Please. I LOVE Meshell, but overall her work sounds the same. There is a lack of diversity in it tell the truth. The smoothed out bass and come hither smoke this sing-talk seductions. Prince has went circles around Meshell.

sosgemini said:

They do have a point regardless of who's forum it is. You as a moderator on your own fansite know that. A simple fact of net-etiquette. But it's obvious what is going on

sosgemini said:

how so? i ain't too familiar with bjork's work...

LoveAlive said:

she's only the lady whose company releases most of Meshell's work.....

Funny thread this is.....Meshell makes music from the heart, you can feel that. Somehow that feeling is lost when I listen to prince lately.....Musicology was soulless, TRC was a pose..... Meshell's work has touched me time & time again...and I'm not even gay or black! The person who said it's music to commit suicide to is a nutter.....but it's already known on this site that laurarichardson hates Meshell.....

DiamondGirl said:

i dont moderate the entire website nor this forum...and this isnt my website either..

cha know what?

for the record: i think people might be mistake and think that dansa and i are at each other..but these discussions are *not* personal...we have a big sista/lil brotha love thats been going on for years.....

there is nothing wrong with "deep" discussion and debate....you have to be able to walk away from these threads and still respect and personally like the person...if you cant, then dont engage that person at all..if dansa and i disliked each other we wouldnt even be responding to each other..i just wanna set that straight because of diamond's vague comment above..

no excuse me, i gotta go shake my tailfeather at the end up..

sosgemini said:

thread-jack alert!!!!

sosgemini said:

Dude you worry about the oddest things. Yes, go dancing. Release it

AND..listen to your big sister


[Edited 7/10/05 17:20pm]

LoveAlive said:

I'd like to say that it is easy for me to compare Prince and Meshelle. Why? Because they both admire each other and at one point Meshelle was about to sign to Paisley Park Records. I read that in a book. But, I will always think that Prince ran and continue to run circles around her (not to discredit her talent cause she's excellent). Although, Prince's albums from 1995-Present might not have been consistently good to the masses, they were to me. Plus, the only thing that I expected from Prince was and still is music that challenges and inspire people as well as other surprises - not the same old re-hashed sound that I consistently hear from many musicians/artists nowadays. I love Me'shelle and all, but, to me, her music 'tend to sound the same to me from time to time. That's just my opinion.

PEACE and chicken grease, WCB '05

I think Meshell is right there with P as far as the official releases in that time period. I would put Terrance Trent D'Arby/Sanada right there as well. But P's unreleased work with the NPG and the NPGmusicclub stuff pushes him in the lead 4 now!

I prefer not to compare the two, although I can say that Me'Shell is the only artist whose music right now evokes the same sort of passion in me that Prince's once did.

But let me be clear: At his best no one has inspired and moved me quite like Prince.

Me'Shell, thus far, has been far more consistent in her catalog, but her highs haven't been quite on par with Prince's best. But she gives me confidence that could change at a moments notice.

Two wonderfully innovative and challenging artists. It's like choosing between the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Got this from another Me'Shell thread (thanks Justthemusic):



"MESHELL: recent interview excerpt ..."

This latest album is kind of a departure for you, being a mostly instrumental jazz album. Are you worried about alienating fans?

There are some people who will like it, and some people who won't. That's just the way of the world. Hopefully, for every person who's alienated, I'll bring in ten new people. You have to keep art honest. I'm not going to be singing, but I'm going to open up your mind. I'm just trying to keep it as positive as possible. A lot of music is just about shaking your ass. I'm sure I'm going to be the only instrumental act at the Essence Fest. I just want people to come with a positive attitude, 'cause I'm trying to tap into the past and the future and what I got to say, there ain't no words for. It's just good hang out, smoke it up music.

You collaborated with many different artists on this record. How did that come about?

They're just my friends. I'm impressed that people are impressed with the names, but these are just people that I know and I've worked with. I'm grateful that they gave their time and energy and it's there for other people to enjoy. I'm glad people get to hear Cassandra Wilson, Lelah Hathaway, Sabina {of the Brazilian Girls} and Matthew Garrison-these are just people that I'm huge fans of and want all the light to shine on them.

Was it an easy transition to make, from being a solo act to performing and working with such a large ensemble? Did these people have a lot of freedom?

Oh yeah, yeah. Jazz musicians have more faith than any other musician, because they trust in creativity. In order to get the best out of people like that who are immensely creative, you let them be themselves. You don't force them to be anything they are not. I just give them a harmonic structure and some melody, but pretty much what they do is what they do. I think that's how to get the best out of people: create an environment where they can be themselves.


And picking the right collaborators...

You got to trust them to jump off that cliff-and then soar. I'm in a different place. Less than, better than, the judgement thing-it has never existed in my music. You just find out what works and do the best you can. That's pretty much how my mind functions. I'm also a strategist, I get people that I trust to be there if I fall. I co-produced the record with Bob Powers, who's a great, phenomenal producer. And when you have someone like that around, someone to tell you to take your coffee breaks when they know your'e losing your perspective, it's great. It's a really safe, loving and creative environment.

What is the song writing process like for you, in general, and then specifically with your new album?

I just wait for the transmission. That's it. Wooo! Yeah, yeah. I know it sounds hippy dippy, but I can go a year without writing. Then some days I get bizarre bursts of creativity and just go with it. The moment I start thinking about it, it all falls apart. Some of the songs I had rhythm and harmonic parts to. I'm a child of hip-hop. I make them in my computer. I do all the beats and all that and get down. Then I send them to Oliver Lake and Don Byron who wrote melodies to them. I told them what the songs were about, and we got together in the studio to record. So the record is totally improvisational, in the sense that you're hearing first and second takes of people just getting together. That's pretty much the concept.


You've played Essence before, no?

I love New Orleans, so any chance to go down there is really nice. I don't get down there as much as I'd like to. There's a strange, ghostly kind of quality to the city. There's an unexplainable presence. I love that there's music going on 24 hours a day. To me, it's not about where you're from, it's about where you're at. I'm very influenced by New Orleans music. New Orleans is the land of improvisational music and the drums too, so there's a very close connection to my music. It doesn't have to be spoken, it just is. There's no way I can articulate, really. The thing I'm remaining true to, in terms of people like Louis Armstrong, is you can dance to the music he made. It's an experience, that music, and not some intellectual treatise on how many notes you can play. That's what I'm keeping alive when you come see me. It's very African, you can dance to it.
[Edited 7/11/05 10:18am]

And if we are to compare the music from the same time period (1995-2005) it's clear who has been putting out more honest music. Me'Shell. From the outset of Prince's "Emancipation" he had Kirky J, for godsakes, programming his drum loops and samples. L - A - Z - Y. Could Prince get any more fraudulent than this? I am way more satistfied with the breadth and depth of Me'Shells musical output in the last decade than I am of Prince.

Gold Experience, I'll give him this one. He came out swinging with this release. It's one of my top faves of the last decade

I remember the hoopla about Emancipation before it was released. In an Esquire interview Prince even saying he was creating music that people just weren't ready for. Emancipation was that music??? If he had released The Rainbow Children at that point, OK I'd say people weren't ready for that chit, but Emancipation?

Most will argue that there is 1 1/2 disc at the most of solid material on Emancipation. That leaves at least one disc of subpar music.....Jam of the Year, hardly lives up to the title. We gets up, are you kidding with that song? Betcha By Golly Wow and La La, Prince you missed a grand opportunity to tear those songs up. Perhaps he held back out of respect for the original artitsts?

Chaos and Disorder, while an album I enjoy, contractual filler and not what I'd call something her poured himself into.

New Power Soul, only a few quality tracks. Nearly most will agree with that and some thinking the whole thing is a waste o time. More Kirky production This album could have been killer with the kind of band feel that Exodus had, versus the computer programmed plastic sound.

The Vault....old friends for sale. Is this what we waited all those years for? the Vault was legendary both for what we knew it contained and for the potential of what we didn't know it held. I enjoy this album immensely but I would hardly ever hold it up as a definitive statement of the unreleased treasures of inarguably the most genius musician of the last 50 years.

Rave Un2....Prince wasted a grand opportunity with this. Imagine if musically the album matched the name. It could have been off the hook. Another album I enjoy but really not a focused comback that you'd expect from the 6 year exiled Prince.

Crystal Ball. An attempt to recreate a lost moment and STIL lacking many gems.

The Rainbow Children FINALLY the first thing worthy of Prince since his "Emancipation". Pure unadulterated honesty. The only album in the years since his "Emancipation" that can truly measure up to the old inspired Prince.

So, when you consider the fact that Me'Shell has drawn inpiration from Prince, she spoke with her own voice during that period, while Prince lost his own.

.
[Edited 7/11/05 10:20am]

Prince:diverse

Meshell:not diverse

DiamondGirl said:

Last 10 years of Prince music - lazy, uninspired, rehash

Last 10 years of Me'Shell music - honest, uncompromised, visionary and bold.

sosgemini said:

spoil our fun why not , I was hoping for a moderator vs moderator mud-wrestling kinda thang then , a good old live-action grudge match is what this site needs to liven things up until Prince drops his next album

As for the whole Meshell vs Prince debate , I've only heard Bitter , didnt really make an impression on me , if thats her "classic" then I'll go for Prince of any time-period over her anyday.

moonshine said:

Bitter stands out among the other discs. Pick up Lullabies, Passion or Cookie

Everybody, listen to this Supa guy. He's always right

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Last 10yrs of 25yr career Prince music.....Diverse/same as it ever was!
Last 10yrs of first 10yr career Meshell's music....Inspiring and intriguing!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I MUST agree...I think THE RAINBOW CHILDREN was the first "genius" Prince album since 95's GOLD EXPERIENCE...during that time frame, Meshell was cranking out the music...!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

wrong

DiamondGirl said:

[cough cough] personal opinions are never wrong [cough cough]

I've got Peace Beyond Passion and although it's good it gets boring several songs into the album. What I've heard does merit further investigation since people seem to rave about her. To be honest I could name quite a few artists whose work is better than Prince's in the last 10 years. Ani Difranco has been the top artist of the past 10 years in my book. Outkast, Bjork and Radiohead (not sure how long they've been around but the 3 albums I've got of theirs are really good) have also surpassed him in these 10 years. I wouldn't compare any of them to Prince in his heyday though except for Ani.

sosgemini said:

Betta go get that cough checked at the clinic. Doesn't sound too healthy.

DiamondGirl said:

sosgemini said:

Besides, I'm right

"Ani Difranco has been the top artist of the past 10 years in my book. Outkast, Bjork and Radiohead (not sure how long they've been around but the 3 albums I've got of theirs are really good) have also surpassed him in these 10 years. I wouldn't compare any of them to Prince in his heyday though except for Ani."

ANI is great..I have a few of her albums....to say Outkast has surpassed Prince is hilarious tho....I dont think you can compare ANY rapper to what Prince does..just my opinion...

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

[cough cough] personal opinion [cough cough]

sosgemini said:

whodknee said:

Sorry, player, can't co-sign that.

OutKast

Aquemini
Stankonia
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

v.

Prince (a partial list):

The Gold Experience
Emancipation
The Truth
NewPowerSoul
Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
The Rainbow Children
One Nite Alone
Musicology

Uh-uh. No way OutKast surpasses P on that basis.