Sometimes Prince records some technically flawless vocals that take my breath away. My fave at the moment is "Soul Sanctuary". Heaven sent and perfect from start to finish.

What's yours?

Condition of the Heart. Falsetto at the beginning and throught, but deep and husky at the end. Note perfect.

i know it's probably not the best performance, recording
or production in a strictly technical way but whenever i
think of my fav ever VOCAL piece in any Prince song, i'm
tempted to say the start of "Dolphin"


How beautiful do the words have 2 B
B4 They conquer every heart?
How will U know if Eye'm even in the right key
if U make me stop B4 Eye start?

there are too many to mention, but this one makes me go
all soft n wet whenever i hear it

i know this is hardly a fan favorite, but as amazing vocal performances go, i really love "damn u" from the symbol album...his voice is quite literally all over the map in that one.

"In every man's life there will be a hang-up
A whirlwind designed 2 slow U down
It cuts like a knife and tries 2 get in U
This Spooky Electric sound
Give up if U want 2 and all is lost
Spooky Electric will be your boss"

Call People Magazine, Rolling Stone
Call your next of kin, cuz your ass is gone
He got a 57 mag with the price tag still on the side - uh!
Cuzzin' when Spooky say dead, U better say died
Or U can fly high right by Spooky and all that he crawls 4
Spooky and all that he crawls 4
Don't kiss the beast
(Love & honesty, peace & harmony)
Positivity
Love & honesty, peace & harmony
Say hold on 2 your soul, U got a long way 2 go
Sho' nuff {x3}

Don't kiss the beast
Be superior at least

Hold on 2 your soul, y'all, court, sing!
Hold on 2 your soul, we got a long way 2 go
Hold on 2 your soul

love

I'd say I personnally his vocal performance
on The Beautiful ones is truly magical.
/peace Manki

Adore
You have layers of cascading and mindblowing falsettos over a delightful spoken word melody. The voices all stop and start and we get pleading, soul screams and melisma in one track. Adore isn't a "vocal performance", its an aural orgasm!

Maybe not his all-time best, but several tracks on "Musicology" have surprisingly strong vocals! It seems Prince has become a more "mature" singer, with better control of his energy and emotion - that is, he can sing convincingly without using his entire force and/or output all the time, instead saving it for the most effective moments.

I think the vocals on, for instance, "Life O'the Party", "Call My Name", "Illusion, Coma..." and "On The Couch" is as good as anything else he's done.

Lordy said:

I wouldn't say "technically flawless" though... In fact, from a conventional point of view, Prince's voice and singing technique has lots of "flaws" - but those flaws, together with his musicality, is what makes him unique!

MONEY DON'T MATTER- love that vocal performance, he speaks out for what i believe...your face ain't on it, and besides at the end of the day money never saved any soul
[Edited 11/8/05 16:42pm]

Damn U

next to that, probably Eye Hate U, Adore, and many more

manki said:

Oh, hells yes.

I really like his vocals in "Man O' War." Very impassioned, especially, "...lookin 4 another reason to make me cry.."

Some of my fav falsettos:

God
The Beautiful Ones
Adore
Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic



[Edited 11/8/05 22:28pm]

One of my favorites is Gotta Broken Heart Again - from the Aladdin DVd - he sangs da BOOTY! outta this, and I think he even hits higher notes here than he does in The Most Beautiful Girl.

Definitely ADORE, Condition, DAMN U, Beautiful Ones, THe ONE.....INSATIABLE. A CASE OF U.But MY FAVORITE PRINCE song is.....WHEN WER'E DANCING CLOSE AND SLOW.....THIS is his MOST ROMANTIC SONG EVER....SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL.
[Edited 11/9/05 2:39am]

Anji said:

I love the bolded part... not just the vocals but how the music changes there... (love the drum/percussion beat there)... U know what I'm talking about.

I agree with whoever said about musicology album. I was expecting to be impressed by Prince guitar playing on this cd but his vocal performances did hold my attention. Live he is much better too now.

the best vocal performance since 2000 is without a doubt
the second verse of "Avalanche". that's jawdropping stuff

poetbear68 said:

oh yes, that was a gorgeous vocal performance.

Talk of children still frightens me
Is my character enough 2 be 1 that deserves a copy made?
This I, 1 day, hope 2 see
Until then she's held at bay by my animal-like persistance
Or maybe she's just 2 proud 2 say that fate brought us 2gether - and this is where she wants 2 stay


Obviously not the definitive Prince vocal performance, but one of my personal favourites

poetbear68 said:



Totally agree with that!

Pink Cashmere

"Damn U"...

Adore
Scandalous
Crazy U
Do Me, Baby
International Lover
Pink Cashmere

I Wish U Heaven and The Love We Make

Both have wonderful, very different reflections of Prince's vocal talents.

'How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore.'

I remember the very first time I heard this back in '83 on the flip side of the 1999 12" and it just blew me the f*ck away in every way possible. Listening to it on headphones is like being part of a really intimate one-on-one moment, and the way you can hear his feet slamming away at the piano pedals - it's just sheer wonderousness from beginning to end.

A very close runner-up for me would be The Beautiful Ones.

Another B-Side similar to HCUDCMA is "Another Lonely Christmas", definitely one of my favourite Prince songs.

squirrelgrease said:

I definantely agree as well. The whole Purple Rain album is truly magical. Probably would be even more magical if it had been released without the movie. But to the quotes above, "The Beautiful Ones" I couldn't say enough about it, I don't know how Prince does what he does somettimes.

Anxiety said:

Give the 0+> album some love.

Damn U is greatness.

My top 5 vocals would be.

1. The Beautiful Ones
2. Damn U
3. The Dance (odd choice, I know)
4. Soul Sanctuary
5. TMBGITW

My favorite non falsetto is Peach or Money Dont Matter.
Both just cool.