When 3121 Dropped a few years back, I was so happy the Purple one got back to servin up some of those more electro-vibed, uptempo dance bangers. Musicology was one of my favorite Prince records of late, but it did'nt scratch the itch I had been having to hear some danceble, electro funky new Prince tunes. 3121 gave us that with "Lolita", "Black Sweat", and "Love".

Again, with "MPLSoUND", he gets back to that uptempo electro funk sound with the first 3 songs- "Another like me", "Chocolate Box", and "Dance 4 Me". I must say, I was not quite as satisfied with these 3 tracks, even with the usage of the classic Linn Drum snares and toms very present, that he made famous on some of his best recordings ever in the 80's - (I dug that he did that cause I LOVE those drums and I am actually trying to find an old Linn LM1 to fool around with..)

That being said, lets compare those tracks-

Lolita vs. (Never be) Another Like Me
I'm going with Lolita based on the fact that the 1st time I heard it, I immediately thought "SOFT AND WET 2006"..and dug the groove, and the reminescent poppy synth chords that hit thoughout the song. The way P kinda raps the vocals is prob his best attempt at rapping yet cause he doesn't push it too hard - it's funky. "(never be) Another like me" i think is an ok groove, (and actually has two elements from Teena Marie's hit "Square Biz", the backing female vocals screaming "ooooh" in the beginning of each bar, and the Piano roll..not an issue though) and actaully the music on the hook kinda sounds like some parts of music on the hook of the Time's hit "777-9311", which he wrote and performed of course, which is cool. Overall, I like the vibe of Lolita better.

Black Sweat vs. Chocolate Box
To me this one is not close. The minimalist, sparce funk of "black sweat" is right up the alley of some of his best works from the 83-87 era. His vocal performance is the sexyiest P has gotten on an uptempo electro dance groove since "Kiss", or "Rave Un2". The drum programming is top notch and just has that funk - really takes you back. Now, "Chocolate Box", if you have read some of my other threads about this track you know where I felt P found his inspiration for this joint - i'll stay off that here and just discuss what we are hearing in the joint. To me, that wierd electro sounding bassline throughout P's verses does not work - it sounds like a techno bassline, and is just off to me. The break down and Q-Tip's verse is cool, but that rap is far beneath Q-Tip's talent level, even though i do like the musical changes during his rap. P's electric guitar and synth garnishment towards the end of the song is dope, classic P - but not enough to save this one for me..Black Sweat Kills it in every category BY FAR. beat, vibe, funk, vocals, music.

Love vs. Dance 4 Me - tie.
I do like the Camille-esque vocals on "Dance 4 Me", and the guitar breakdown around the 2:32 mark of the song. Overall, it has a nice vibe, and funky flavor to it - but it is nothing groundbreaking for P. With "Love", I really dig the lush, etheral sounding music change-up right before the hook comes in. The simultaneous backing female vocals add a nice element and cool feel, kinda reminiscent of his early 90's works. "Dance 4 Me" is one of the few P tracks, maybe the only that kinda reminds me of Zapp & Roger; go listen to the vibe and music of "I Can Make You Dance" by Zapp & Roger - the way the bassline and vocals work together, even the words are a tad similar.

So is my final outcome that I like 3121 more than MPLSound? No - these 3 songs from MPLSound I have just listed are my least favorite from the two new albums - I LOVE just about every other track on both records, "Lotus' and "MPLS", with the execption of maybe "77 Beverly Park". I just thought these dance grooves were comparable, being that "Planet Earth" was all rock, "Musicology" was more RnB/Soulful, so over the past 5 years or so, these are the recent electro/dance tracks we have been served up by P. what do you guys think, which tracks do you like better between the two...and why?
[Edited 4/5/09 9:44am]
[Edited 4/5/09 9:46am]

here are my ipod ratings..

lolita, 3 stars, another like me, 2 stars
black sweat, 2 stars, chocolate box, 2 stars
love, 5 stars, dance 4 me, 4 stars

btw; 2 stars is as low as i rate....2 stars and 3 stars song i barely listen too...in fact 2 star songs are basically not listenable in my ears..too bad for mplsound that he opened it up with these 2 weak songs actually..

yeah, i gotta go with 3121 too but where Love fails is during the rap

he needs to just leave rap alone

Dance 4 Me also sounds like Love a little but has no rap so I like it better and it actually makes me wanna dance (if Justin Timberlake released this today as his single with his vocals it would be a huge hit)

Sometimes I just can't compare two songs because their mood is different...even if the songs can move your body in a similar fashion...

"Black Sweat," has a tough mood, that is slightly intimidating.
"Love," is just sweet.
"There'll Never be," is confident.
"Chocolate Box," has a light hearted flavor.
"Dance 4 Me," yearns 4 a stripper.

overall, the 3121 tracks are to me better...the tie would be Love and Dance 4 Me, but, the only thing is, as much as I love Black Sweat, that high pitch thing always hurts my ears. Otherwise, i think its awesome. I have heard a boot of his 3121 club days where he plays it, sans the high pitch thing, and it was Grand.

3121 is a better album, in my opinion, and it shows in these songs. The only one of the MPLSoUND tracks you included here that stands up to those 3121 cuts if "Dance 4 Me". However, I do really like "Valentina", "Here", "Ol' Skool Company" and "No More Candy 4 U".

Dance 4 Me is about on par with Black Sweat and Love for me.


but Lolita and There'll Never B both suck really bad.

Chocolate Box ... is somewhere in the middle. i think it's this album's Incense & Candles, actually. trend-chasing and lame, and the epitome of everything that's been wrong with Prince's music in the last 10 years, though relatively inoffensive and slightly charming in their wackness.


but why don't we just arbitrarily tip the balance in MPLSound's favor and put Dance 4 Me, Valentina and Ol' Skool Company up against Lolita, Incense and Get On the Boat?


i mean, if we're going to stack the deck, turnabout is fair play

For me it goes

1. Dance 4 Me

2. Lolita

3. Black Sweat

4.NBALM

5. Choc Box

6. Love

I only love Black Sweat of the six mentioned. But overall, MPLSoUND is the better album.