HonestMan13 said:

MJMia said:

Prince fans had pretty much enough of the protegees and projects. We see the same thing happening again he puts out CDs by protegees like Bria Valente and then we see her disappear with no explanation at all. I've seen how Bria has not been herself and Andy got "Princified" the same way as Bria was and maybe some don't want to see that anymore. Not only because she is not herself anymore but also because this new image doesn't fit her. She is not funky but she is forced to be funky. I don't think Andy has not done anything great but she is seeking for recoginition and her ways of doing that are not very genuine. The crypted messages on facebook, "captions" etc. are all just a poor attempt to make people be more interested in her and ask questions assuming the pictures were taken by Prince, why, how, where, are they together, are they not etc. It is either her doing it deliberately or just following Prince's instructions. She has become rather too fake to my taste. I find it odd that Prince always says "real music by real musicians" when it is quite obvious and even some of the fans who said they dig Andy admitted that they don't care her voice is weird because she is very pretty. So where does that fit into the "real music by real musicians" statement, I must ask? Prince found a pretty girl and turned her into his latest investment. Then he expects his fans to support it. Prince does this over and over again and it seems to me he is not likely to stop.

Don't take it personally.

[Edited 3/12/12 12:05pm]

Despite all the negativity aimed at Bria and Andy they jumped in FB fans when linked to Prince. so if the fans are tired of proteges with limited talent they have a weird way of showing it. Bria's project was unavoidable because it was attached to Prince's project so i can understand the resentment to a certain extent. Andy's project will be a solo disc and if the fans don't want to support it then they don't have to. The situation is that certain fans can't pass up a Prince related project anymore than they could pass up a Prince CD. They feel obligated to collect everything or feel they'll miss out if they don't. Liking the artist or the material becomes secondary and then they complain about the project once it's safely in their harddrive. Prince could form a band out of mannequins and people would still feel obligated to collect it but there's no gun to their head making them do it.

I think there's something to this, and it's partly related to the experience of opting not to buy certain things and then finding later on that they go out of print and end up costing many times more than they did originally. I don't want to have to buy Andy's CD on eBay in twenty years for several hundred dollars.

electricberet said:

HonestMan13 said:

Despite all the negativity aimed at Bria and Andy they jumped in FB fans when linked to Prince. so if the fans are tired of proteges with limited talent they have a weird way of showing it. Bria's project was unavoidable because it was attached to Prince's project so i can understand the resentment to a certain extent. Andy's project will be a solo disc and if the fans don't want to support it then they don't have to. The situation is that certain fans can't pass up a Prince related project anymore than they could pass up a Prince CD. They feel obligated to collect everything or feel they'll miss out if they don't. Liking the artist or the material becomes secondary and then they complain about the project once it's safely in their harddrive. Prince could form a band out of mannequins and people would still feel obligated to collect it but there's no gun to their head making them do it.

I think there's something to this, and it's partly related to the experience of opting not to buy certain things and then finding later on that they go out of print and end up costing many times more than they did originally. I don't want to have to buy Andy's CD on eBay in twenty years for several hundred dollars.

Then buy it. Or don't buy it. But what I think HonestMan is saying -- actually what I'm saying -- is don't feel resentment like Prince or somebody forced you or even expected you to do it; like he/they purposefully duped you by "making" you buy something that makes your ears bleed; like he/they have some nefarious intention to unload schlock onto unsuspecting victims. Or that they mean to torture you by "making" you buy it for several hundred dollars later when it's out of print.

I think when a musician goes through the trouble of putting out something, they most certainly don't intend for it to be horrible and unlistenable - they probably think they did a good job! But of course not everyone will agree, not everyone will like it. And not everyone must or will buy it. Musicians understand that. P probably understands that. It's the "fans" who get a resentful because of some unwritten rule ("Thou shalt buy all things Prince") that they choose to follow.

MJMia said:

NouveauDance said:

Hope you got paid for that blurb.

Exactly. Every now and then I read posts like the one above from colorblu. It is like some people here are trying really hard to convince the ones that have a different, rather more objective opinion about Prince's latest "Projects", it makes me wonder what their purpose is. Is this some kind of propaganda sponsored by Prince himself? I received offensive replies before for calling Prince "desperate", but I still can't help wondering, I'm sorry...

I'm not lying, I truly love Prince and what his music has done for me in my life. I have the right to love him and in whatever direction he takes. I'm not trying to convince anyone about what I feel. It's okay if you want to hate, but I don't. Believe it or not, I tell it like i feel it. It's really okay, you can do and feel whatever you want I cerainly do.

Anyone who bothers to create an account here obviously has love for the man's music and legacy. Be that as it may, we also know good music from some of the tunes he's produced in recent years. We certainly have the right to express our displeasure whenever it surfaces, as much as our joy when he floors us with his brilliance.

colorblu said:

MJMia said:

Exactly. Every now and then I read posts like the one above from colorblu. It is like some people here are trying really hard to convince the ones that have a different, rather more objective opinion about Prince's latest "Projects", it makes me wonder what their purpose is. Is this some kind of propaganda sponsored by Prince himself? I received offensive replies before for calling Prince "desperate", but I still can't help wondering, I'm sorry...

I'm not lying, I truly love Prince and what his music has done for me in my life. I have the right to love him and in whatever direction he takes. I'm not trying to convince anyone about what I feel. It's okay if you want to hate, but I don't. Believe it or not, I tell it like i feel it. It's really okay, you can do and feel whatever you want I cerainly do.

I don't think you should have to apologize, explain yourself, or justify yourself for "loving" Prince on prince.org

That's just my opinion

How many orgers went to Andy Allo's FB page when she joined the NPG and clicked 'LIKE'? Now ask yourselves why you did that?

well i still fail to see why everyone is getting so worked up over her. she seems nice enough

and personally, i kind of like her voice.

prince has had so many proteges in the past and written so many songs for others that it's

pretty much a given he'll continue with that until he stops recording entirely.

protege acts are what they are, side projects which give us some more prince penned songs

and once in a blue moon a pretty solid album.

more often, they just contain some good tracks and lots of fluff. but they are still a nice and

welcome occurance to me. these are mostly songs that prince would not put on his own cds

or just store in the vault anyway.

so the protege stuff isn't as good as it used to be in the old days when the time, jill jones or

mavis staples used to put those prince penned tracks on their albums. so what, prince's own

output isn't what it used to be either.

if prince showed an interest in any one of us here, would we shoot him down and tell him:

"oh, but i don't think your fans will like you writing songs with me and hanging out with me

in the studio, teaching me stuff and taking me under your wing, so i'll decline"

get the f out of here. anyone would jump at the chance.

the only reason i might have a slight gripe with his protege acts of late is that they seem to

take his focus off his own music at the moment. we've heard so little of him in the past few

years that it's only natural most of us would prefer a new prince album instead of another

album with a few prince penned tracks by another artist we don't even know yet. same goes

for his concerts. i think shelby and andy are probably very nice people and pretty good at

what they do, but if i go to a prince show, i'd like to see prince.

not random new girls singing his songs, or cover songs. especially not when prince peppers

his set with half a dozen or more covers to start with. it just takes away from your prince fix

too much.

with bria, at least, he struck a good balance. two new prince albums and her album to go in

the same package. it worked that way. it didn't take away from his own music. if anything,

it added something to the whole experience that was lotusflower.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that i like andy, and i hope her album is great and that she

goes on to do great things. but what i don't want is her to feature on prince's albums with a

lame rap here or some heavy breathing there. and i don't want her to take up too much of

the spotlight at his concerts (or shelby for that matter).

beyond that, i wouldn't care if either of them released 5 albums of prince penned tracks each

year. it would simply give us a chance to hear more of his music.

but as far as his albums and his tours go, i want my prince straight up, no distractions and no

covers.

I actually think she's a cute girl with a nice singing style. I just hope she uses her current connection to Prince for what it's worth, then gets the heck out of dodge and as far away from him as possible so that she has a chance to grow, and perhaps do some big things in alternative soul. Not impressed by what I see her doing when she's with Prince, but I like her vibe from her solo efforts and I think she definitely has a niche appeal, like say, Mara Hruby.

my main issue with prince is that he goes out and get the look but no voice.a man as talented as he is shouldnt be working with these lame no singing chics.tamar who was gifted vocally got thrown away while hot shit like bria was released.then i dont like prince idea of saying he dont like 2 work with men honey talent is talent stop chosing bed mates or whatever the hell u doing and work with some talent.

HonestMan13 said:

How many orgers went to Andy Allo's FB page when she joined the NPG and clicked 'LIKE'? Now ask yourselves why you did that?

Exactly

HonestMan13 said:

You know what the problem is with hardcore Prince fans, most of them are completeists. They may not own up to collecting everything but they have it all and this CD will be another acquisition to be made. They can't stop themselves for the fear of not having everything Prince worked on. They don't like the music but they have to have it. How many people sought out 'Purple & Gold' or Tamar's 'Milk & Honey'? Also no one wants to miss that ultra funky 'comeback' song from Prince that will silence his critics and put him back on top of the charts and make him acceptable to the masses! I'm buying Andy's CD cause I like to two clips I've heard so far.

there is merit in this for hell i have tc ellis's cd lol

but here is something 4 thought, a lot of prince fans *perhaps mostly female ones) would like 2 see prince work with a male singer 2 speak 2 them but prince's ego gets in the way of that (reference the whole mico situation 4 that one). even when prince has written songs 4 others it's with a females mind that he gives those songs to.

i personally would like 2 see what prince could do with a actual good male singer and bring out something

as 4 andy, she doesn't thrill me vocally and definetly not as a musician. Ida has more skills than her imo and even rhonda smith and rhonda has a nice mellow voice as well.

he really likes esperanza spalding too but yet u don't hear of collabs with her

hell me'shelle ndegeocello worked with him but yet she didn't want that controlling factor that prince implies on all his female protege's.

unless prince/npg records puts in a actual promotional package around andy, i doubt this will go outside the fan community of the org

dr finkleberry can say all he wants to on his web page but u won't see andy booked on leno, letterman or jimmy kimmel

L4OATheOriginal said:

HonestMan13 said:

You know what the problem is with hardcore Prince fans, most of them are completeists. They may not own up to collecting everything but they have it all and this CD will be another acquisition to be made. They can't stop themselves for the fear of not having everything Prince worked on. They don't like the music but they have to have it. How many people sought out 'Purple & Gold' or Tamar's 'Milk & Honey'? Also no one wants to miss that ultra funky 'comeback' song from Prince that will silence his critics and put him back on top of the charts and make him acceptable to the masses! I'm buying Andy's CD cause I like to two clips I've heard so far.

there is merit in this for hell i have tc ellis's cd lol

but here is something 4 thought, a lot of prince fans *perhaps mostly female ones) would like 2 see prince work with a male singer 2 speak 2 them but prince's ego gets in the way of that (reference the whole mico situation 4 that one). even when prince has written songs 4 others it's with a females mind that he gives those songs to.

i personally would like 2 see what prince could do with a actual good male singer and bring out something

as 4 andy, she doesn't thrill me vocally and definetly not as a musician. Ida has more skills than her imo and even rhonda smith and rhonda has a nice mellow voice as well.

he really likes esperanza spalding too but yet u don't hear of collabs with her

hell me'shelle ndegeocello worked with him but yet she didn't want that controlling factor that prince implies on all his female protege's.

unless prince/npg records puts in a actual promotional package around andy, i doubt this will go outside the fan community of the org

dr finkleberry can say all he wants to on his web page but u won't see andy booked on leno, letterman or jimmy kimmel

This female fan would like to see Prince put the effort he blows on these babes into his own work.

Genesia said:

L4OATheOriginal said:

there is merit in this for hell i have tc ellis's cd lol

but here is something 4 thought, a lot of prince fans *perhaps mostly female ones) would like 2 see prince work with a male singer 2 speak 2 them but prince's ego gets in the way of that (reference the whole mico situation 4 that one). even when prince has written songs 4 others it's with a females mind that he gives those songs to.

i personally would like 2 see what prince could do with a actual good male singer and bring out something

as 4 andy, she doesn't thrill me vocally and definetly not as a musician. Ida has more skills than her imo and even rhonda smith and rhonda has a nice mellow voice as well.

he really likes esperanza spalding too but yet u don't hear of collabs with her

hell me'shelle ndegeocello worked with him but yet she didn't want that controlling factor that prince implies on all his female protege's.

unless prince/npg records puts in a actual promotional package around andy, i doubt this will go outside the fan community of the org

dr finkleberry can say all he wants to on his web page but u won't see andy booked on leno, letterman or jimmy kimmel

This female fan would like to see Prince put the effort he blows on these babes into his own work.

hehehe that's true as well cause 20ten, rich friends, purple and gold ain't it lol

Genesia said:

This female fan would like to see Prince put the effort he blows on these babes into his own work.

THIS ^^^

I don't think it has anything to do with Ms. Allo herself. I think it is any woman Prince spends any amount of time with: dating or protege.

If she had a thread in Non-Prince, some people here would be singing her praises.

I like her voice. She sounds like an old soul and I wish her the best of luck. I hope Prince puts the amount of promotion into this project as it needs and/or deserves.

And I agree with whatever Genesia says.

Vendetta1 said:

I don't think it has anything to do with Ms. Allo herself. I think it is any woman Prince spends any amount of time with: dating or protege.

If she had a thread in Non-Prince, some people here would be singing her praises.

I like her voice. She sounds like an old soul and I wish her the best of luck. I hope Prince puts the amount of promotion into this project as it needs and/or deserves.

And I agree with whatever Genesia says.

Yeah they would sing her praise but not because she wouldn't be with Prince. It would be because she would come across as a modest, inependent artsist with potential. She doesn't seem like that anymore to me. I'm not saying she was ever modest or isn't now.

babyjubilation said:

Vendetta1 said:

I don't think it has anything to do with Ms. Allo herself. I think it is any woman Prince spends any amount of time with: dating or protege.

If she had a thread in Non-Prince, some people here would be singing her praises.

I like her voice. She sounds like an old soul and I wish her the best of luck. I hope Prince puts the amount of promotion into this project as it needs and/or deserves.

And I agree with whatever Genesia says.

Yeah they would sing her praise but not because she wouldn't be with Prince. It would be because she would come across as a modest, inependent artsist with potential. She doesn't seem like that anymore to me. I'm not saying she was ever modest or isn't now.

I am curious as to why you say this.

She comes across as a happy kid to me ( I say "kid" because I am almost twice her age).

Vendetta1 said:

babyjubilation said:

Yeah they would sing her praise but not because she wouldn't be with Prince. It would be because she would come across as a modest, inependent artsist with potential. She doesn't seem like that anymore to me. I'm not saying she was ever modest or isn't now.

I am curious as to why you say this.

She comes across as a happy kid to me ( I say "kid" because I am almost twice her age).

i'm taking a shot in the dark here but there is a difference to the protege's now as it was 2 then back in the day. prince seems 2 FORCE his latest interests 2 his fans now. look at the larry situation it was cool 4 a minute then it seemed prince couldn't go no where without him. and it seemed that way with tamar too until her project got the shelf then she was relegated to the background then gone all together. bria was different because she never performed anywhere so andy maybe losing her ground cause now she's under the thumb and direction. we'll see tho

Vendetta1 said:

babyjubilation said:

Yeah they would sing her praise but not because she wouldn't be with Prince. It would be because she would come across as a modest, inependent artsist with potential. She doesn't seem like that anymore to me. I'm not saying she was ever modest or isn't now.

I am curious as to why you say this.

She comes across as a happy kid to me ( I say "kid" because I am almost twice her age).

idk it's just what i think. i didn't say she wasn't happy. I'm sure she is!

The only problem I have with her is that she's not a very skilled guitarist. When I see prince perform live, I expect an excellent band. She sure has her qualities as an artist, but as a guitarist she is nowhere close to what I expect from a musician in prince's band.

The first time I recognized her was at that french tv performance, and I was totally irritated from what she was doing, or what she pretended to be. I wouldn' have a problem if she were just a background singer in his band, but her recent role is some kind of travesty.

ludwig said:

The only problem I have with her is that she's not a very skilled guitarist. When I see prince perform live, I expect an excellent band. She sure has her qualities as an artist, but as a guitarist she is nowhere close to what I expect from a musician in prince's band.

The first time I recognized her was at that french tv performance, and I was totally irritated from what she was doing, or what she pretended to be. I wouldn' have a problem if she were just a background singer in his band, but her recent role is some kind of travesty.

yeah she seems 2 me just a low level rythym gutiarist if that. she's not in the vein of dez, mico, levi, mike scott and wendy

ludwig said:

The only problem I have with her is that she's not a very skilled guitarist. When I see prince perform live, I expect an excellent band. She sure has her qualities as an artist, but as a guitarist she is nowhere close to what I expect from a musician in prince's band.

The first time I recognized her was at that french tv performance, and I was totally irritated from what she was doing, or what she pretended to be. I wouldn' have a problem if she were just a background singer in his band, but her recent role is some kind of travesty.

Nail on head - It surely insults our intelligence to have Andy prance around playing air guitar - are we meant to be fooled by this?

Hopefully Prince's legacy of being a legendary live performer with a tight band won't nose dive - coz tight she aint

Imo Prince would do well to have Andy focus on her singing 'ability' if he insists on showcasing her on stage. Let her retain some dignity by showing off what she's actually good at rather than charging fans to watch her take guitar lessons

ludwig said:

The only problem I have with her is that she's not a very skilled guitarist. When I see prince perform live, I expect an excellent band. She sure has her qualities as an artist, but as a guitarist she is nowhere close to what I expect from a musician in prince's band.

The first time I recognized her was at that french tv performance, and I was totally irritated from what she was doing, or what she pretended to be. I wouldn' have a problem if she were just a background singer in his band, but her recent role is some kind of travesty.

colorblu said:

Andy has talents, beauty and great creativity. She's blessed to have the opportunity to practice and interact with Prince. They present the possibilities of bringing new refreshing sounds and stlyes to the stage. They project a new fun funky style and I hope that their music expands and soon we will be joining in on electrickly charged concerts, & after parties.

Very Interesting

yes, as far as i can tell, Mlle. Hello is hella "on it like a bonnet," as they say... she is the answer come true to what many have dreamed here though they may not recognize it yet

I heard the clip and have to say that I will probably sit this one out. Its sounding more and more like stuff I would hear on smooth jazz stations when I was a little kid. No omph, no passion, nothing daring, just predictable, safe, and recycled.

Compare the music his girls put out back in the day, then listen to Bria's album. I'm really staring to think it's over and I don't care if people think I'm a "hater" (whatever that means).

I do find her voice intersting but I'm too young to listen to music like this.

Phillipg said:

I heard the clip and have to say that I will probably sit this one out. Its sounding more and more like stuff I would hear on smooth jazz stations when I was a little kid. No omph, no passion, nothing daring, just predictable, safe, and recycled.

Compare the music his girls put out back in the day, then listen to Bria's album. I'm really staring to think it's over and I don't care if people think I'm a "hater" (whatever that means).

I do find her voice intersting but I'm too young to listen to music like this.

Don't take it personally, it is their scare tactic. You're entilted to your opinion just like everyone else here.

I agree with you. Mostly all of Andy's songs are predictable and laking passion. Her voice is more suitable for jazz and soul. She ain't funky.

MJMia said:

Phillipg said:

I heard the clip and have to say that I will probably sit this one out. Its sounding more and more like stuff I would hear on smooth jazz stations when I was a little kid. No omph, no passion, nothing daring, just predictable, safe, and recycled.

Compare the music his girls put out back in the day, then listen to Bria's album. I'm really staring to think it's over and I don't care if people think I'm a "hater" (whatever that means).

I do find her voice intersting but I'm too young to listen to music like this.

Don't take it personally, it is their scare tactic. You're entilted to your opinion just like everyone else here.

I agree with you. Mostly all of Andy's songs are predictable and laking passion. Her voice is more suitable for jazz and soul. She ain't funky.

Thanks for the support. I just feel like I've been lying to myself or wasting my time with Prince these days. The past 12 months have been extraordinary in the unofficial area but his output over the past two years has been rather slim.

The album hiatus can get you craving new material. When you get something like this, you think its fantastic but its only becuase you have nothing new to keep you satisfied.

People will scream when it won't get airplay or chart, just like other side projects. Realize it's becuase it isn't any good, not everything he does is.

I would love to stand corrected but history repeats itself with this man, she is number three in the past 8 years? How many lessons do I have to learn? I can't name one Bria or Tamar song, wonder why?

Enough easy listening, going to listen to Nasty Girl. Andy please give Prince his balls back.

MJMia said:

Phillipg said:

I heard the clip and have to say that I will probably sit this one out. Its sounding more and more like stuff I would hear on smooth jazz stations when I was a little kid. No omph, no passion, nothing daring, just predictable, safe, and recycled.

Compare the music his girls put out back in the day, then listen to Bria's album. I'm really staring to think it's over and I don't care if people think I'm a "hater" (whatever that means).

I do find her voice intersting but I'm too young to listen to music like this.

Don't take it personally, it is their scare tactic. You're entilted to your opinion just like everyone else here.

I agree with you. Mostly all of Andy's songs are predictable and laking passion. Her voice is more suitable for jazz and soul. She ain't funky.

Y'know...this made me think of something. What is lacking in the Prince side projects these days? Sex appeal, baby! I mean...Andy is pretty enough. And for all we know, she might be talented. (Jury's still out on that, for me.) But where's the oomph? Where's the "danger" of a Vanity or Jill Jones? Or the in-your-face talent - plus beauty - of a Sheila E?

My feeling is that he has one of two choices where a protegée is concerned. Either the music has to kick ass - or the girl has to be sexy enough that nobody cares (and you just rely on the songwriting and production). If lightning strikes, we get both - but we know how that's gone of late.

This is why the recent side projects are falling flat - the chicks are just middling. Middling looks. Middling talent. Nothing to blow the doors off. Just