*** Maceo Parker

DIAL M.A.C.E.O.

(WAR)

Released within a week of each other back in November, Ani DiFranco's To the Teeth and Prince's Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic not only had each artist guesting on the other's album but also included cameos by the legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker. DiFranco and The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (i.e., he's once again known as Prince) reciprocate on Dial M.A.C.E.O., another collection of timeless funk and soul from the former James Brown hornman.

DiFranco pops up singing on the smooth booty shaker "Coin Toss," a tune that sounds as if it had been written with DiFranco's brand of funk and folksinger sincerity in mind. Prince wasn't able to join Parker in the studio, but he did provide master tapes for the Rave numbers "Greatest Romance Ever Sold" and the bonus track "Baby Knows." Parker then instrumentalized them himself by replacing all the lead vocals with saxophone, leaving only the chorus vocals intact. Elsewhere, Parker goes even farther with Paul McCartney's "My Love," eliminating all the vocal parts and playing the melody on sax. Still, there are more vocals here than on a typical Maceo Parker disc, with Parker tackling some of the singing himself and his son, Corey Parker, lending a hip-hop rap vibe on a couple of tunes.

-- Robin A. Rothman