does make a point of addressing the modern world, whether it’s in the neo-apocalyptic warnings of destruction and God on the title track or his offhand reference to “this digital age” on the sweet slow jam “Somewhere Here on Earth.” Such passing asides are enough indication that, even if Prince may belong to his own universe, he surely lives in our world, something that’s also apparent from his move to give away the album with Sunday newspapers in the U.K.