...Or Michael Bland?

I think the new band is missing some crunch from the drumming standpoint.
[Edited 2/12/07 13:13pm]

Don't know much about Cora.
Don't know much about the new band.
But I do know that if John Blackwell or Michael Bland were in the band,
What a wonderful world it would be.

John was a drum playin' ass!
When he did his solos during the Musicology concerts, I watched him in awe. I miss him.

I've always liked John Blackwell

Definitely. The band was totally fierce with John on drums. And I think Prince respected his skills more than any drummer he's had since Sheila E judging by how much John's style influenced albums like TRC, NEWS and XPectation.

Hell yeah. John was an amazing player that added an extra layer to Prince's already great cacophony of sound.

1sexymf said:

I thouht that P would keep John around. That boy was fierce. I don't know how he ended up with Jutin Timberlake. You know Justin can't utilize his skills the way that Prince could.

illimack said:

Preach!

I agree that John was an amazing drummer. However, give Cora her props. The girl is bad. She held it down at both of the concerts and aftershows I saw at 3121. I watched her often and she is NO JOKE!! She is a versatile, powerful drummer, and she can hold a groove all night long. I left 3121 thoroughly impressed.

Change is good. That is one of the many things that I love about Prince - he's always changing and so are his bands. He always gives new players an opportunity and they in turn influence him in new ways.
[Edited 2/12/07 15:00pm]

Cora can keep up with Prince and the band, which is a lot to say for any drummer. But most of his drummers have been great, they've had some kind of showmanship above and beyond proficiency, and you get a feeling they could stand on their own as musicians (Sheila, Michael, Mr. B) - I don't get that from Cora. They don't all have to be great, I guess...but yeah, I certainly miss John Blackwell's presence in the band.

John was cool but I like Cora just as much.

As Prince drummers go, I gotta say my heart belongs to Michael Bland.

bellanoche said:

I have to agree. Watching Cora during two aftershows in Vegas sold me on her skills.

herb4 said:

I do!

I do too

I haven't heard too much from Cora but from I DID hear I liked. It's gonna be fun to listen to her and figure out her style though. That said, I loove Michael Bland's playing. Everything's so solid and he gives that extra punch in the bass and snare that you can feel. (try The morning papers or anything off of the Gold album for example) Aww hell, who am I kidding I've loved all of Prince's drummers but my heart'll always be with Sheila

John is an amazing drummer - one of the best in the world, if not of all time.

But Cora is right for the band at this point in time.

Since the Musicology tour, Prince has been focusing on smaller scale gigs - celebrity parties, the Vegas thing etc. It's not something that would be particularly challenging to people like John Blackwell or Rhonda Smith etc. It's challening for Prince, because he's the focal point of the band, and the attention is on him 99.9% of the time.

Besides, anyone other than Kirky J. get's my vote

toejam said:

OOhh maaan! You had to go there didntcha?

Personally,I prefer Sheila as Prince's drummer.

I'm loving Cora right now and have seen her at work four times in the last year and will be attending 2 shows this weekend in Vegas. I've noticed a lot of people sleeping on her skillz, not on this thread but others, that haven't even seen/heard her in person.

I agree that this is a very different band but they're great. I think we just have to give them time to show their personalities and talents more so we can get a feel for who they are, kinda. Plus Sheila, Michael and Jonh B were around for years so that gave fans a chance to get attached. Whereas Cora has only been visible to us for the last year or so even though she's been around for awhile.

I just appreciate Prince being open-minded and color and gender blind when it comes to finding the best musicians. You still don't see that much in real bands and he was one of the first high profile performers to have such an integrated band.

I read with interest what people said about Cora- I guess I have to see more of her...
John is a bad, bad boy....He used to hurt my feelings!

It breaks my heart to see him with TimberfLake.

Bobby Z: Fitted in perfectly with what was required at the time - and brought a great vibe to the band with him.
Shiela E: Top knotch percussionist; capable drummer but I just don't like her solos - she should never have got behind the kit.
Michael B: He played the SHIT out of them drums! Fantastic groove - tight as a computer but with so much soul.
Kirky J: Don't get me started on this fool...
John Blackwell: Astonishing drummer - technically outstanding, builds up a groove in a really fascinating way, and very intelligent.
Cora: Bores me. There's nothing more I can say about her!

peterfalconer said:

what was is that Bobby z did to bring a good vibe that you feel Cora is not doing?

wonder505 said:

Bobby Z might not have had much room for expression with all the backing tapes he had to work with, but I just found him a lot more watchable than Cora. He just seemed to be "into" the drums a lot more - Cora looks like she's sitting an exam.

I'll admit, too, that I'm a little biased as he comes across as such a nice bloke in Per Nilson's "DMSR"!

I'd like to see John Blackwell back in the band if Prince tours this year, he is the most amazing drummer. One of the best, if not the best!

ZARIA7ETAN said:

He's definitely up there with Vinnie Colaiuta and Terry Bozzio.

Oh my God - imagine Terry Bozzio drumming for Prince! That would be nuts!