Come 2 My House [CASSETTE] [Import]

The listener gets a jolt right off the bat; rhythmically exhaling over bass-heavy beats, Chaka ushers in lush piano chords and a classy horn section to make the title track just as much straight jazz as it is pop, and it works as a most effective opener. When Chaka sweetly croons "come to my house/where we can play," it's enough to send you scrambling through the credits in hopes of finding an address. Another seamless blend of styles is offered on the exhilirating "Reconsider (U Betta)," where Chaka matches a jazzy horn line with her own formidable scats, all laid over a chunky street beat. "House" also provides shelter to some of Chaka's most mature ballads to date: "This Crazy Life of Mine" is a lovely, string-laden piece of autobiography; lines like "never will forget from whence I came/I have some regrets but I made myself a name" rings profoundly from a woman who clearly knows how to weigh the pros and cons of life. "I Remember You" is a sweet and wistful piece of pop that benefits from an intricate arrangement, and "Journey 2 the Center of Your Heart" tells the touching tale of a woman in love wearing down the resistance of a troubled soul.

But what truly warms the soul is the fact that Chaka hasn't served up a dose of funk this healthy since her days with Rufus. "Betcha I" has hooks and beats that are equally irresistible; "Spoon" soars with layered vocals and smile-worthy lyrics like "you are just like my favorite spoon/'cause you stir me up"; and Queen Latifah steps in to offer a helping hand (not that it was needed, but the more the merrier) on the funk-heavy, innuendo-laden "Pop My Clutch." Chaka even gets down and dirty on "Never B Another Fool," roughly laying her no-good lover out with lines like "I'll never open my legs again/to a man who's insecure." (You GO, girl!...equally chilling is the spoken line "if you think about callin...DON'T.") The funkiest cut is actually one of the slowest, however, as the horn section and bass line make "Hair" such an enticing cut that you may well find your head bobbing involuntarily.

Also pleasing are Chaka's vocals throughout the record; she seems to gain more control and power of her remarkable instrument as the years go by. And while Prince's production is detectable at times (a horn riff here, a guitar effect there), the easiest giveaway that this is a purple production is the spelling of the song titles. It's always nice to see an artist release a solid project later in their career, and it's just as satisfying to hear two formidable artists collaborate and bring out the best in each other; in both respects "Come 2 My House" is a masterpiece, as Prince and Chaka Khan marry elements of pop, jazz, and funk in coherent manner few others have attempted and even fewer have achieved. Thanks to Chaka's "House," the quality of living just went up in the neighborhood of soul.

Many people have considered this album a comeback for Chaka, when in fact she never really left us. She was still a well-respected artist even when she wasn't conquering the charts. So COME 2 MY HOUSE is more like a reaffirmation of Chaka's considerable talents. And who better to help her out than that other fellow genius, Prince.

Naturally, his stamp is all over the album, helping write 9 of the 13 songs on here, even 2 of them solo. Those solo contributions fit into Chaka's personality very well, though. "Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart" and "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" are still very Prince-ly while perfect for Chaka's voice, and are the standards by which all break-up songs and lullabies, respectively, should be judged. Other surprisingly successful ballads on here include "This Crazy Life Of Mine", "I Remember U", and "The Drama", which cut straight to the heart with their easily danceable (slow dance, that is) melodies and unique lyricism that puts them above the usual standards of typical love songs.

However, this HOUSE isn't one of total meditation. The funk quotient is unbelievably high with such smile-worthy numbers like "Spoon", "Pop My Clutch" (sounds like a double-entendre and it certainly is a wonderful one), "Betcha I" (gotta dig that hats-off to Bob Dylan), and a cover of Larry Graham's (who also makes a considerable contribution to the album) classic "Hair".

In the liner notes, Chaka says HOUSE is a different album for her because she helped write most of the songs on here. And like Emmylou Harris' recent RED DIRT GIRL album, songwriting is something Chaka may want to dabble in more often. She alternates between sensual welcoming on the title track, feminist rage with "I'll Never B Another Fool", social wisdom with "Democrazy", and apologizing for her mistakes with "Reconsider [U Betta]".

Chaka Khan has been one of soul music's (and pop in general) most talented artists for over 25 years. And although she's in her late 40s now, Chaka still hasn't changed much from when she kindly asked her lover to "tell her something good". COME 2 MY HOUSE shows that Chaka deserves to still be told many good things about her. And further kudos to his Purpleness, Prince, for giving Chaka a considerable say in the album, considering his past history of often making the artist a guest performer on their own album.