After the Tavis Smiley interview, I finally decided to give Elixer a listen. I must admit that it is a pretty good album. So I'm wondering,(since the album has no liner notes) did Bria write or co write the music, or is it all Prince?

Sorry, if this has been covered already.

godyssey said:

Somewhere on these threads a poster recanted a story that they met Tamar in the recording studio and point blanked asked her about this. She said Prince is very generous and gives them 50/50 credit but he writes , produces and autotunes the music 100%. In Tamars case she wasnt autotuned, but you get the point.

He allows the girls to say they cowrote it when they had nothing to do with it.

Unless its Sheila, Wendy, or any other female musician do you think he's going to let someone like Bria, Vanity etc give input? Even Tamar had no input and she's vocally more talented than any other protege to date. Next to JJones. Although I dont like her voice or Jills.

A control freak like that? Hardly.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, salaciousV.

I thought that all of his artists would have at least some imput but wasn't sure to what extent. I was just wondering about Bria because she, from what I understand, has no prior recordings nor a musical background.

I am a bit surprised that Prince would use autotune on his artists though. I assumed that he would be against stuff like that seeing that he doesn't believe in lip synching.

godyssey said:

I didnt really hear any auto tune in Elixer other than in Mplsound for a purpose that sounded to go with the music.

It's all Prince. I'll never believe otherwise.

She did a pretty good interview I thought...but you can see in her facial mannerisms that she has been very close with working with and talking to Prince himself - just look at how she smile-frowns. I recognize this b/c I also do this and a lot of people don't and it's a habit that I have and notice about other people. I do notice Prince always did that with his smiles also. You know how people pick up mannerisms from another person when they have been around them a lot. I think she cleaned up her story to seem innocent-like but that's ok. Leaves a little mystery. Anyway, when she said someone said that her cd sounds like Chante Moore I jumped up and said "I said and wrote that" Hmmmmm.... I don't hear the Sade comparison at all.


I don't know what it was last night but I fell asleep on the first part of the interview but woke right back up when Tavis was introducing Bria.

salaciousV said:

Will people cease 2 think that Sheila had any input in her songs with Prince when she actually had none? (no matter how talented she otherwisely is)

salaciousV said:

In Tamar's case ASCAP lists her as the co-writer on most songs. I didn't check about Bria.

Prince often gives credits but there's only been TWO cases in which he shared or gave the royalties: Sheila E on "Romance 1600" and Carmen Electra on her eponymous album.

So if we're 2 believe what Tamar said the same happened with "Milk & Honey"?

Hmm, I was wondering which songs she wrote too.
Didn't Prince praise her songwriting ability in that magazine interview?

wildgoldenhoney said:

Where did he do that? I found it odd last night when Tavis asked him about Bria and the things he was "impressed" with were her ability to understand scripture and her love of laughing. He really didn't say anything about her musical talent. I thought he was going to talk about her songwriting ability or something. All he said was that he told her she had to sound different from what is out there and that she had a beautiful voice.

I don't know. I just got more of a "this is my chick right now and I am praising her" vibe than a "this is a talented musician with whom I am collaborating" vibe. I would have rather heard Rhonda, John, or some of the other musicians with whom he works sit in on the interview. I think it would have been more insightful.

Angelic1302 said:

Prince said on the interview that comparable to Sade in a reflection of LOVE in the music..not the sound. Sade has an essence of true love and beauty in her music....he just wanted that feeling in Bria's album..which is very believeable. Songs like Immersion and Elixer are highly mature and soulful.

godyssey said:

I don't know why her CD is not getting any mention, especially here on the Org. I have listened to her CD and it is a damn good CD. Have we on the org., become such purists that if something is not actually sung by Prince, we will not listen to it? Although this CD has Prince all over it, (Listen to, "Something you all ready know"), she interprets his lyrics beautifully.
[Edited 4/30/09 7:16am]

paisleypark4 said:

oh ok but I still don't get it b/c in Sade's music - I can feel the pain and the emotions in her music but in Bria's it's just ok...

Angelic1302 said:

Exactly! He should have never mentioned Sade. Period. Even his statement with Tavis retracting his first comment is still absurd. Numerous female artists have "love" in their songs or lyrics. Sade's music encompassed much more than that, plus her lyrics transcended basic and common sexual innuendo....That's why he could only name one of her songs in reference during the interview (which still was not a good example for comparison with the songs he wrote for Valente).

Sade and her hot band were basically their own superlative genre that Valente's album has nothing in common with, sensual-themes or not.

madcapxtc said:

He gives them official writing credit so they should be listed on ASCAP as such. However they do not write a thing and as the poster said above Sheila probably didnt either with her P related hits.

salaciousV said:

No Sheila didn't but she received royalties 4 everything on "Rmoance 1600"

madcapxtc said:

Ooooh "Rmoance 19600" ain't that a better title than "Romance 1600"?

madcapxtc said:

Ooooooh "Rmoance 19600" is even better than "Rmoance 1600"!!!

WaterInYourBath said:

I agree..

bellanoche said:

That was in one of the U.S.A. Newspaper articles when he invited reporters to his home.
Not from the PBS sit down interview.

wildgoldenhoney said:

Thanks. I figured it had to be in a print interview, I was just wondering in what publication. I will have to look around and see. I am just curious because it was interesting to me that he really didn't mention much about their musical collaboration. It was just about how she took to the scriptures and how funny she is.

she is boring
[Edited 5/1/09 0:03am]

bellanoche said:

Between his comments about her picking up Scripture and "Immersion's" lyrics, Bria comes off way more like a conscripted muse than a fellow artist.

ThreadBare said:

FOR.REAL.

bellanoche said:

Exactly!

After the interview, I wonder so many things. Did Bria write the songs on Elixer herself, or not? And what about her father being a talented musician, playing 26 instruments? Who is he? Certainly somebody we shold have heard about in case...or is it actually Prince who's Bria's father???! All I really get from this, is that Prince and Bria seems to be lovers...maybe even to get married??! I do sense "Mr Goodnight" in this, though. But in case she's the one, why make such a terrible cover for her CD? She's a beautiful woman, so why not let her natural beauty shine instead of making that "P-looking" face with to much make up on?!! Is that what "beauty" is to Prince, perhaps? And really, are those two JW:s...???! I bet Prince and Bria are playing this "game" on purpose...and in a way, I don't blame them..

Have to agree with miss Valente on one matter, though. The satisfaction you get from creating something out of nothing, beats everything!
[Edited 5/3/09 10:21am]

WaterInYourBath said:

And the church said 'Amen!'

godyssey said:

Its all Prince

Vanity45 said: