squirrelgrease said:

I'm thinking she is not a good enough singer to pull off a live performance. I heard she was scheduled to sing on Thursday but they decided at the last minute to pull her performance and have Prince instead.

Maybe she'll grace us with some posts and clarify.

Tamar was a decent, if not unique voice. Prince would never venture to throw a song like Redheaded StepChild at a no-talent like Bria.
Bria's album is so tepid and uninspired, and her voice so utterly forgettable, she makes Kylie Minogue sound like Aretha Franklin. Her voice is 'easy listening' pleasant, but bundling that boring ass album with Prince's best efforts in years, MPLSound & Lotusflow3r, is like serving a stale cracker along side a steak dinner.
[Edited 3/26/09 5:58am]

Tamar just doesnt have good luck. She's recorded TWO albums, neither one has managed to get released. And she had a few good tracks in the latest album produced by Kwame.

lezama said:

That is not bad luck - that isnt being good enough

prince didn't have to force Tamar on his fans by selling her album along with his. That tells you a lot right there. He had her perform with him and sing solo right from the jump...didn't hide her or alter her vocals in the studio. Tells you even more.

Truth be told, no record exec wants to be bothered with a Prince protege cuz they know right off the bat the chick will be mediocre. Not her fault, its just that when you get produced by Prince you just end up with a prince song not a collaboration or even a showcase of your own talent and image/persona. He has this idea in his head of what a female singer should be rather than letting her be herself. That Svengali shit is sooo played out!

In every way - better looking and easier to listen to. The material Prince has for her is better than Milk and Honey. If Prince is ever going to make a female pop star (it seems that is what he is trying to do), Bria is it. That video with her driving the Caddy on the coast is hypnotic.

As far as Tamar, I was very disappointed that her album never came out. No, she isn't a model like Bria but her voice was nice and blended nicely with Prince's ("Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" was nothing to sneeze at). I would have much rather Prince did "3121" combined with "Milk and Honey", but I'm not complaining about what we got since "Lotusflow3r" and "MPLSound" are great.

DesireeNevermind said:

It works with Bria so as far as I am concerned, he redeemed himself from the Tamar flop.

VinnyM27 said:

Indeed... and people keep forgetting that Prince's duet with Tamar on "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed" got significant radio play and earned a Grammy nomination.

"Milk and Honey" was a very solid album... it is a shame it never received a proper release.

Not asking for a copy, but how did "Milk and Honey" come out. I heard even the Japan release was shut down.

prince didn't have to force Tamar on his fans by selling her album along with his. That tells you a lot right there. He had her perform with him and sing solo right from the jump...didn't hide her or alter her vocals in the studio. Tells you even more.

Truth be told, no record exec wants to be bothered with a Prince protege cuz they know right off the bat the chick will be mediocre. Not her fault, its just that when you get produced by Prince you just end up with a prince song not a collaboration or even a showcase of your own talent and image/persona. He has this idea in his head of what a female singer should be rather than letting her be herself. That Svengali shit is sooo played out!

Thank goodness you're only speaking for yourself. Because I enjoyed Tamar's vocals and performances with Prince. She is an artist in her own right and had a music career that started with being part of a young, girl group named "Girls Tyme" which included Beyonce and other members of Destiny's child, that Prince at one time wanted to sign, so the story goes. She also had her own band, with Cora as her drummer before she collaborated with Prince, so she's already had a singing career that started when she was very young. She'll be fine. On Prince's latest albums "lotusflow3r, Tamar's name is credited as doing vocals on either one or two tracks, so the collaboration is still there obviously between them, even if it's not seen publically.

You need to remember that the "manufactured" artists of today, with the so-called good looks, apparently don't seem to last very long in this day and age, especially if they fall off the image the so-called BS music industry today wants to put out there.

Aretha, Patti, Mavis Staples, Diana, just to name a few etc., and r&b/soul singers from that time are legendary artists that had a long career and have classics that will always be remembered, long before the music business turned into creating "manufactured" artists, that no one will remember 5 years from now, but only for one or maybe two of their hits, if any at all. Talent does count in the end when you get an artist with "real talent" and can last in this industry more than 10 years with a solid, music career. You have artists from non-black and African-American backgrounds trying to emulate the Arethas, Dianas, Patti's and Mavis', but they'll never measure up to them unless they can bring it strong and have capturing stage presence and performance. Being "pretty" is not enough.

It's really not hard to tell that you have an issue with "a certain type" of female artist, but remember, that there are many young female artists, trying to capture the fame and longevity of a music career, by emulating the sounds, rhythms and vibes of these same legendary artists you don't seem to speak too kindly of, as just judging from the way you come across in your post, you just seem to have an issue with a "certain" type, based on what I'm getting from your posts.

Bria's career is young still, and she has to be able to impress fans, not only with her beauty, but her talent, which is the main thing that counts. Can she be a Sade and reel in the same amount of fans Sade still has to this day, although Sade has taken a backseat to her career, but yet fans all over the world still crave for her sounds?

So far, Bria does have a nice singing voice, but she will have to create her own persona regardless if Prince is promoting her or not, in order to capture a large fan base and become successful in her own right. Prince can stand on his own because he's already developed a massive fan base and music catalogue over the span of 30 years. Right now, she has a major artist promoting her, so that may help to jump start her career, but let's see how long she is able to make it last if she was headlined alone without Prince.

I wish her the same well wishes as Tamar, as they are both artists who have had the opportunity to be promoted by Prince, but the results of their career, will depend on how many fans they can capture with their "talent."
[Edited 3/27/09 18:27pm]

everyone can diss tamar but milk and honey was actually not a bad album

tamar is one of the main reasons prince made a guitar driven record. because (and this might have been a first for him) he had to take a back seat in performances and play guitar. he said that rekindled his love for the instrument.

so if tamar wasn't there we may never had dreamer. which has instantly elevated itself to one of my all time fav prince songs. so you can tahnk her indirectly for that

bria album is bland because of the style it is, lots of the tracks are very elevatory. she hasn't got a voice for jazz; it isn't distinctive or deep enough. however, the song 2 nite, is better than some of the balads on both of prince's new cd's. if the album had took that direction if would have been a lot better. and i think that song could be a hit for her.
[Edited 3/27/09 19:06pm]
[Edited 3/28/09 8:11am]

jethrouk said:

Prince actually said this during the Conga Room show on 3/28. He said that he was telling Bria that going out on the road with Tamar made him fall back in love with his guitar.

The fact that according to Leno, Prince was supposed to perform one track from each album during these three nights... but chose instead to NOT perform anything from Elixer should tell us something about his confidence in the material and/or Bria as far as live performance goes.

If her stage presence is anything like her presence on record or video--no presence at all--then he made the right choice to avoid embarrassing all involved.

Her album, her voice, her make up... all overdone, over produced, nondistinct, boring.

And she is beautiful only if you're looking for a female version of Prince... her jawline alone is scary... and she looks downright mannish.

Tamar had okay vocals--there was always this sense that she was straining to pull deep notes that her voice was too thin to carry... but the material she recorded on her album was very good. It not being released was tragic.

Brofie said:

Why are you SO determined to put Tamar down and trying to make Bria look so superior to other people?
[Edited 3/30/09 12:36pm]

KidaDynamite said:

I was going to ask the same thing. I saw another thread that Brofie started asking if "Bria is the hottest Prince babe ever." Brofie starts the thread saying that Bria is better looking than Tamar. Why all the comparisons to Tamar, especially since they are aimed at putting Tamar down?

VinnyM27 said:

The album never received an official release.

However, some pressing occurred before the shut down - I've never seen a statement regarding quantity: hence a Japanese-pressed, never-released product -and the music from it circulating unofficially.

Brofie said:

We don't know what went on with the BL&B/3121 thing. However, at least Prince thought enough of Tamar to tour with her as a member of her band. At least (for better or worse) we got to see her perform before the album was due to drop. We have yet to see/hear Bria utter a note live. So, I will withhold judgment. All I know about Bria is that she is a JW now, as is Prince. I also remember Rosie Gaines saying back in the day that you couldn't get Prince to put an album out for you unless he was sleeping with you. So I really cannot say what I am supposed to make of him releasing her album and not Tamar's. Quite frankly, I was not overwhelmed with either lady's talent. Give me some Rosie any day! I'd rather hear an album from Shelby.

Also, you are right after Prince and Tamar went their separate ways, she disappeared despite all her exposure with Prince. However, what makes you think the same won't happen with Bria?
[Edited 3/31/09 7:47am]

I am digging the album more every time I play it. It is not Sade but it is very easy to listen to - unlike Tamar.
[Edited 3/27/09 10:50am]

I agree with u 100% Promising Rosie Gaines an album release then making her wait while he wastes his energy & money on dross like Carmen Electra ranks as one of P`s biggest career mistakes.Plus the fallout from this caused her 2 quit the band.I prefer Tamar 2 Bria but in all honesty both albuns are pretty weak IMO.Elixer would not stand on it`s own even with the Prince duet.
Many times during the London `07 shows he gave Shelby a solo spot most notably on `Crazy`,he also got the audience 2 shout `a star is born` over & over.Why then has he not recorded with her & helped 2 launch her instead?
Besides Rosie,Shelby is the most talented female vocalist Prince has taken under his wing & it`ll be a great shame if she slips into obscurity like all the rest!!

Hold On 2 Ur Wigs!!

I think that comment alone points to the MAJOR underlying issue here. What makes someone like Aretha Franklin or Tamar unattractive, their decidedly African American features? The fact that they don't mirror the light complected, long-haired, racially ambiguous Prince prototypes that he and other fans seem obsessed with? Let's not lose sight of the fact that both Tamar and Bria aren't overflowing with exceptional singing ability. The fact that one is lighter and thinner doesn't change that fact. [/b]However, at least we ACTUALLY saw some of what Tamar could do as she did perform with Prince. She did sing okay and she danced as well. Bria had three concerts where she could have shown up and shown us what she could do and neither Prince nor she believed in her abilities enough to put her "talents" on display! If he doesn't package her with him some kind of way, who rightfully would pay their money to see her or any of his proteges perform?

KidaDynamite said:

I was going to ask the same thing. I saw another thread that Brofie started asking if "Bria is the hottest Prince babe ever." Brofie starts the thread saying that Bria is better looking than Tamar. Why all the comparisons to Tamar, especially since they are aimed at putting Tamar down?

airbak said:

airbak, this is such a good point!

People like to avoid this issue and dance around it here, but it is clear that many fans on this site share Prince's beauty preference when it comes to the "type" of women he dates, presents as "proteges" or features in his videos.

This is part of the reason why folks were so quick to dismiss the posssibility of there being a romance between Prince and Tamar, but are so quick to assume that Bria is going to be "the next Mrs. Nelson," as one thread here suggested. It is sad that there are so many colonized minds (Prince included) that still view darker skinned black woman and/or women who are thicker as unattractive. However, when P has video after video where all the main women are Latina or non-black, it fuels the acceptance of this myopic beauty ideal. Look at the videos that have been shot for the Lotusflow3r project alone - there's a Latina in Chocolate Box, the bi-racial ballerina in Crimson & Clover, Dania Ramirez is in $, and then you have Bria's video.

The last time a darker skinned black woman appeared in a Prince video was in Black Sweat, and look at how negative P's disposition was toward her. So, of course, you have Prince fans like Brofie who feel obliged to berate Tamar and other non-traditional Prince types.

It seems the only place for the darker skinned sisters is singing background, but folks on here were even dogging Shelby for her look and weight. They just can't win.

airbak said:

airbak, this is such a good point!

People like to avoid this issue and dance around it here, but it is clear that many fans on this site share Prince's beauty preference when it comes to the "type" of women he dates, presents as "proteges" or features in his videos.

This is part of the reason why folks were so quick to dismiss the posssibility of there being a romance between Prince and Tamar, but are so quick to assume that Bria is going to be "the next Mrs. Nelson," as one thread here suggested. It is sad that there are so many colonized minds (Prince included) that still view darker skinned black woman and/or women who are thicker as unattractive. However, when P has video after video where all the main women are Latina or non-black, it fuels the acceptance of this myopic beauty ideal. Look at the videos that have been shot for the Lotusflow3r project alone - there's a Latina in Chocolate Box, the bi-racial ballerina in Crimson & Clover, Dania Ramirez is in $, and then you have Bria's video.

The last time a darker skinned black woman appeared in a Prince video was in Black Sweat, and look at how negative P's disposition was toward her. So, of course, you have Prince fans like Brofie who feel obliged to berate Tamar and other non-traditional Prince types.

It seems the only place for the darker skinned sisters is singing background, but folks on here were even dogging Shelby for her look and weight. They just can't win.