FIRSTLY, this doesn't belong in associated artists as I'm discussing Prince as a producer.

Okay, I just got Chaka Khan's Come 2 My House the other day and I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Prince co-wrote and produced almost the entire album and it doesn't sound like he even bothered with it.

With the exception of the a few pleasant ballads and the wonderfully hypnotic title cut, most of the album blows. Couldn't he have given Chaka some decent funk workouts to play with? Pop My Clutch? Seriously? Is that the best he could do?

Prince seems incapable when producing other artists to leave his ego at the door and let the artist shine. Chaka is not just one his vanity projects, she's a legend in her own right and she really deserved better from Prince than this.
[Edited 6/7/08 1:29am]

MattyJam said:

*

Oh, and Democrazy is the most embarassing 'thing' Prince or Chaka has ever worked on.

And I'm including Jughead in that.

The album (like GCS 2000 & New Power Soul) was a snooze. But does Chaka really matter musically anymore? Even 10 years ago? Did Prince let Carmen Electra down by producing an album for her? Or Martika? Any of the other people he's worked with? Chaka is obviously top tier of that crop & had a lot of success prior to working with Prince, but what else was she doing in 1998?

It seemed werid that the new Prince Cd was include in a box set with Chaka and Larry G. I remember an aritcal that called them the something like "the old acts" or "The golden oldies tour".


Wasn't like Prince's stuff was flying off the shelf at that time.


Why do so many folks hate on Jughead?

MattyJam said:

ok i just put it on to confirm

That album was not very successful in the commercial sense but it got a few very positive reviews, like for instance in VIBE magazine, and I remember rapper DMX calling it one of his favorite releases of the year.Sure, some songs are not that great and timeless but all in all, I quite like it. Too bad that it got forgotten so quickly due to lack of promotion and the turbulent times back then.
Prince ´s idea of reviving his old heroes´ careers shows he has noble intentions but, even back then, he had become something of an oldie act himself, and it wasn´t really like he was being successful in putting Larry G and Chaka on the map again when he himself had almost become forgotten by the casual listeners.
[Edited 6/7/08 8:19am]

The songs' concepts were ok, but the cheap production (drum programming, etc.) prevented the songs from being what they could've been.

"Betcha ," under more organic circumstances -- as in, a real live band -- could have been a jam.

Instead, the lackluster production robbed such songs of any semblance of life. The result was cheese.

I like this album alot Prince did a superb job with the production.Chaka gets funkier here than she has in years.It's better than Prince's own 'New Power Soul',although that's not saying much,lol.


Favorite songs: title track and "Drama"

SoulAlive said:

NEW POWER SOUL is one of my Top Ten favorite Prince albums.
'Drama' is my favorite track on the CD. It's ok but it
never shines.

SoulAlive said:

Her last album Funk This is much funkier than anything on Come 2 My House.

The only remotely funky tracks are Reconsider and Hair (which is a cover of an old GCS song).

If Chaka really is one of Prince's heroes from back in the day, then giving her a bunch of lacklustre, half-written tracks to sing is hardly a decent way to pay homage.

The whole project just seemed so half-hearted.

SoulAlive said:

Are we talking about sales or if we liked it?

Sales: He did a terrible job
US: He did a great job
[Edited 6/7/08 12:59pm]

I think it's good.

A bit too long, but Prince's production & playing are damn near perfect. It's about the best thing he did between 1996-2001, with the possible exception of The Truth.

I think he's more engaged here than on Emancipation.

MattyJam said:

R U guys kidding me - this is one of my favorite Prince produced projects - how could u not enjoy the funky "BETCHA I" for that one song alone i would buy the CD all over -

My faves:
Come 2 Ny House - nice album opener
Crazy life of Mine - sweet ballad of reflection
Betcha I - I love this Song - fave off the CD
Spoon
Pop my Clutch- (it gets funky towards the end)
Reconsider - cool & jazzy
DRAMA - excellent ballad

these songs are way better than what he produced fro her in '80's - Eternity ans Sticky Wicked

viewaskew said:

Of course Chaka matters musically now! We need to get away from having a hit record right now means you matter musically. Listen to the crap out there on the top 10 right now. Very little of it will be considered a classic. Does Mozart still matter? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Chaka is Mozart, but what I am saying is that as long as it is out there on vinyl, tape, CD, etc. it can be heard and still be a treasure and influence, not matter how old.

This is why folks need to be specific. Are we talking about impact on the music scene or just our enjoyment?

It's a great album, and it was well produced.

Funny that no-one has mentioned "HAIR". That just JAMS.

~G

I look at it as a compliment to Chaka that she got the best out of Prince at the time. C2MH is miles above and far away from GCS2000 and a more consistent set than NPS.

It's just very unfortunate that it wasn't until 1998 that these two got to make an album together.

"Chaka will always matter".

Co-sign. I liked how P took the drum beat from one of the "Purple Rain" movie instrumentals and slid it under "Come To My House". I wouldn't compare her CD to the old stuff, but I dug Chaka's CD more than "G.C.S 2000".

"G.C.S 2000"????..Now THAT was a major letdown.

I don't own GCS2000. The sight of Larry in a sailor outfit put me off.

Is it really that bad?

I've listened to the C2MH a few more times over the last week, and whilst some of the production is a little dated and a few of the songs are below par, it has infact grown on me.

Hair is my jam on this record - one of the few instances where a cover actually improves on the original. And I'm always a sucker for Clare Fischer and his string arrangements. That guys a genius!

SPYZFAN1 said:

that part is sheer genuis! I love the way he did that.Gives the song a haunting feel.

I wonder if "Chaka mad".

MattyJam said:

It's got that same soul-less post-Emancipation production as NPS and C2MH, only it's got Larry's vocals upfront.

If you didn't like 'Democrazy', then from the first note on GCS2000, you are gonna be in Hell. There's a few moments like Democrazy, with the rest of it falling into the 'mid-tempo funk drawl' category, oh and the ballads are excruciating.

It's one of Prince's best produced CDs for other artists along with Jill Jones'.

Like someone said before me, it is to me his best work between 1996 and 2001.

usamud said:

-----
Co-Sign. "Funk This" is great and won a grammy. You got people on this thread who do not like RnB music commenting when they should stick to what they know.
And "Come To My House" got great reviews.

laurarichardson said:

Would anyone really be here if they didn't like R&B?

That's right Soul! "Haunting" is the perfect word.

NouveauDance said:

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You can't tell from the comments on this board. You have some who don't seem to like it at all and some who do not even see P has an RnB artist