Prince still taking path less followed

In lyric, Prince has never been as cryptic as, say, fellow Minnesota native Bob Dylan (“Darling Nikki,” for instance, can never be criticized for ambiguity), but for years his career path has been a different matter. From his bold and eclectic experimentations to his frustrating disappearing acts from the pop scene, Prince has kept his fans guessing.

When Prince opened the 46th annual Grammy Awards earlier this month, looking and sounding much like he did in the 1980s, more than a few of his fans probably shook their head and wondered, “What happened to this guy?”

Maybe 2004 will be the year that brings Prince back to the mainstream scene. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his paisley-and-funk masterpiece “Purple Rain,” and next month he will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has been playing the old hits with verve at club dates in San Francisco and Los Angeles (including a post-Grammys performance at the House of Blues) and on Tuesday he drops by the El Rey Theatre -- not to play, but to stage a news conference of undetermined intent. The popular assumption, though, is that it will be the announcement of a U.S. tour called “Musicology.” As of today, arena shows in Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Louisiana are on sale via Ticketmaster.

The other intriguing talk is that Prince used his Grammy swing through town to visit with numerous record executives. Foxnews.com reported that one of his potential suitors was Warner Music Group, which, if true, is nothing less than shocking considering the singer’s blood feud with the label where he said he was “a slave” by the time his 13-year relationship there came to an end.

Warner Music officials reached Friday would not confirm or deny any overtures. But one of them responded to the question with a reaction any pop fan would understand. “Prince? Wow. There’s a name you don’t hear every day.”

-- Geoff Boucher