listen to the Ritz march 22nd bootleg then listenm to something 2007 and hes voice is really different!!!

yeh , he used to only sing in falsetto then

So's mine ... it happens.

Yeah well, it's been 26 years, so what would you expect?

I would say he's become a constantly better singer over the years. He's managed to not only keep all his good qualities (such as his sound, his range, his energy) intact, but actually add some dimensions to it along the way.

Today he seems to have much more control; he's also become more confident and laid-back, while at the same time more free and daring in his treatment of pitch, rhythm and phrasing - actually reminding me more and more of Ray Charles.

Which in a way makes sense, since it's quite obvious by now that vocally he has nothing left to prove.

RealMusician said:

it surprised me at 1st when i started to listen to the songs. hes voice sounded weak and thin.

now it always sounds good and much more fuller. hes probably learnt how to keep it sounding good and on toyrs and hes most likely just developed a crtain way of singning now

RealMusician said:

I agree....vocally Prince has just gotten better with time.

Yes, that Ritz performance does sound weird compared to how he sounded a bit later and especially today. I read somewhere that he took singing lessons before shooting Purple Rain. Otherwise you can really fuck up your voice and your chords if you don´t get professional advice, see Justin Timberlake, who needed surgery.

Shi(f)t happens.

I noticed that when Musicology came out. I'm surprised he still has a voice cause nobody could SCREAM like Prince!!

I was listening to Broken and noticed the difference in his voice. It has definitely improved.

He's definitely honed his singing skills over the years. His voice now is a bit richer and more controlled than it used to be.

his falsetto is better now days but can we say the same about his real voice?
on 1981 tour and latter his clean voice had something very special.
but during emancipation period and songs his clean voice got something which can bother u sometimes.
for example i hate almost every version of purple rain,these days because of that.i think he could never sing purple rain as good as he did on arsenio hall show

i would agree that his voice now has "lost" some passion but i can understand over a 30 year career and thousands of songs he's done. the confidence in his singing has grown since that concert u've been listening 2

Im my opinion, Prince's voice is better in the 80's than what it is now. Compare his falsetto in the 80's to now.

no realy for example when you were mine live from new orleans 1981 controversy tour
when the drum stats to pound the beat and prince single in his real voice"new orleanssss" he can't do that stuff now.
althought he sometimes suprise me.
the gritty singing prince does on cinneman girl is fresh and uncharacterstic for prince.

Yup...his voice has definitely changed over the years. The warmth that he's gained in his voice melts me and sometimes makes me feel like I can wrap it around me like a familiar comforting blanket.

Damn, dude! You seriously have to wonder why a person's voice is different from when they were 25 years younger? C'mon, now!

RumAndRaisin said:

thebanishedone said:

I agree. Another performance of When U Were Mine on the Dirty Mind tour, Prince's falsetto was amazing. He hit every note perfectly. Even his adlibs were great.

Maybe he was much more creative in the 80s but he is , technically, a much better musician these days, which includes his guitar and piano playing skills AND his voice. And he seems to take more care of his voice these days, with air humidifiers and stuff, as mentioned in an interview during the Musicology tour.

There´s the possibility that some of you prefer the older live versions of his songs because they were fresher back then, and therefore the delivery was a bit more passionate ( because he was trying to prove a point and convey his emotions when singing certain lyrics ) and , after 20plus years, one probably doesn´t feel as passionate about a relationship he sings about as he used to, because the break up is a thing of the past and the wounds have healed, who knows. Technically, he sounds better than ever before.

therefor(e) typo edit
[Edited 1/12/08 5:41am]

no tehnicly his best singing was on 1999 tour and album.listen to the way prince harmonize vocals on little red corvette extended

L4OATheOriginal said:

Well "The Beautiful Ones" in LA on the Musicology tour say's different!

his voice has matured...one really notices this on the ONA live dvd as well.

Matured but still sounds great.

This just happened to come up on the top of my org page and since it seemed fitting to post it here..

KidaDynamite said:

i must admit i didn't pay 2 much attention 2 it since the song bores me now but i did like the passion he did during "the one" and that scream and the camera zomming in at the right time was on the money