I know what you're saying, however I can't completely agree. Yes, there is a goal for the album, to be a commercial hit, but that is far more to do with how successful the promotion is by Universal as much as anything. These days it seems any pop-singer/song/album can be a huge hit if it is rammed down our collective throats enough times. I'd say a lot of people that go out there and buy albums simply because they 'appear' popular from all the advertising and hearing the songs on the radio all the time.

Gauging whether an album is good on its own is a more difficult proposition. If you asked someone on the street whether they expected Prince fans to like the new Prince album, their response would likely be, 'Well, yeah, they're fans, aren't they?!' but in fact, as seen on here, the opinions vary hugely and criticisms can be scathing.

Here's an analogy: ask someone if they liked a particular painting, they might say, 'Yes. It's got pretty colours'. Ask someone who has some background knowledge, they might expound on the history of the artist, themes they can see in the painting from previous work, put it in the context of his body of work. That to me would be a far more valid and worthy critique, looking beyond the immediate surface imagery. And that is what fans on here do - they basically use 'comparitive analysis', putting this album in the context of all the others, plus just saying whether they enjoy it or not. All that adds upto quite a balance of reviews.

Arguably, perhaps a better barometer of whether an album is considered 'good' is whether it gets put up for awards and such after being compared to a year's worth of other artists material.

Diamondgirl, i dont know how old you are, but maybe when you grow a bit older (like me, i am 32 now) you tend to look for a bit more depth, nuances and subtleties in music (and not only in music, in all aspects of life i think),

Thats what i am missing from Prince since the early - mid-nineties, he doesnt seem to grow to me as a person, or at least he doesnt seem willing and able to express his own personal thoughts and feelings in the music, as he (indeed) seemed to do in the eighties. That makes it sometimes very hard to listen to his newer music in my opinion.

I personally love music which i can connect to on a deeper level, which touches both my mind and senses. In some way Prince doesnt touch me as deep as he did in the eighties. In some ways, that might be the result of his new music, but maybe it also has to do with me changing as a person. I mean, i was in my late teens when i became a big Prince fan, i am a bit older now, and maybe i am looking for other things in music then back then.

Come on.....does Prince sound REALY passionated on the rainbow children?

When are yall going to stop comparing his new stuff with the 80's?

shayde said:

There was no personal attack. I don't know this guy. But to me Prince is a genius, even if there is some songs I don't like. I'd rather focus on the good ones. But saying : '3121, some nice idea's, lacking depth and substance' is arrogant, except if you're a great artist yourself.

DiamondGirl said:

When his new stuff sounds like his 80s stuff, I guess.

Sorry folks but TGE was NOT that great of an album.

Payt said:

well i found a few.. take your pick..

sorry for derailing, please continue
[Edited 3/8/06 18:13pm]

3121 will be the next album that will be talked about like SOTT.

When are yall going to stop comparing his new stuff with the 80's?

Riverpoet31 said:

Where can I listen or read what YOU have done ? Try to express the substance you're looking for in Prince's music and fill it in your own creation. And good luck. Or name someone who has got it. I'll be glad to see that. Please mods, don't tell me other hundreds of complaining ppl will show of when 3121 is released !!!


(sp)
[Edited 3/8/06 14:32pm]

Riverpoet31 said:

I think you are contradicting yourself. You basically say you wish Prince would inject some passion and depth into his music, and when I point out Prince's passion in recent years has been religion, you say he shouldn't inject it in.

I don't think the problem you have is with Prince lacking depth in his songs, it is simply that you don't personally like the themes he chooses to vouch forth on. A lot of his songs have continued to have depth - just not with subjects you're personally interested in. It's not okay for a 50 year old to preach about religion but it is okay for them to preach about sex, say?!

Riverpoet31 said:

So...you expect more from a musician...for free?

You obviously are complaining about the content of something you didn't buy. Don't you find it unusual to make artistic demands on someone who made a product you didn't buy?

my arse hurts,and to top it all off,my weasel ate the last of the bridge-mix.

sermwanderer said:

I know what you're saying, however I can't completely agree. Yes, there is a goal for the album, to be a commercial hit, but that is far more to do with how successful the promotion is by Universal as much as anything. These days it seems any pop-singer/song/album can be a huge hit if it is rammed down our collective throats enough times. I'd say a lot of people that go out there and buy albums simply because they 'appear' popular from all the advertising and hearing the songs on the radio all the time.

Gauging whether an album is good on its own is a more difficult proposition. If you asked someone on the street whether they expected Prince fans to like the new Prince album, their response would likely be, 'Well, yeah, they're fans, aren't they?!' but in fact, as seen on here, the opinions vary hugely and criticisms can be scathing.

Here's an analogy: ask someone if they liked a particular painting, they might say, 'Yes. It's got pretty colours'. Ask someone who has some background knowledge, they might expound on the history of the artist, themes they can see in the painting from previous work, put it in the context of his body of work. That to me would be a far more valid and worthy critique, looking beyond the immediate surface imagery. And that is what fans on here do - they basically use 'comparitive analysis', putting this album in the context of all the others, plus just saying whether they enjoy it or not. All that adds upto quite a balance of reviews.

Arguably, perhaps a better barometer of whether an album is considered 'good' is whether it gets put up for awards and such after being compared to a year's worth of other artists material.