Often i am not sure what i think of Princes vocal abilities. At one moment he surprises me with his skills to improvise (When the lights go down), while at other times he sounds very mediocre and clumsy (Cinnamon girl).

Thinking a bit more about it, i see that his strengths are in his timing, his ability to use in various voices (falsetto, normal, some quirky made up voice, deep, distorted by sound-effects), but the main things he is lacking are: volume and power.

Especially during concerts Prince voice can come over a bit weak and forced, because he seems to lack volume and power in his voice by nature.

He's definitely got one of the most diverse voices I've ever heard on record and live, but it's when he performs the song 'Diamonds And Pearls' live where I wonder about his vocal brilliance. I've never heard a satisfying live recording of that, it's always been Rosie who carries it off. I think his falsetto vocal is pretty much always jaw-dropping, but his 'deeper' voice is a little bit dodgy at times live in my opinion

Riverpoet31 said:

i totally agree. Sometimes it even appears apparent that he is uncomfortable singing live, moreso nowadays. Prepare to be challenged riverpoet, i sense alternate opinions are on their way!!!

Lol, haystak no need to hide in that box.

I agree, live he sure isnt no Otis Redding, Al Green or Marvin Gaye. Sometimes i even have the idea that on record he often uses effects (the echo on Purple Rain and Another Lonely Christmas) and quirky voices to hide his insecurity with his own singing abilities.

A positive thing on the other hand is that his voice seems to deepen, while he is getting older. Live footage from the last years even makes me think he has taken singing lessons, because he isn't forcing his voice as much as he did in the past.

3121, when it comes to Prince its about the 'total package' for me.

I think anyone here can agree that Prince isnt the greatest singer (I mean: we have people like Otis, Al and Van), the greatest songwriter (we have the Beatles, Joni Mitchell and the Finn brothers), the best lyricist (we have Dylan, Michael Stipe for example) or even the greatest guitarist (we have Jimi of course).

For me, Princes strength lies in versability, and his capicity to mix different music styles and deliver something new and fresh with it. I mean, he doesnt have to be the greatest singer for me to be admired as a musician.

Here's what this month's Q magazine has to say about Prince's vocal abilities in its' Top 100 Greatest Singers:


No 61:

With so much talent packed into such a compact, 5'2" frame, it's easy to forget that, on top of everything else, Prince Rogers Nelson possesses quite the sweetest of falsettos. No courtly loverman like Smokey Robinson, he's been obsessed with getting his end away like some permanently randy 14 year old right from the off: the title of 1980's Dirty Mind tells you all you need to know.

Factor in his androgynous image, and the erotically charged likes of Kiss and Do Me, Baby, (it) takes on a whole new layers of kinkiness.


Key Songs:

1. I wanna Be Your Lover
2. Do Me, Baby
3. 1999
4. Little Red Corvette
5. Let's Go Crazy
6. When Doves Cry
7. Purple Rain
8. Kiss
9. Sign 'O' The Times
10. If I Was Your Girlfriend




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[Edited 3/2/07 14:20pm]

Recently I was listening to the second side of Parade and just struck by how awesome his vocal is throughout that side.

i agree that diamonds and pearls never really is that convincing live.....I believe his flasetto is his strongest asset as a singer.

Some may disagree, but I believe that sometimes Prince gets nervous which in turn affects his vocal performance. I think this was particularly evident on American Idol last year. I didn't think it was a terrible performance, but I thought his vocals were a little shaky, and he seemed to lose his breath at the end of Lolita.

I think he sounds best when he is just sitting at a piano or playing acoustic guitar. The piano portions of the Lovesexy or One Night Alone tours and the acoustic guitar medley's of Musicology showcase his vocal talents perfectly.

i always thought 'damn u' was an excellent showcase for prince's vocal range and abilities, whether the song is your cuppa tea or not. he's all over the place in that song. i agree that his lower register can sound a little forced and more often than not it sounds a little derivative (hello, larry), but let's face it - he does stuff with his voice that most other singers wouldn't have the balls to try, let alone record. even when he comes out sounding a little wonky, at least he puts himself out there.

oh, and also - that scream in 'endorphinmachine' may be the most over the top vocal he ever recorded.

Accujack said:

very good examples of both good and bad