How do u tell a bad review of a Prince album?

1) somewhere it will mention "pint sized" or small or tiny. 30 years in every one knows he is short what's the point?

2) "This album is a return to form" or "this album doesn't compare to Purple Rain".

3) "the album is self-indulgent" - makes absolutely no sense. who is prince supposed to indulge? And what does that "other" indulgence sound like? So "computer blue" and "the beautiful ones" aren't self-indulgent right?

4) some mention of "the artist formally known as....". Okay he's been Prince again for 8 years.

5) The album is hit or miss. when really was a Prince album not hit or miss depending on the listeners specific taste. The only reason Purple Rain is not considered hit or miss is because the hugeness of the event tends to gloss over the individual tracks people may like less than others.

feel free to add on

I've always hated the word "revisits"; i.e. Prince revisits his old sound.


Also the "..just as good as Purple Rain" or "better than Purple Rain".
Eech release should be measured on it's own merits not repeatedly compared as if they are the same scale of measurement. You can't compare Schinder's List to Close Encounters even though they have the same director. If someone said Saving Private Ryan just as good as Jaws, you'd call them crazy. Even though it the same director, They are entirely different levels of expression and different stories.
[Edited 7/18/07 7:34am]

Common, just like you are putting reviews in a box, reviewers do just that to make a review understandable for the masses.

Prince will always be judged on the prejudice people sport about him, like 'the purple midget' and his biggest works. I see Sign O The Times pop up alot in reviews of Planet Earth, but I understand.

It's his own fault for letting these things linger by staying safely put in his non-communcative world.

HamsterHuey said:

u are really quite annoying. Are u a reviewer yourself? U seem kinda defensive. Its always Prince's fault right. I've seen quite a few interviews with him in the last decade. I doubt that has anything to do with how they review his work.

tricky99 said:

Now who is defensive? If you are not up to ALL opinions, don't start a thread. It just is kinda telling you like to put everything in boxes yourself, then blame reviewers for doing the same. I just found it a bit funny.

Thanks for calling me annoying, I would call it 'having an opinion' myself.

And I do not blame 'everything' on Prince; some reviews are somewhat digging deeper than others; as are Prince's songs, some go somewhat deeper than others. There's a market for all of them.
I kind of blame shallow reviews on the fact that Prince keeps a shallow report with the press. What comes around goes around.

tricky99 said:

The I know how it works for everyone poster?

I think it's a devaluation of Prince.

PS, I am a JT IS BETTER THAN PRINCE poster today.

I will go back to GENERALLY SLUTTY POSTER tomorrow, promise.

HamsterHuey said:

thanx for bring vinegar to a keg party.
[Edited 7/18/07 10:25am]

I think you mean "rapport", not "report" in regards to Prince's relationship to the press.

tricky99 said:

When they say "this is the best Prince album since Sign O The times"

The article still calls him "The artist formerly known as Prince"! That pissess me off

Uses "formally" instead of "formerly". If a review is gonna fill space by using the old name, at least do it right!

see #4 on your list.

whendovescry2000 said:

You're welcome, I hope someone brought some sweet sauce, cuz there's alot of sourness.

Reviewers are basically useless. You could, and often do, get dozens of opposing reviews about the same album. People should make up their own mind--in this digital age of piracy and online music--it is just being lazy to let a reviewer influence your decision one way or another. Your opinion on what is good/bad in music is all that counts.




Prince, or any artist, doesn't have to (and shouldn't usually) justify/explain their art for people--especially for critics.

Nothing kills the mood more than having someone "explain" to you A. What the art is about and B. If it is "good" or "bad".
[Edited 7/18/07 21:30pm]

skywalker said:

I completely agree with you. Elvis Costello compared writing about musicto "dancing about architecture", and he's right.

tricky99 said:

right on.. check this out... lol

http://www.prince.org/msg/7/235196


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