Previous thread had to be closed due to an all-out über flame war that was all kindsa wrong. This kind of behaviour is not tolerated.

Discussing your thoughts and impressions on music is fine - telling people to 'f*ck off' and getting angry because they don't 'get it' is both immature and is gonna win you no friends fast. So, if you wanna be Johnny No-Mates, go ahead, but be under no illusions - you will get modded.

If anybody would like their reviews retrieved from the bowels of the previous thread, just org note me and I'll gladly sort that out for you.

"Musical excellence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder".
~ Prince (1994)

Remember, musical taste is relative - 'Free yo mind, and yo ass will follow'


© NPG/Universal Records 2006

Just for the record, while we're on the subject, we're watching... CLOSELY.

Ignoring the site rules, and/or any public requests for, or posting of any leaked, illegal files will be dealt with seriously.

If we see anybody posting links to illegal copies of 3121, or posting requests for this album (however sly!) they WILL receive a temp ban.

So please, we're asking nicely, don't. This is for 3121-related discussion only.

We strongly suggest anyone contemplating any of the above to think very carefully indeed before you post.

Think of it as the Org's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy! We really can't make this any clearer, so please - be aware, and be forewarned.
- BananaCologne.

first!

BananaCologne said:

ohhh, so that's why it's gone...eh, figures.

and second!



GangstaFam beat me edit
[Edited 3/7/06 6:11am]

took you long enough!





toad kidding, nana!


ps, just wondering if the last thread can't at least be referenced but locked. Just cos before things went to piss, a lot of people took a lot of time to critique the album. It'd be nice if all this just didn't vanish. Course, if the thread got THAT bad, I understand.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

glad it's gone.. it was getting quite annoying

endorphin74 said:

Well, firstly:

secondly, I can't discuss that here, but will org note you if you wish to know the reasons why that wasn't viable.

You mods rule! And I'm serious here. I don't mind reading foul language or anything, but those flame war posts (or "über flame wars" ) just add nothing to an already long thread.

It's not too hard to remember Sly saying "different strokes", is it?

BananaCologne said:

eh, I trust you. I was just asking.

Payt said:

i logged off and went to bed just as all the non-fun was about to begin, so i missed all the fireworks. but yeah, 'nanners is right...getting into flame wars over this shit is stupid and shouldn't happen. it's just music.

anyway, guess who might be breaking away from her usual norm and buying the album in a couple weeks?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

no way!

BananaCologne said:

What is a temp ban? I want one


And what is recieve?

endorphin74 said:

...but i won't be keeping it for long, most likely.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

regardless, it's a START!

besides, you know Universal will kick it out with a 9.99 sale at Target.

PANDURITO said:

Busted!

endorphin74 said:

oh gawd, yeah! i'll be damned if i go to borders and buy it...

I missed it!

Not that we need one, but here's my review all the same:

3121 - Feels more like a groove, an intro, than a full-fledged song. Has a little head-bobbing effect and a bit of idiosyncracy about it (quirky guitar, voices), which sets it apart from some of the other tracks. Had potential for being something a little better, but all in all it's alright. Could've done without those synth horns. Doesn't quite satisfy.

Lolita - Goes straight in with a keyboard riff that reminds me of 'IWBYL', but the actual keyboard sound could've been better. It's straight up fun pop, kinda catchy but ultimately not my thing. A little too fluffy and Emancipation-eque. Wouldn't have made my 1 disc CDR of that 3 disc album.

Te Amo Corazon - Sweet track, beautiful production and instrumentation, but doesn't conjure up any more exciting adjectives than 'nice' or 'pleasant'. I wouldn't skip it, I'd enjoy it, but it could pass me right by if I weren't sitting there specifically to listen to it.

Black Sweat - Sparse, electronic funk track that is too short and for me never really hits stride. Another that doesn't quite satisfy. Some funky rhythm guitar would've improved it in IMHO, but even with that addition wouldn't feel like a good song.

Incense and Candles - Sexy, without a doubt, with some nice touches, but again just not that good a song. Production is good, some nice sounds and a smoothness to it that in this case I don't think detracts, but in conclusion only an average track.

Love - A kinda funky track which combines electronic elements with some nice rhythm guitar licks. The hook is nice, but the verses are pretty poor. The ending is where the track gets funkiest the more the guitar is prominent.

Satisfied - As many have said, very similar to 'On The Couch' but lacking something interesting like the vocal horns on the aforementioned track. Nice instrumentation, pleasing loose feel to the structure and playing, but passes by without really registering. Pleasant enough, but hardly taxing for ol' boy. He could write 3 of these a day and I'm beginning to think perhaps he does.

Fury - As suspected, and often feared, disappoints compared to the SNL performance. Sounds pretty soft, keyboards too prominent, guitar not prominent enough, vocals just so-so and a little quiet in the mix. Even the scream towards the end has a perfunctory feel about it. A cool song that I do quite like, but having seen the SNL performance it's hard not to feel a little disappointed. Knew it was coming though, unfortunately.

The Word - Acoustic guitar is a nice touch and there's quite a nice feel about this track. Lyrics aren't the best, but it's not a big issue. An enjoyable track without being that catchy or interesting. The usual nice touches here and there, some cool guitar work and a good vibe about it, but certainly not a great song.

Beautiful, Loved and Blessed - A decent pop Rnb track, some nice vocals from both Tamar and Prince. Good structure and quite catchy and a funky coda at the conclusion. All in all quite a well put together track with decent instrumentation. Quite good, will probably work well on Tamar's album. Doesn't break any molds but is a pleasant listen.

The Dance - Greatly improves on the other version. Has a nice mood about it and some subtly emotive singing. Piano work is good and fits well. I think this is one of the stronger tracks on the album. It feels more fully thought out. Again, it doesn't really jump out at you but there is some beauty in the subtlety. Ends with passionate pleading, emotion that is very welcome and sadly missing from much of the rest of the album.

Get On The Boat - Fun and funky with some nice solos in there. A very weak hook though, and verses almost identical in rhythmic delivery to 'Pretty Man'. The backbone to the song is chugging and funky though and the overall effect is a nice groove. Could've been a little grittier, but the playing is pretty tight. Not bad.


So, hardly the most positive review on here. In fact, I've not been exclusively positive about a single track on the album. The problem for me is that while it's quite consistent and I wouldn't have a problem with putting the disc in and letting it play all the way through, there's nothing really great on here. A few nice tracks, some cool music, a handful of good ideas, some wasted opportunities, some pretty weak songwriting, some questionable choices of instrumentation and production, and an overall pleasantness that ends up disappointing more than enthusing due to the man's obvious talent and our expectations of what should be capable of.

2.5/3 out of 5.

GangstaFam said:

Do you want a link?

PANDURITO said:

It wouldn't work, would it?

i want the reviews back.. there were some really good ones, and i wanna read fauxies

Yeah, I wanna read the reviews from that thread. Oh well.

Payt said:

Maybe they could just snip all the nastiness, lock it, and give the folks who want to copy/paste their reviews a day to post 'em to this thread.

Perhaps.

If people would like their reviews from the previous thread - just org note me and I'll gladly retrieve them for you, and edit them back into a post of yours here. Simple.

I don't appreciate being balled out on a thread for having to make a snap desicion. If you got a problem - org note me and we'll sort it.

BananaCologne said:

That sounds like a good solution. And I for one trust your judgement. I know how much of a feeding frenzy it can become around here.

BananaCologne said:

Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had just finished and posted my review and it was there for only seconds and then it was gone. I went straight ahead and posted while angry but yes, I should've orgnoted you. I don't usually write reviews so it was a bit hard to take that when I did it was taken away. That and sometimes I lose posts over in GD sometimes, I think because of my crap computer. It just gets me upset, but that's not your fault.

GangstaFam said:

unless the nastiness is WAY too much to snip...

Fauxie said:

Nice review.. the album did have a more positive effect on me though. My main concern was with incense and candles, which sounds like an attempt to sound 'current', and which actually succeeds in doing so, and in doing so kinda feels like a cop-out.

My general feeling is that there are some real growers on this album though.. love being a good example. I've already esteemed 'the dance' as an instant classic.. i really think it;s that good.. another grower for other people perhaps.

You're right abut fury.. we're too spoiled with the SNL version, which makes the album version pale in comparison.

As for the rest of the tunes, i think BLAB and BS are the weakest tracks, and i really do enjoy al the others quite a lot already

Payt said:

That's the thing. I may have come across as pretty much disliking almost all of the album, but for me many of the songs have some nice qualities without really hitting the mark. As a whole I don't think the album is bad, but when I look at each track individually I find it hard to be inspired to write glowing praise. I wanted to point out the qualities but still view the tracks in light of Prince's best work and judge them accordingly. I feel similarly to you in that I think 'Love' and 'The Dance' are strong tracks on this album.

Oh, and thanks again.

alright, since i didn't type up a super-proper review on the other thread, lemme try my hand at it here:

3121: the sound of this song annoys me. it's probably because of the weird vocal effects used in it; a little goes a long way, but not on here.

lolita: i have a thing for cheesy synth-lines in songs, and this cut has plenty of 'em all around. it does smell of a lot of the songs prince did in the, oh, '78 till '82 era with the synth-cheese. fun little track to listen to!

te amo blablabla: i've never really dug this song; the video i dig more than the song on its own.

bs: same as above.

incense and candles: sounds too much like what most other "urban"-labeled artists are doing nowadays, so this is a big turn-off for me. pass.

love: s'okay, but not much else.

satisfied: hey look, it's "on the couch" trying to get you home from the club and get in them drawerz! i like this track for the vocal arrangements...

fury: it kicked ass on snl, but didn't carry over to the album. yes, songs in this vein are usually carried out better live, but still...it sounds kinna weak to me in its album form.

the word: pass.

blb: s'okay, but i'ma pass on it.

the dance: another song that irks me. i haven't heard the version from the chocolate invasion so i can't make a comparison of the two.

get on the boat: nice way to cap off the album.


OVERALL: 1/2 outta 5 stars. s'nice, but still there's moments on the album that make my eye twitch.