I LOVE that album

BorisFishpaw said:

If that's true then I think Prince is surely to blame for plastering his pic across the front cover, and only his pic... might be different if it was a band photo or something like the Come On single cover. ...and having the The One video solely focus on he and Mayte with the band nowhere in sight.

At the time though, didn't Prince's press person indicate that he had a new album coming out and then a week or two later issue a revised notice that it was an NPG release and not a one? Always made me wonder if he changed his mind at the last minute...

For the record, I rather like this release. It's not my favorite of his 90s work but it always reminded me of a mini-D&P. The One is one of my absolute favorite Prince ballads, though. Shoo-Bed-Ooh and Push It Up are the weakest links here, imo.

He should get that gun microphone and shoot me some groupies. The thighs are a bit gamy though.

Come On is the best track by far. I don't understand the love that Wasted Kisses gets. it's almost like "ooh a hidden track, it's fantastic!" just cause it's been discovered or something. Well it's not. it's rot, like the majority of that album.

I like the cd.

I actually enjoyed New Power soul. it wasnt a ground breaking or cutting edge cd but it had s0me good songs on it. it was missing s0me pop/r0ck tracks in my opinion. the grooves were kinda laid back t00. quit hatin on it. lol

I actually enjoyed New Power soul. it wasnt a ground breaking or cutting edge cd but it had s0me good songs on it. it was missing s0me pop/r0ck tracks in my opinion. the grooves were kinda laid back t00. quit hatin on it. lol

SynthiaRose said:

And the rap is unforgettable, when the adam split we got eve, duality is now a gruopie with a backstage pass and they ain't gon leave! the album is a prcursor to 3121, haha. i love prince on that and while we're at it (rave) Can you tell me the reason why adam never left eve? that's smart, nobody tells it like prince does!


Come on is pure funka ma gizz, lol! The One is a bit "boring" some parts, but typical prince...he goes that extra bit further as ever.
[Edited 3/26/06 16:23pm]

I like it.

endorphin74 said:

i keep forgetting that you don't like "push it up"...

as for me, the reason why i hate the album is because it's over-produced and pretty mediocre to me. that, and the cover art's vomitrocious.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

you don't like the art? he's still got that going on at Npgmc, you know?

chunky said:

i know...and it sucks too, because i'd think that he'd get a new thing going already as far as that artwork goes. i've never liked it.

goldnigga was the worst thing i have ever seen prince 0r the npg associated with. i mean exodus and new power soul r great when u c0mpare it 2 that goldnigga cd. lol what the fuck were they thinkin?

I unapologetically enjoy the whole album, no buts or ifs. Genuinely prefer it to anything he's done since and play it often.

This may be in part to my Prince fandom being at a peak circa 1998 and seeing my first concert by the man on the NPS tour.

Ive always appreciated NPS.

SpecialEd said:

After reading so much dislike for NPS I decided to revist it. Prolly aint been played such 1998. I remember thinking it was OK, and after it's intial release never really got played. But I bought this and Maxwell's Embrya the same day and well one overshadowed the other.
It's not as bad as people make it. It's got some cool moments on it. Maybe the last time he was semi-dirty or racy (Mad Sex). There's cool musicial interplay here and there even if most the song itself is lacking. The outro on When U lone Somebody is cool and rocks out a bit.

endorphin74 said:

I love Freaks On This Side. Thats the jam! It reminds me of the Jam of the Year Tour when he had the arena chant "FREAKS IN THE BUILDING!" Its like he added that live feel of the arena chanting in the song. It felt really organic and... those HORNZ!!! Lawdhavemercy!

I too saw him on this tour in Indy. 8 rows from center stage. It was amazing being so close. Chaka and Larry were there. I rememeber Kirky J messed up the beginning to Tell Me Something Good. He messed up where "the one" went and Prince kept saying "where's that beat at?".

Bfunkthe1 said:

I bet Kirk got the back of Prince's hand after that set.

dreamfactory313 said:

Damn I literally just laughed out loud! Good one.

It's not that I hate New Power Soul... it's just that I don't particularly like the fact that this album exists...

Seriously, the album (as well as Emancipation) wouldn't have been so painfully bad for me if Prince had never allowed Kirk Johnson behind the boards. Had Kirk actually played the drum kit (which I actually give him credit for doing well) instead of programming those plastic ass, cold, lifeless beats and utilizing that mufugly ass synth programming, the album wouldn't have been SO bad.

In a nutshell... Kirky J is the reason I don't like the whole 1996-1999 era.

BSK3601 said:

Understood.
The beats and "rap" secions may be the worst elements of all this era now that you bring the Kirky J thing up.

Thibaut said:

You're crazy! It's as if people don't like that album JUST because it's called "The Vault" as if they were less than stellar tracks! Only someone with bad taste would pass up The Vault for NPS, in my opinion.

Apart from My Little Pill, every Vault track kicks NPS' ass 5 times at least.

It's ded good! I like all the songs on it.

It's a great album that beats any other late 90's R&B album. THe only songs I don't care for much are Until U're in My Arms Again, Wehn U Love Somebody, and depending on my mood Funky Music.

It's his best album of the nineties.

SynthiaRose said:

Telling! When You Love Somebody is my favorite track off NPS, esp. when he starts the guitar jam at the end--too funky!

While a lot of people like to dump on NPS, it's obviously a guilty pleasure for many of us here on the org.

jtfolden said:

It is true, and yes I quite agree. The fact that Prince stuck a pic of himself
on the front cover doesn't help, and I think his decision to do this was
strictly commercial (the album will sell better with a picture of 'Prince' on
the front). The fact that he sings lead on the album is a different issue. He
would've sung lead on exodus too if he'd been contractually able to, now he
was free, he didn't have to mask the fact that it was really him.



Prince had intended to release a follow-up to Exodus entitled 'New Power Soul'
from before Exodus had actually been released back in 1995 (though it was a
very different album at this point). So it can hardly be seen as a last
minute change of mind. The original New Power Soul album would've featured a
lot of tracks that didn't make it on to Exodus, and I'm pretty sure it was
going to be a mail order only album (not commercially released like Newpower
Soul was).



When it's viewed in context alongside Goldnigga and Exodus, I think it's a
good fun party album (which is what it is). It's also probably why the most
'serious' song on the album is tucked away as a secret bonus track, cuz it
doesn't fit in with the rest of the album's party theme.

dreamfactory313 said:

My problem with those tracks is the chanting, it's like nails on a chalkboard to me. Just irritating.

it's a very lazy,uninspired,throwaway-type album.This is the type of album that Prince could do in his sleep.