I just received "One Nite Alone" today (5/22/02), and I must say that I am very impressed! I play piano myself, so I really connect with this album. In my opinion, the album is very tight- unified in sound and mood. I have no problem with its length- it gives the album a non-pretentious feel. I like all of the songs a lot, and I feel like I've been waiting for an album like this for a long time. Highlights for me include the beautifully melodic title track, "Have a Heart" with its great piano, the instantly memorable "Pearls B4 the Swine" and the catchy "Young and Beautiful." I am very pleased.

Yeah, it's OK, but I think I'll file it under "Have to be in the mood for it." It works as a whole, but doesn't really embody the type of music I look to Prince for. The title track is the only one that REALLY grabs me. Plan to explore it with headphones tonight.

Length...not a problem.

I'm surprised more people aren't weighing in with reviews/thoughts, considering how many people posted about how impatient they were waiting to recieve it. Wierd; there were more posts here BEFORE it came out than there are now that we all have it (most of us, anyway).

herbthe4 said:

Yes, that is strange how there are fewer reviews than complaints. I guess as a piano afficionado myself, I look to this album with delight. One thing that I have found with Prince is that his music is so diverse that his fans all can latch onto something that "grabs them."

I've got it in the car at the moment and I'm loving it. To me it's the album I've been waiting for a long time from Prince. I understand that you have to be in the mood for it, but I love the whole sound and feel of the songs. It's good to have an album, from Prince, that just isn't over produced or trys to push the musical boundries to hard.

althom said:

I agree wholeheartedly. It is a nice effort, thematically and sonically unified- nice for casual listening. One thing that makes me a bit worried though is the lyrical content of some of the songs. It makes me wonder if things are OK with Mani. "Have A Heart" almost sounds like he is yearning for Mayte. Thoughts?

I don't think he's yearning for Mayte as such. Maybe he's longing for that deep love that he used to have, example - Susanah and Mayte.

althom said:

I can see that as well. However, lines like "She said the smell of missing me was coming from your pores!" and "She said I broke your heart so bad I didn't deserve you back" made me feel that he was referring to Mayte. It kind of ties in with "I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore" to me. Lines like "Don't you have to have a heart first before you get it broken?" and "I got some milk but no drop is spilled over things you put me through" made me feel as if the pain from Mayte still aches just below the surface.

Moonbeam,

I'm totally with you on this. As a piano player myself, I'm loving this album. My favorite song I think is probably Avalanche. Despite some interesting lyrics, I think the music and vocals in this song are as amazing as anything he has ever done.

jtgillia said:

Glad to see some fellow painists on the org who are digging this! I imagine Prince could make a lot of money by selling sheet music for this album- I for one would buy it. Speaking of sheet music, does anyone know where I can find sheet music to 1999?

Moonbeam said:

Don't you have 2 have a heart first b4 u get it broken?
(seems like he's saying she had no heart or did not really love him)

got some milk but no drop is spilled
(sounds like no regrets)

Whether it's about Mayte or not, if I were the girl, I'd feel like he was saying..."good, ur gone...don't believe
u ever really cared....

Incidentally, I love the new FREE CD.
[This message was edited Wed May 22 16:58:35 PDT 2002 by fam1914]

fam1914 said:

Thanks for your input! Your interpretation that those lines meant "good, you're gone...don't believe you ever really cared...." really ties into "I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore" quite nicely I think. Saying "I know you trust me, but you don't love me anymore" seems like the pain immediately following the blow, whereas, "Don't you have to have a heart first before you get it broken" seems to reflect a much later assessment of the situation.

This is not necessarily about the one nite album but about all of Prince's great music in general. I have a theory that pianists who like both soul music and rock music would just love Prince stuff given the chance to experience it. Something about how pianists respect the meticulousness of an extra note here and there that adds a new world to a thoroughly composed song. That's what Prince music is about to me, Prince gives his songs just the right amount of for lack of a better word- "noteiness" lol I mean, for example, his thickly layered vocal harmonies are generally tightly woven, very unconventional, and just plain out there, but are usually breathtaking. That's one of the things I most love about his music. Listen to the vocals on One Nite's "Avalanche" to hear what I'm talking about.

Moonbeam said:

Bingo. I agree entirely.

The next song, Objects in the Mirror, ties in beautifully in that it is about Mani. He talks about her saving herself for him or something (I'm at work and cant remember the lyrics).

Pearls b4 the swine is a wonderful, gentle, sweet, simple, melodic song. It is my favourite song of the year so far by any artist. Prince, you did it again

for the folks who speak spanish, could the translation of the title be something like: perlas para los cerdos??

Gracias mil!!

about the lyrics:

I think people make this mistake very often when it comes to the lyrics from an artist. The lyrics do not always reflect the personal life of someone. Really! Sometimes it all just imagination or exaggeration.

garganta said:

creo que "perlas ANTE los cerdos" seria mejor.

Love the ending to Objects In the Mirror. The way it finishes with piano and then flute.

Anybody else diggin' this?