What did you guys think of Vanity's solo stuff?

I love her solo albums Wild Animal And Skin On Skin. The songs from Wild Animal Pretty Mess, Like Animals. Skin On Skin Under The Influence and then the song 7th Heaven from the Last Dragon and Undress from Action Jackson. Well,I have all her albums and movies. Always was a fan of hers . I thought she was Prince's Personification of Himself as a Woman so to Speak. She in my Opinion was Fantastic and Beautiful and ahead of her time in the Businss.

Vanity's first solo album 'Wild Animal'(1984) was AWFUL! It contains some of the worst lyrics I ever heard on ANY album.Vanity's singing isn't that great either but even that wouldn't be a problem if the songs were kickin'.Songs like "Pretty Mess","Crazy Maybe" and "Flippin Out" are simply too absurd to be taken seriously.The only bright spot is the funky "Mechanical Emotion" featuring Morris Day.This song is reminisent of "the Minneapolis Sound" that Vanity had just left behind.But even on this track,Vanity is just moaning and squealing her way through it all.


The second Vanity solo album 'Skin On Skin'(1986) showed some improvement.The first single "Under The Influence" is great,a mesmerizing dance track that should have been a much bigger hit.What's great about this album is,the songs are much more "musical" than the messily written songs from 'Wild Animal'.There are real hooks and melodies for once!

The only songs I've heard of hers are:
"Undress"
"Faraway Eyes" & "Enchanted Boy".

They were all recorded after she jumped the purple ship.
2 be honest, her voice got better.

I believe she would have gone on 2 have numerous minor successes. Un4tunately I don't feel she's got enough of that hunger & ambition that an artist like Prince has.

Also, it's hard 2 go far unless u have a bucket-load of talent, i.e. write ur own material, produce, per4m, etc. - or sing like a Whitney Houston & have others write 4 U*

But 4 what it was & is, I dig it every now & then.

There's a lot worse acts out there who are still signed 2 this day!

But music is music at the day's end. And there's room enough 4 many...

Lovelife*lovesexy...always.

DavidEye said:

Oh, come on David, "Wild Animal" isn't that bad.

"Mechanical Emotion"&"Under the Influence.Under the Influence was for Me Her Best Solo Cut that I have heard from her IMHO.but overall She was Wack,Wack,Wack!!! but at that time you couldn't sell it like you can now.I always Say Prince came out in the wrong time period with lame Singing babes.if Vanity was out nowadays DAMN!!! She would Sell 5-10 Million Copies easily.4.9 just on Her Looks.back in the day when folks had standards what goes for Bling,Bling would have had that same person making a Hustle going door too door.

lovebizzare said:

Yes,it's just THAT bad

DavidEye said:

awww Dave, I disagree. I really like that album. It was silly, and fun and sexy, and frilly, just like Vanity used to be.

from allmusic guide:

AMG REVIEW: In late 1984, Vanity was no longer part of Prince's Minneapolis funk-rock empire. The singer was signed to Motown as a full-time solo artist, and her former group, Vanity 6, had evolved into the trio Apollonia 6. Commercially, Vanity didn't get very far on her own — many people saw her as a glaring example of style and image over substance and felt that she couldn't be creative without Prince's input. But, in fact, Vanity's solo debut, Wild Animal, isn't bad. While no one would accuse Vanity of having Teena Marie's chops — her voice is undeniably thin — the singer's writing is generally decent on this 1984 LP, which she produced with Bill Wolfer. Wild Animal isn't nearly as Prince-sounding as some might assume; on material that ranges from the single, "Pretty Mess" (an infectious slice of funk-rock with a groove that brings to mind Shalamar's "Dancing in the Sheets"), to the haunting "Samuelle" and the rockin' "Strap on 'Robbie Baby'," Vanity sounds like's she's making an honest effort to forge ahead. Some of the lyrics are risqué, although for the most part, Wild Animal isn't as raunchy as Vanity's work with Vanity 6. This out of print LP isn't for R&B purists — Wild Animal is essentially an R&B album, but Vanity laces her R&B with big doses of rock and pop. Despite her obvious limitations as a vocalist, Wild Animal is a respectable solo debut. But the public refused to take Vanity seriously as a solo artist, and this album's unimpressive sales reflected that. — Alex Henderson

awww Dave, I disagree. I really like that album. It was silly, and fun and sexy, and frilly, just like Vanity used to be. [/quote]

I agree -- it's a fun album. I still listen to it every few months.

madartista said:

"The singer's writing is generally decent on this 1984 LP"



Oh really? Let's examine a few lines from the album...


"I'm drippin' like a hot tea...I'm aware that if you drip it too hot,it just might spill all over this lovely"

"you gotta see my popping corn"

"I've thrown all the snowballs I can throw"

"here everything's boiling up,I boil to the maximum,yeah...will I do believe baby,you boil me bubbling,you get me in...double trouble"

Vanity was so fine that I would have paid money to see her take a dump in a coffe can back in the 80s - fuck athe singing. Tell me that Jennifer Lopez or Janet Jackson can sing any better than Vaity did - and neither is as sexy. Vanity did it first so my hat is off (and my dick is hard) for her.

I,ll never forget watching The Last Dragon in the theater and how she ask Taimak to be her bodyguard to guard her body and boy did every male clap when she was appearing and when she did 7th Heaven . Remember her on American Bandstand Doing Under The Influence? How about her on the Tonight show with Joan Rivers talking about how she didn't wear underwear just garters and they had to come down kinda crocked in the front but leave her behind like a Heart? This she said was Sexy and she gave Joan something of a goodluck charm from the Antiquarius. She was really a Wild Animal who I loved. She was 6. Funny though she seemed Spaced not making sense Ditz. Surfice why she wasn't taken seriously. Then talking bout if she married Nikki Sixx she'd be Vanity6. Still she was Fantastically Beautiful and had Prescence.