Come 2 My House

by Jonathan DruyCriminally overlooked upon its release, 1998 saw Chaka Khan shine on Come 2 My House. This album is thanks largely to the work of Prince, whose voice, words, and musicianship permeate the record all the way down to the colorful packaging. In fact, compared with New Power Soul, his own lackluster release that year, Come 2 My House and Graham Central Station's 2000, also from the Prince camp, should count as the real Prince albums of 1998.What might have been rather mundane Prince songs about the usual subjects shimmer in the throat of Chaka Khan, whose singing here runs the full range of high and lows; funky or slow, seductive, spiritual, or funny. Prince's production is lush and deep, filled with orchestral and electronic arrangements, funk flourishes and voices deep in the mix: a tribute both to his own old-school '80s funk/R&B inventions, and the ease with which he's been able to incorporate them into a contemporary atmosphere without the overcalculation that's plagued much his own late '90s work. This shows on every track.For the longtime fan of both Khan and Prince, maturing through the years, this is music that delights both in its familiarity and consistency. Amidst the midtempo groove of "Spoon," Chaka Khan concurs: "U are just like my favorite spoon/cuz U stir me up." House will stir up anyone delighted by these pros in the past.