I like it - definitely a change of pace. The only song I'm not happy with is Mr. Goodnight - it sounds like he's trying a bit too hard to be hip and 'relevant'. And fails. And there's a strange Carpenters feel from All the Midnights. Chelsea Rogers is discotastic. I think it works better because he doesn't sing lead vocal.

I'm not going to listen to the album too much as the quality of a couple of the tracks I got isn't great (esp. the title track and The One You Wanna C) and I know I'll like them even better when they're in CD clarity. Roll on Friday - release date in Ireland!

PopeLeo said:

Bring on CD quality!!!

Riverpoet31 said:

This is on point. Planet Eart and Lion of Judah chorus are kinda messy in a good way. I still cant abstract the arrangments of the songs, it´s like there is a lot of things going on on these chorus but there is nothing at all. I need to hear on CD quality.

[Do not, I repeat DO NOT, ask for bootlegs!]

I'd love to share the story on how it all happened. Sony really needs a few lessons on how to safe guard their sh*t.

lspear76 said:

I don't care about Sony, [Do NOT hint asking for boots - luv4u]

lspear76 said:

Those records sold very well. SOTT is widely considered a "great album" by most. As to the rest, I'll agree that PR stands as the only time Prince was "universally accepted".

To me, the only weak point of this album is that some of the lyrics seem tossed off and not very good. Overall, I like them. But in about half or more of the songs, there's a moment where I cringe.

Thoroughly underwhelmed is the best way to describe my feeling about what I've heard. I'm hoping that it will grow on me, because as it stands now--I don't even really want to listen to it again. (But yes, my ass will be at the wrecka stow buying the cd for my collection!)

(Some cut & paste from earlier thread and adjustments after hearing entire album)

Planet Earth 6/10 A six only because the music is nice. The lyrics are too sappy and cliche for my tastes, and it goes on too long.

Guitar 6/10 I like the version we downloaded in February better. If that version was on the album, it might get a better score.

Somewhere Here on Earth 6/10

The One U Wanna See 6/10 Don't really like it, and dammit, the chorus keeps getting stuck in my head! ;hammer:

Future Baby Mama 2/10 Hate the title, hate the lyrics (esp. the chorus), hate it all! I cannot stand this song.

Mr. Goodnight 8/10 Love it! The perfect combination of "I'm a pimp but still corny as hell." Someone at HQ pointed out that the "rapping" on this is more spoken word a la Irrestible Bitch and I think that's dead on.

All the Midnights in the World 5/10 Wow, this one is not nearly as bad as I was expecting based on everyone’s reviews. I might even like it. (I’m not getting the Starfish & Coffee comparisons, thankfully b/c I hate that song.)

Chelsea Rodgers 6/10 Very, very disappointed in this! This was the one song I was really looking forward to hearing because of the FUNK hype. The bassline is tight, but the rest of it is bad. Those damn horns and the lyrics! Not feelin’ it at all.

Lion of Judah 3/10 Had to fight the strong urge to hit skip on this song. Blech. Even the guitar work/solo can’t save it for me.

Resolution 5/10


Overall thoughts: The ones without comments are that way because I really can’t think of anything to say one way or the other. Which is pretty much how I feel about the entire album. I don’t hate it, but there’s nothing on it that makes me super excited either. I’m thoroughly ambivalent about it. (Did not feel the same way about 3121 and listened to that leak, too.)

Only two songs that I really HATE, one that I really like (compared to the others on this album—not to his whole catalogue). The rest are honestly kind of boring to me--too poppy or something. I figured that would probably be the case when I heard that Wendy & Lisa were on it. Not hatin’ on W&L, just saying I don’t really like the Prince/W & L sound. <--And yes, I can feel that way and still be a “true” Prince fan.

DevotedPuppy said:

Damn, you're one tough critic! Do you like *anything?* or do you just underrate stuff to show your "superiority"? You don't like rock, you don't like old ballads, you don't like country, you don't like new ballads, you don't like hippy rock, you don't like horns, what the hell do you like? Dayum!
[Edited 7/8/07 17:50pm]

Here is my review based on my first listen:

1) Planet Earth - Wow - this is the prince music that I really love. Very spiritual. The chorus is a little hokey though - 9.5

2) Guitar - a bit to poppy for my taste - Prince might have been able to save this song if he had extended the guitar solo at the end of the song instead of fading it out. Also, the gauitar part is too similar to U2's "I will Follow" 7.5

3) Somewhere Here on Earth - Really nice song - slow, moody jam - music slightly reminds me of "Always and Forever" - has that one night alone feel. 9.0

4) The One U Wanna C - the sequence of this song makes a lot of sense as it follows the slow moving "Somewhere Here On Earth" - personally I think this song is a'ight - a simple pop song - a toe tapper... but not a great song by a long shot. Again, Prince fades out the song during the guitar solo - ugh.... 7.5

5) Future Baby Momma - Those people that love the Prince ballads like Adore, Scandalous etc.. will love this. I'm personally not usually a fan of these types of songs so it's hard for me to rate this. 7.5

6) Mr. Goodnight - Prince felt the need to rap. Um.. Why? But, he talks it more than he actually raps - so it's not so bad. The song reminds me of Life O The Party - 7.5

7) All The Midnights In The World - The only word that comes to mind is "Cute" - I can see people trashing this - but it really isn't bad. I like it because it doesn't really sound like anything Prince has done before. 7.5

8) Chelsea Rodgers - Great disco-sounding funky dance song. Lead vocals by Shelby - but I don't know why because Prince could have easily sung this is his "I Wanna Be Your Lover" voice. The song itself sounds like a modernized version of Prince's late 70's / early 80's pre-1999 dance tunes. The song sounds great on first listen, but not sure how much I will like this after 10 listenings. If Prince was the main singer I would give it an 8.5, but he isn't - 8.0

9) Lion of Judah - Sounds like Wendy is playing the guitar on this (can anyone confirm?), and it sounds like Wendy is doing background vocals as well. Song reminds me of "Money Don't Matter 2 Nite"- but more "revolutionized". I liked this song - just proves Prince needs someone like Wendy involved in his music. Prince also does a pretty decent guitar solo on this song - 8.0

10) Resolution - This song is very poppy / bouncy - I was expecting something more spiritual in the vein of "The Ladder" or something more powerful like "Thunder". The good news is again, Prince does a nice guitar solo (though very understated), you can clearly hear Wendy's background vocals. This song, like the previous song has that Parade-ish sound to it. - 8.0


This was a hard album to rate - I have to say that I like the album because it has a lot of different types of songs / music / melodies, includes Wendy on Guitar and vocals on a number of songs. On the negative side, Prince can do better than this. He has the concepts but he just hasn't followed through. For example, a song title like "Guitar" should be a real kick-ass Guitar solo showcase - but instead we get a bouncy pop song. Also, an album title like "Planet Earth" could have made a really great spiritual concept album. I mean, he could have included a song like "There's Others Here With Us" on this, and it not only would have fit in, but it would have been spiritual, and one of the better songs on the album.

Best Song: Planet Earth
Worst Song: Mr. Goodnight

Album Rating: 7.875 (decent album, could have been better)

lspear76 said:

Seriously, if you really feel that way about the first 5 songs on this album, we got nothing in common. But it takes all kinds of P fans I guess...

lspear76 said:

Don't get it twisted...I don't think I'm superiour at all, honest! I know I don't know much about music...but I do know what I like. But yes, I'm a pretty tough critic, too.

So in my defense:

-I rarely give anything 10/10 because 10/10 is perfect, and nothing is completely perfect.
-Segues always get 1/10. (So even Wedding Feast gets a 2/10 by default, meaning 3/10 is actually pretty generous! )
-Thus, I'm basically working with a 2-9 rating scale, and I usually start every thing out with a 5 (neutral) and go up or down from there.

Also, I was trying to base my ratings only in comparison to other songs on the album. That's why Mr. Goodnight is 8/10. Compared to my all time favorite Prince songs, it would probably get a 6, but compared to the other sacchrin filled pop on Planet Earth, it rates higher.

I'm definitely not a hip-hop head--at least not what gets called hip-hop today. I do enjoy old school classics like Run DMC, Beasties (License to Ill), Sugarhill Gang, (vintage) LLCoolJ, etc. but I don't really like much of what the "kids" are listening to today. (Don't really listen to the radio at all, actually.)

My top 5 Prince albums (in chronological order):
Prince
Dirty Mind
Parade
Lovesexy
Black Album/Come (tied)

I'm one of those weird Prince fans who could take or leave SOTT and doesn't really like the Prince ballad. I don't think SOTT is a bad album, it's just not my style. (I like about 5 songs on it and prefer live versions over the album versions.) Same with ballads--doesn't mean they're all bad, I just find them boring. I think that's what's going on with PE. The music seems pretty good, not so sure about the lyrics. Doesn't mean it's a bad album, just not my style. Now Emancipation--that's a different story...lol.


Some of my other faves:
Sam Cooke
Parliment/Funkadelic
George Michael
Stevie Wonder
James Brown
Motown
New Jack Swing
Chicago House


Different strokes, right?


ps. if you think I'm tough, wait until you hear what VainAndy's gonna say about this album. I'm predicting it won't be pretty.


.
[Edited 7/8/07 18:19pm]

Your response was even more bizarre than your review. Who the hell is VainAndy and why do I care what he's going to say?

Anyway, there is no way that any person could think Mr. Goodnight is the best song on this album. There is no way. Not even a deaf person could make that mistake.
[Edited 7/8/07 18:22pm]

lspear76 said:

Damn, and I tried so hard to explain the method to my madness. Ah well, I guess it will just be one of those unexplainable things like the Bermuda Triangle.



VainAndy is a regular here who vehemently hates any Prince song that is remotely poppy or more importantly, unfunky; which means he pretty much hates everything since ATWIAD. I'm not even sure if he likes Purple Rain, to be honest. You don't have to care what he says--I'm just saying my review of Planet Earth will look like unconditional praise next to his. It was a joke.

I think the album as a whole is pretty good. I'm actually having some trouble getting into Planet Earth(the song), but thinking about it today, it took so many plays for me to actually like 3121 and same with Musicology. I really do like Chelsea Rodgers, Guitar, Somewhere here on Earth, All the Midnights in the World, The 1 U wanna C, Future Baby Mama (except for the title name within the song). The others i'm still playing. And as far as Mr. Goodnight, it's not THAT bad... and if any of u don't like it.. well, that's why we all have diff. tastes. Someone saying it's the worst song won't necessarily make me hate the song.


[Edited 7/8/07 18:43pm]

awruss said:

Thanks, I really enjoyed your review!

Anything Camille-esque? (The 'Camille' aspect of 3121's title track is why I consider it the best Prince song from the last 10 years!!!!)

Thanks again for the review.
[Edited 7/8/07 19:19pm]

it's cool because the album creeps into your skin. my first listen I had was "so-so" towards a solid third of it, but then as soon as I put my ipod down I found myself craving certain tracks, and eventually the album. I think it has the potential to do very well if people don't take the rumors to heart, and give it the listening it deserves. I think at the very least everyone will feel comfortable with a minimum of four tracks.

Damn, did lspear76 get banned? I clicked on his name to check out his profile and it doesn't exist.

Here is a review upon first listening.. my feelings hopefully will change on a few or so.. and please.. don't ask me how or where to get them.. the only thing thats leaked is some really low quality mp3's.. trust me.. wait a few days. i'm not gonna get all technical on these tracks.. just whether i dig them or not.. its been reviewed by plenty


Planet Earth - I like the lyrics, and I dig the melody.. I honestly think this is one of his best tracks in a long long time.. I'm trying to base this on the quality of the song, it sounds as if he spent some time writing the melody. It gave me that feeling his music did when I first started listening to him..The guitar solo is massively giant and infectious sounding also.

Guitar - This song serves its purpose I guess. Its radio friendly, and its not half as bad as anything on his albums in the last year.. so I guess this one will do..

Somewhere Here On Earth - I like this song, its a tiny bit too slow for me (i wouldn't drive listening to this) The vocal aspects of this song is incredible, he still has it, and perhaps his aging voice has become better for these types of songs. The instrumentation is very nice, I really don't hear "strings" like previously reported.. (altho it could be the mp3) It sounds as if its just a synth imitating true strings.. I'm very picky when it comes to that sort of thing, but here it sounds fine.. Its a nice slow jam, Most all his fans should dig this. The melody isn't his best, its more about the instrumentation here.

The One You See - I like it, its been reported before.. so i'll keep going.

Future Baby Llama - Been reported already..

Mr. Goodnight - Okay, Here is my thing about this track.. I don't dislike it, but neither to I like it.. The chorus is very standard r&b sounding, and the women singing just cheese it up for me. The rap is nothing special.. I was gonna give this the benefit of the doubt, but it really doesn't fit on this album. It is interesting to think about why he actually puts this stuff on his album.. This has been said by me more than a thousand times, but this is where a producer would scrap this song, and perhaps leave it as a b-side.. he is far capable of making better music than this..

All The Midnights - I like this one, its very natural sounding, and it contains a sweet melody that deserves plenty of listens. It reminds me of a piano driven british sounding song, I really dig the piano jammin on his songs, he needs to continue in that direction.

Chelsea Rodgers - okay, okay.. I see the merit here, I understand the musicianship factor. I hear its a nice jam.. but the women vocals totally killed this track.. It's funny to see everyone going ape shit about stuff like this, simply because I ask.. where the fuck are prince's vocals? predominantly its some woman who needs to be singing in a church, rather than on a prince record. aside from that. It's okay i guess.. i'll be skipping this one for a bit.

Lion of Judah - I'm hoping this track will evolve after future listens.. its a nice track, but I don't feel like the melody was fully developed, but its a nice track overall. all the previous reported things about it are as true in my ears. I think this one will grow. and i'm cool with that.

Resolution - An album highlight for me. It's a fully developed song with nice instrumentation. nice nice


I like the direction this album was heading to, and overall the good outweighs the bad. This album will still sound great in twenty years, unlike some of his previous efforts.. He was thinking ahead on this album, and I think with time this album will be something that will be pretty special for a prince fan.


.
[Edited 7/8/07 19:38pm]

Riverpoet31 said:

I was just telling my girlfriend something very similar to this. This album will polarize with its true pop sensibilities and quirkiness, unlike his recent efforts which were straight-forward by the numbers "genre" songs. I got into Prince for his ability to do all of this different shit, the unexpected nature of it, and this album is definitely unexpected in a good way. OH, and whoever said Lion Of Judah is a religious song, IT IS NOT!!!!!
[Edited 7/8/07 19:47pm]
[Edited 7/8/07 19:48pm]

I'd say it's average at best as an album but has a few great cuts which is what I'd also say for Musicology and 3121.
.

Planet Earth meanders a bit but the ending is fantastic.

Guitar is fine. Could have been an instant classic had he worked on the lyrics and added a guitar groove imho

Somewhere Here On Earth is also fine. It teeters a little too close to smooth jazz for my tastes but pulls back and maintains a cool jazz edge. .

The One U Wanna C is, as Ive said before a cross between Bon Jovi and Shania Twain. If you think thats a good thing, Id hate to be trapped on the infamous island scenario with your record collection

FBM -- By the numbers soul ballad. Bores me every time

Mr. Goodnight -- Filler

All The Midnights -- More filler

Chelsea Rodgers -- I think this is a great song and should be added to the live arsenal. It moves, its funky and has great vocal work. Best thing on the album imo.

Lion of Judah -- A nice guitar solo in an otherwise bland track. Would have left sealed this one in the vault with a "Listen to at your own risk" sticker atop it.

Resolution -- Would have made a nice b-side.

The one thing that Planet Earth shows more than anything is that PRINCE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE AN ALBUM THAT ALL OF HIS FANS WILL ENJOY!!! Too many people want different things from P. So to you Prince I say this: Keep doing what you're doing. Some will love it, some will hate it, but we all will talk about it!

(Oh, and Mr. Goodnight is the groove!! The reason why Prince makes songs like this is because they are fun, cool, and laid back. Every song doesn't have to make some grand statement, every song doesn't have to have some exotic or difficult arrangement and complex musicianship. Every song shouldn't re-write the book. More people should realize this. This is the perfect song to follow FBM. I'm willing to bet that those that don't like Mr. Goodnight are either
a) People who don't like Hip Hop
or b) Are Hip Hop "heads" who think P should leave MCing to the "professionals"

I am a fan of pretty much all types of music and can see the merits in the majority of it. I too have had problems with Prince's attempts at rap because they have always sounded forced to me. Goodnight feels and sounds different. It sounds like Prince was sitting in the studio one night, probably after one too many glasses of port, making this groove and speaking to some fictional girl that he "saw" that night. Hell, he's not even really rapping contrary to what some think (see type a) and it doesn't sound like he's trying to be some great MC unlike other songs he's made(see type b). He's grooving, and it sounds good to me.

It's so ironic to me that the song that everyone has raved about (Chelsea Rogers) is to me lyrically weaker than Goodnight yet people complain about Goodnight! I guess its ok to have weak lyrics when you're not listening to them because you're shaking your ass. Nothing against CR, but maybe if Goodnight was a disco-funk workout people wouldn't mind it so much! You gotta love this x-treme, "masterpiece or clunker", microwave "instant gratification", digital single download culture!)
[Edited 7/8/07 20:36pm]

Wall said:

I feel exactly the same. I think Chelsea Rodgers is my fave. It's right on that HOUSE MUSIC vibe line. I love it.

M

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

My only complaint about the song is that it ends too soon. I think live, or, as in days of old, on the 12 inch, there's lots of room to improvise with the funk and keep things fresh and rolling.

Planet Earth. the Sexy Review!

Planet Earth = 8.5 - I dig the music but it goes on for a bit too long.

Guitar = -2 - I didn't like it before, I still don't like and now I can't get the Twitch Twins and their leg guitars out of my head!

Somewhere Here On Earth = 10 - Lovely music! Beautiful vocals! There's my Prince!

The One You Wanna See = 9 - I can't dance to it but it goes good with my Tae Bo workout!

Future Baby Mama = 7 - Deductions for the title and for it sounding like he's sampling himself!

Mr. Goodnight = 8.5 - A mouth full of Rasinettes? WTH? That doesn't sound attractive!

All The Midnights In The World = 0 - Ummm...Hell to the naw!

Chelsea Rodgers = 6 - It's danceable!

Lion of Judah = 0 - Ummm...No!

Revelation = 5 - For the message in it.

Overall, I give it a 5. I don't hate it but I doubt I'll be blasting it much and pissing off my neighbors.

Wait for it.....

I'm thinkin'.....