I hardly ever see her talked about on the org - or maybe its just been too long since she was a topic. While I never took to her sound or her look, I think she was a talent independent of Prince and not merely another one of his constructs/extended egos dressed up in revealing clothes. I like that she is an author and has worked in fighting hunger and that she continued to work in music after her partnership with the prettyman fizzled.

What y'all think? Digged her? Follow her? Was she a yea or nay?

I loved her first CD. Most of the songs were very well crafted. I remember listening to her, and Tyka Nelson's album around the same time while in the Navy. I used to go through the record store and just look for the Paisley Park symbol on an album. That's how I found The Family, Jill Jones, Madhouse, and Taja's album, as well as Good Question. She seems a lot nicer than Jill Jones turned out to be.

I have to admit that i actually preferred her follow up album (1991 Fountains Free - an album without Prince anywhere near it....

Having said that, I relate to what you are saying Ernestsewell, I have fond memories of those early PPark artists and used to scour the record stores for assoc artists released under the paisley logo

By and large they were very good. loved Jill Jones' album (no comment on her future releases though!

My favorite CD of hers is Toys of Vanity. No connection to Prince, but still like it.

Love Is Contagious is the shit. Too bad Prince didn't write it.

Isn't it funny but oh so cool that an actual female protege had her best work without Prince?

DesireeNevermind said:

I didn't like Fountains Free.

ernestsewell said:

still better than what Prince would have come up with.

DesireeNevermind said:

I don't think she was really a protege, per se. He gave her only one song. It's like how Tony Lemans or Good Question was on the label, not a protege like The Family or Jill Jones.

Her wiki page is interesting:
Taja Sevelle (née Nancy Richardson) is a music recording artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota[1] who began her music career in 1987 when she was signed to the Paisley Park Records label by Prince and given the stage name "Taj a Seville". In the same week she was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she was offered a deal from Prince. Her first 1987 single, "Love Is Contagious", became her signature song.

Taja Sevelle had two more projects following her debut: an album entitled Fountains Free (1991), and Toys of Vanity (1997)

Taja Sevelle has written songs with Burt Bacharach, Thom Bell, Prince and Nile Rodgers among others. She has song catalogs with Warner Chappell Music Publishing and North Star Music as well as her own publishing company, OW Music.

She has also written a 270 page novel "Rain On A River" and is working on her next novel, "The Joke." Additionally, Taja Sevelle invented a kitchen appliance and is partnered with Larry King of CNN and his wife, Shawn King on the invention. In the late 1990s, she founded the Matrix Music record label. See Nile Rodgers for more on Matrix Records.

Blogging under the heading "Urban Farming - Chicago" on MySpace.com, she is currently devoted to the international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization she founded called Urban Farming, which plants food on unused land and space and gives it to people in need.[2] Urban Farming is now the adopted charity of Atlantic Records. The charity started in 2005 with 3 gardens and by 2009 it or its partnering organizations had "the equivalent of approximately 650 20 ft. X 20 ft. gardens across the country and abroad", feeding an estimated 90,000 people. The mission of Urban Farming is to eradicate hunger and the paradigm she created includes mentoring and skills training along with strengthening communities and educating about healthy eating and alternative energy.

Taja continues to record in New York and Los Angeles and is working to continue expanding Urban Farming until hunger is a thing of the past.

I have her debut album,which is decent.I really like the song "Popular",but they screwed up when they released it as a single.They used a lame remix version when the album version is superior.Here's that lame single version...

ernestsewell said:

I'm sure her album had two Prince penned songs.

If I could get your attention and Wouldn't you love to love me.

Landonfunkmonkey said:

you're right. I think 'wouldn't you..' was released as second single following the no.1 single ' Love is contagious' (which wasn't a prince track). 'wouldn't you' bombed here in the Uk - and was a Prince track.....

I thought 'wouldn't you' was a lame track, 'If I could' quite good. But, I actually listened to Fountains Free far more.

Ernestsewell is right though, she can't really be labelled a prince - protege as such as she was a recording artist before Prince became involved and remained one after.

80spfantwp said:

I also agree she wasn't a Protege.

Wouldn't You love to love me was ok, but I much prefer Prince's version.

ernestsewell said:

This part of your comment intrigues me, Ernest. What do you mean by this?
[Edited 12/2/09 17:32pm]

Love is contaaigiouusss... when its all riight! Love is contaaaiigiouuuuuss!!

Didn't P do something recently (within the past 2-3 years) for her charity? I remember vaguely reading something about it.

"wouldn't you' sucked. princey.

DesireeNevermind said:

I loved her version, and his.

Love Is Contagious

lezama said:

I remembered... it was the Hotel Gansvoort show in NY last year that went to helping her non-profit. I think he also gave a portion of the 3121 cologne sales to that. So they must still be friends if he's still doing these things 4 her.

DesireeNevermind said:

Can you believe that Prince offered that song to Michael Jackson in 1986,for inclusion on the 'Bad' album? The song is a total throwaway...lol...I bet that Quincy and Mike were like "wtf?"

motherfunka said:

Totally agree

I happen to run into her yesterday. Just a down to earth cool person.

Apparently she appeared as an extra in Purple Rain. Although I didn't spot her in the film.

I loved Her Paisley Park album and hated Fountains Free, but I think she really started coming into her own with Toys of Vanity. The sound wasn't quite perfect, but it was daring, classy and her own. And while I think her management tried too hard in the Paisley Park years to make her a sex kitten, with age, maturity and her own self-invention, she got very, very sexy. I met her in person once after Toys of Vanity concert in Cleveland, and she is beautiful inside and out.

I've always respected her REAL talent and the fact she's still prolific. And the work she's doing with urban gardening is AWESOME!

She is working on a new album she said in between her charity project. Which is like her babie. She looks good for her age, still pretty. Hair straight not curly anymore.