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Reply #30 posted 03/25/09 5:58pm

ThreadBare

I think Prince's versatility at different genres is one of the hallmarks of his work and is frequently acknowledged. From "For You" onward, he's included all sorts of styles (sometimes within a song -- "Computer Blue," "Crystal Ball" and "Joint 2 Joint" are genre-hopping journeys, for example).

I think critics' comfort with that versatility has been uneven throughout his career and the corresponding evolution of pop music, as well.

That said, Prince is not a master of all of those genres (think Herbie Hancock in jazz, Jimi Hendrix in electric blues or Steve Vai in "rock" guitar composition or Stevie Wonder in R&B songcraft), though it can be argued that few other famous artists seem so adept at referencing genre giants in his own usually unique creations.

And, it's worth noting that a LOT of his most diehard fans (i.e., folks on the Org) tend to be music listeners with sprawling music libraries. The same is true for most music journalists and critics. If someone says that a Prince song falls flat (and that DOES happen sometimes), he's often received here as someone who wouldn't know his Piazzolla from his Puccini or his Pattituci or his Plies.
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Reply #31 posted 03/25/09 6:41pm

NuPwrSoul

ThreadBare said:

I think Prince's versatility at different genres is one of the hallmarks of his work and is frequently acknowledged. From "For You" onward, he's included all sorts of styles (sometimes within a song -- "Computer Blue," "Crystal Ball" and "Joint 2 Joint" are genre-hopping journeys, for example).

I think critics' comfort with that versatility has been uneven throughout his career and the corresponding evolution of pop music, as well.

That said, Prince is not a master of all of those genres (think Herbie Hancock in jazz, Jimi Hendrix in electric blues or Steve Vai in "rock" guitar composition or Stevie Wonder in R&B songcraft), though it can be argued that few other famous artists seem so adept at referencing genre giants in his own usually unique creations.

And, it's worth noting that a LOT of his most diehard fans (i.e., folks on the Org) tend to be music listeners with sprawling music libraries. The same is true for most music journalists and critics. If someone says that a Prince song falls flat (and that DOES happen sometimes), he's often received here as someone who wouldn't know his Piazzolla from his Puccini or his Pattituci or his Plies.


Thanks, I think that's what I was getting it, though in a roundabout way smile
"That...magic, the start of something revolutionary-the Minneapolis Sound, we should cherish it and not punish prince for not being able to replicate it."-Dreamshaman32
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Forums > Prince: Music and More > Prince's diversity is a double-edged sword