NouveauDance said:

murph said:

I suspect the few folks (and UK critics) dismissing 20TEN feel the same way as you...But instead of coming out with your straight forward reasoning, they utilize code words like it's not "diverse" enough or "groundbreaking"....

I don't see how standard Prince rock/pop affairs are "groundbreaking". Seems you're just trying to rely on the same old reasoning to justify why you think people don't like it.

Maybe they just didn't like the album because it's weak on fundamentals like song writing, composition, production, strong melodies and hooks, you know things like that.

Again, I said groundbreaking AND/OR diverse....

Which means (in terms of diversity), some folks are expecting Prince to do his standard genre jumping...Or some folks are expecting to hear more guitar (ie a rock sound) rather than R&B based ballads...It's easy to confuse Prince not bringing more diversity into his production style with being lazy or on auto-pilot...That is, if you forgot what Prince sounded like from 78 to 81 melody and song-structure wise....

I see no difference in "songwriting" fundamentals on 20TEN then songs on For You or Controversy...To me, the early Prince style was more straight forward and to the point...No noodling around musically....I get the feeling if a "Let's Work" type song was on this album there would be folks complaining about how it doesn't break new ground or that it's standard funk/R&B...

[Edited 7/13/10 23:24pm]

This CD is amazing. It grows on me more with every listen. I found myself singing 'Future Soul Song' out loud while walking down the street today.

For all the opinions on here about what you feel should have been done musically I think you should go into a studio and produce what you feel Prince should be doing right now. there should be enough musicians, songwriters, singers and producers on here to put it together. Show us that you really know what needs to be done to bring back the funk. Since you feel Prince has let you down.

To all the "haters" on here rattling on about the distribution method, the shirt, Bria, Jehovah, Larry's influence or whatever Prince has done to ruin your life keep on keepin' on.

This CD is amazing and every fan on here from the US got moist around midnight on the 9th of July anticipating a download of funk in your face!

WetDream said:

.

[Edited 7/13/10 17:48pm]

I was intrigued by your earlier comment regarding the U.S release, but it has been edited. Were you

just speculating or do you know something about the release that most of us don't?

Now I am intrigued as to why you chose to edit it. Care to clarify?

All I have to say is...

bring on the next album, I'm ready for it.

Make it half synthesizer funk like 20ten... half rock and roll... no ballads back to back... 12 songs at least.

murph said:

Which means (in terms of diversity), some folks are expecting Prince to do his standard genre jumping...Or some folks are expecting to hear more guitar (ie a rock sound) rather than R&B based ballads...It's easy to confuse Prince not bringing more diversity into his production style with being lazy or on auto-pilot...That is, if you forgot what Prince sounded like from 78 to 81 melody and song-structure wise....

Personally, I could use a little less diversity on an album sometimes.

I think Prince far too often has bought into the hype of him being a jack of all trades and we've had albums (even pretty good ones), where it's been a case of "here's the rock track, here's the dance track, here's the ballad, here's the quirky short track, here's the anthemic album closer". And so on....

I sat down with it this evening and gave it a listen while doing nothing else. Here's my track by track review:

The first song -- A c-rate remake of Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, which was already a d-rate song. Trite lyrics and chugs on for 4 minutes too long. Not even b-side material.

Second song -- Could have been on Rave, when he first started talking about a return to form, or whatever lingo he used when he finally realized, fuck it, I may as well just break out the Linn.

Future Love Song -- Standard Prince ballad. It's not terrible, but he's released this song like 9 times already. Wasn't Future Baby Mama on the last album? Maybe it's a theme.

Sticky Like Glue -- What a simile. Would have been an average b-side.

Act of God -- Another generic chugger that sounds as if it was written to play on Jay Leno, after which, it would never be spoken of again.

Lavaux -- He's ready to submit a track for Footloose II. As I said elsewhere, sounds like it might get interesting at 2:55, but that's only because it's anything but until that point.

Two lethargic tunes in a row, a theme song for a kid's show and an embarrassing 3 minutes where a 53 year old Jehovah's Witness tries miming the delivery of a Jag-bomb ridin', Ed Hardy wearing mofuckainshades.

Someone said For You sounded a more mature record, and while I've not played that album in years, I think they're right. D+

double

[Edited 7/14/10 2:23am]

Wall said:

I sat down with it this evening and gave it a listen while doing nothing else. Here's my track by track review:

The first song -- A c-rate remake of Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, which was already a d-rate song. Trite lyrics and chugs on for 4 minutes too long. Not even b-side material.

Second song -- Could have been on Rave, when he first started talking about a return to form, or whatever lingo he used when he finally realized, fuck it, I may as well just break out the Linn.

Future Love Song -- Standard Prince ballad. It's not terrible, but he's released this song like 9 times already. Wasn't Future Baby Mama on the last album? Maybe it's a theme.

Sticky Like Glue -- What a simile. Would have been an average b-side.

Act of God -- Another generic chugger that sounds as if it was written to play on Jay Leno, after which, it would never be spoken of again.

Lavaux -- He's ready to submit a track for Footloose II. As I said elsewhere, sounds like it might get interesting at 2:55, but that's only because it's anything but until that point.

Two lethargic tunes in a row, a theme song for a kid's show and an embarrassing 3 minutes where a 53 year old Jehovah's Witness tries miming the delivery of a Jag-bomb ridin', Ed Hardy wearing mofuckainshades.

Someone said For You sounded a more mature record, and while I've not played that album in years, I think they're right. D+

Since your opinion of the album was so poor in the first place, you should not have subjected yourself to another listen, let alone restate your predictable dissatisfaction in another too-cool-for-school mini-review that pisses all over other people's enthusiasm. It's definitely your right to dislike it, even hate it, and to inform the fan community of your disappointment, but pressing repeat on what you know will be a fam-cringer amounts to... well intellocratic masturbation with secondary benefits, the nature of which are well known to people with initials such as BVH .

Right, here goes. I've listened to it 3 times now in total and obviously, things change the more you listen to something, but I have to say that I'm really liking it.

It feels like a proper album, not just stuff cobbled together like Lotusflower/mplsound/planet earth, etc...

There's a flow to the album that's been missing quite a lot recently for me, but this has it and uses it well. Lyrically, well half the tracks are ok, the other half are either dumb or esoteric (read "up his own arse").

Musically though, I love it. It's like he's taken what he was great at in the 80's and meshed it with some of the harder edged sounds of the 90's. But at the same time, it sounds fresh and new. It sounds very focussed and for once, seems like he has bothered to listen to it more than twice himself to check that it flows.

If I ignore my own personal edit of Lotusflower, then to my mind this is the best album he's released in the last 10 years. Just wish he'd done another draft when it came to some of the lyrics, but hey, it's Prince. Musically, I like and vocally I like, so 2 outa 3 ain't bad at all in my book.

Happy!

Aerogram said:

NouveauDance said:

I was employed as a club dancer for many years if that helps.

Actually, it does! How long ago was that?

It's easy to completely dismiss Prince's new music. Bart and Wall are really riding the conventional view with maximum bluntness (as well as contempt for those who don't share their opinion). In a few years, the last 15 years will be reassessed and more nuanced opinions will emerge. But for now it's cooler to deride and follow the conventional wisdom. As for those who say this is the best since (insert your classic album's name here), that is the other extreme. The truth lies somewhere in between.

I think you just about nailed it with this particular point.

I feel this is his best album since 3121. It's not perfect but it is not as bland as I feared it would be reading some of the reviews here. I think it succeeds in what it is meant for - a free giveaway to promote a tour. It will make the used-to-be-a-fan-in-the-eighties listener happy, it should bring new fans on board and it will satisfy most hard core fans. Its a tough thing to pull off trying to please everyone (something I think he has been trying too hard at these past years). But somehow, going retro with his old sound has done the trick for me. I thought MPLSound was a pile of shite, but this, its older brother is much more on the button.

Compassion is fun! Im really liking the opening track. It flows perfectly and has a very upbeat sound that isnt over produced or cluttered with unecessary sounds and instruments/voices (something MPLSound suffered from). Probably my second favourite on the album, maybe because of the Controversy-esque feel to it. And it doesnt go on too long either so you dont have time to get bored with the song before it finishes, making you want to hear it again.

Beginning Endlessly is a grower. At first listen I thought it was pretty dull. It sounded like it would have been at home on Rave but after a few listens im starting to like it a lot. It still has a Rave aura about it to my ears but I think now that if it was on Rave then it would be one of the strong tacks on that album. I like the keyboard riff/break in it and the bass drums in the background (toms?) give it a dark warm feel which I like. I think this one is slightly too long and he may have gone over the top with the layered vocals which are very close and could have done with a bit of reverb and distance to them.

Future Soul Sound isnt so futuristic. At first I was expecting the piano intro to the Beautiful Ones to kick in when the song first started. It is a typical Prince number really. He has been making these songs pretty much his whole career in different guises with different production techniques. It has come to grow on me though and it isnt as bland as I thought it was upon first listen. Slightly over produced and a bit too clean sounding to my ears. Again, the layered vocals would have been better if they sounded a bit more organic and further towards the background of the song. There is some great guitar at the end of the tune but the vocals drown it out a little. I do like the song though and think my only critisism is in the production.

Sticky Like Glue, tastes like glue. I dont really like this one. It starts off well and sounds like something he would have done in the For You or Prince era. But it soon loses my interest. The beat is dull and the vocals seem a bit forced in places (an issue you sometimes have these days Mr Nelson). And then he starts a stupid rap about half way through and thats me then wanting to hit the forward button. The song just doesnt go anywhere in my opinion and has a bit of an identity crisis. A cross between a weak track on Rave and a weak track on For You. Neither one or the other and not good at all.

Act of God. A really cool track. It has a bit of a 3121 (the song) rythmn going on but in a more electronic way. The verses suck you in and are quite catchy with some funky guitar thrown in there too. The chorus (is it a chorus?) is a bit forgettable however. But this is a nice mid tempo funk number that he does well. It isnt ground breaqking in anyway and he has done many a tune like this. But it is one of his better attempts. Nice and short too which means it doesnt get too monotonous which it could have the potential for if it was a 5 minute number.

Lavaux. Cool retro eighties tune. I like the verses in this, they are catchy and are followed by a nice keyboard hook which sounds like it was played back in 1982. The song seems to give me a feeling of a Parade number though. I dont know why because it doesnt have the ingredients of a Parade sounding track. Maybe it is the mention of mountains in the 1st verse and the woa a woa a woa woa a woe towards the end. Or maybe im just nuts! Another nice short tune that makes you want to listen to it again.

Walk in the Sand, fall over in the sand and get the sand out of the crack of your arse. Been there, seen it, heard it before. Nothing really stands out to me on this. The drums are real on this one which does give a break from the linn, but it is a pretty boring break. The chorus is ok but the verses are very forgettable. This one could have come from Emancipation and would have been skipped on that too. Its not an awful song but I have heard this song a thousand times before on many Prince albums and didnt like it on those either.

Sea of Everything, sound of nothing. The previous track was a slow number so why follow that with an even slower one? This song is the worst on the album. NPS wouldnt even accept this one. Slow, meandering nonsense that goes nowhere with no tune and no melody and no interesting instrumentation. A smorgasbord of rubbish - fromage!

Everybody Loves Me, and because of this maybe I do again. Now thats what im talking about! My favourite on the album. Controversy here we come. Total retro Prince going back to his best. No fancy production to modernise the sound. It sounds like he dusted off his keyboards, drums, bass and microphone from the room labeled "Controversy era, do not open again". Brilliantly playful and great fun. I cant see anyone on these boards not liking this one. Well, not if they liked the early 80's stuff anyway. Perhaps those that prefer his 00's stuff may not get it but anyone who thinks Controversy was a good album should dig this tune.

Laydown. Well, what to say? I can see why he has put this on as a hidden track. It doesnt really feel a part of the album and is of a different ilk to the other tunes. I guess it could be called a B side track to the album. Im not really sure how to place this one. I like it I think. It has sounds in there that sound Rave-like but also has sounds that could have come from the Gold era. I hear something a bit like the song 3121 going on in there too somewhere. Perhaps there is a bit of trip hop vibe to it... perhaps... maybe. I just dont know. A hint at a new direction maybe? The song is short and just as I think im getting to grips with it, it ends abruptly. But Purple Yoda? What on earth? Purple bounce bounce? Gotta give it to the man, he shows no fear of ridicule. The dirty new sound... I like... I think.

So overall, a cool little album. Not as bad as some of the reviews on here but I do think it requires a few listens to get to grip with some of the songs. I think I will replace Sticky Like Glue with $, Walk in the sand with No More Candy and Sea of Everything with Ur Gonna C Me (MPLSound version). Then it is a wicked playlist.

[Edited 7/14/10 4:41am]

Rebeljuice said:

I feel this is his best album since 3121. It's not perfect but it is not as bland as I feared it would be reading some of the reviews here. I think it succeeds in what it is meant for - a free giveaway to promote a tour. It will make the used-to-be-a-fan-in-the-eighties listener happy, it should bring new fans on board and it will satisfy most hard core fans. Its a tough thing to pull off trying to please everyone (something I think he has been trying too hard at these past years). But somehow, going retro with his old sound has done the trick for me. I thought MPLSound was a pile of shite, but this, its older brother is much more on the button. Compassion is fun! Im really liking the opening track. It flows perfectly and has a very upbeat sound that isnt over produced or cluttered with unecessary sounds and instruments/voices (something MPLSound suffered from). Probably my second favourite on the album, maybe because of the Controversy-esque feel to it. And it doesnt go on too long either so you dont have time to get bored with the song before it finishes, making you want to hear it again. Beginning Endlessly is a grower. At first listen I thought it was pretty dull. It sounded like it would have been at home on Rave but after a few listens im starting to like it a lot. It still has a Rave aura about it to my ears but I think now that if it was on Rave then it would be one of the strong tacks on that album. I like the keyboard riff/break in it and the bass drums in the background (toms?) give it a dark warm feel which I like. I think this one is slightly too long and he may have gone over the top with the layered vocals which are very close and could have done with a bit of reverb and distance to them. Future Soul Sound isnt so futuristic. At first I was expecting the piano intro to the Beautiful Ones to kick in when the song first started. It is a typical Prince number really. He has been making these songs pretty much his whole career in different guises with different production techniques. It has come to grow on me though and it isnt as bland as I thought it was upon first listen. Slightly over produced and a bit too clean sounding to my ears. Again, the layered vocals would have been better if they sounded a bit more organic and further towards the background of the song. There is some great guitar at the end of the tune but the vocals drown it out a little. I do like the song though and think my only critisism is in the production. Sticky Like Glue, tastes like glue. I dont really like this one. It starts off well and sounds like something he would have done in the For You or Prince era. But it soon loses my interest. The beat is dull and the vocals seem a bit forced in places (an issue you sometimes have these days Mr Nelson). And then he starts a stupid rap about half way through and thats me then wanting to hit the forward button. The song just doesnt go anywhere in my opinion and has a bit of an identity crisis. A cross between a weak track on Rave and a weak track on For You. Neither one or the other and not good at all. Act of God. A really cool track. It has a bit of a 3121 (the song) rythmn going on but in a more electronic way. The verses suck you in and are quite catchy with some funky guitar thrown in there too. The chorus (is it a chorus?) is a bit forgettable however. But this is a nice mid tempo funk number that he does well. It isnt ground breaqking in anyway and he has done many a tune like this. But it is one of his better attempts. Nice and short too which means it doesnt get too monotonous which it could have the potential for if it was a 5 minute number. Lavaux. Cool retro eighties tune. I like the verses in this, they are catchy and are followed by a nice keyboard hook which sounds like it was played back in 1982. The song seems to give me a feeling of a Parade number though. I dont know why because it doesnt have the ingredients of a Parade sounding track. Maybe it is the mention of mountains in the 1st verse and the woa a woa a woa woa a woe towards the end. Or maybe im just nuts! Another nice short tune that makes you want to listen to it again. Walk in the Sand, fall over in the sand and get the sand out of the crack of your arse. Been there, seen it, heard it before. Nothing really stands out to me on this. The drums are real on this one which does give a break from the linn, but it is a pretty boring break. The chorus is ok but the verses are very forgettable. This one could have come from Emancipation and would have been skipped on that too. Its not an awful song but I have heard this song a thousand times before on many Prince albums and didnt like it on those either. Sea of Everything, sound of nothing. The previous track was a slow number so why follow that with an even slower one? This song is the worst on the album. NPS wouldnt even accept this one. Slow, meandering nonsense that goes nowhere with no tune and no melody and no interesting instrumentation. A smorgasbord of rubbish - fromage! Everybody Loves Me, and because of this maybe I do again. Now thats what im talking about! My favourite on the album. Controversy here we come. Total retro Prince going back to his best. No fancy production to modernise the sound. It sounds like he dusted off his keyboards, drums, bass and microphone from the room labeled "Controversy era, do not open again". Brilliantly playful and great fun. I cant see anyone on these boards not liking this one. Well, not if they liked the early 80's stuff anyway. Perhaps those that prefer his 00's stuff may not get it but anyone who thinks Controversy was a good album should dig this tune. Laydown. Well, what to say? I can see why he has put this on as a hidden track. It doesnt really feel a part of the album and is of a different ilk to the other tunes. I guess it could be called a B side track to the album. Im not really sure how to place this one. I like it I think. It has sounds in there that sound Rave-like but also has sounds that could have come from the Gold era. I hear something a bit like the song 3121 going on in there too somewhere. Perhaps there is a bit of trip hop vibe to it... perhaps... maybe. I just dont know. A hint at a new direction maybe? The song is short and just as I think im getting to grips with it, it ends abruptly. But Purple Yoda? What on earth? Purple bounce bounce? Gotta give it to the man, he shows no fear of ridicule. The dirty new sound... I like... I think. So overall, a cool little album. Not as bad as some of the reviews on here but I do think it requires a few listens to get to grip with some of the songs. I live in Zambia so we wont be getting it on the cover of any newspaper or on sale in the shops. That makes the internet my only option. I have a friend who used to be a big fan of Prince but Prince lost him in the early 90's. Every now and then I will burn a CD of his new music for him to see if the interest might return. It did for 3121 but then Planet Earth shattered his delicate recovery to this day. This one may do it for him. I didnt bother giving him Lotus or MPLSound so I may replace the duds on this album with a few tunes from those and give him what I think would be a very cool album. It may just work. Im thinking this playlist: Compassion Beginning Endlessly Future Soul Sound $ Act of God Lavaux No More Candy Ur Gonna C Me (MPLSound version) Everybody Loves Me Laydown For me, that right there would be a very very good, almost excellent album.

Shit the bed. Do you wanna go back and whack a few paragraphs in there, it's really hard to read and I know it'll put people off reading your review.

erik319 said:

Rebeljuice said:

Drivel Drivel

Shit the bed. Do you wanna go back and whack a few paragraphs in there, it's really hard to read and I know it'll put people off reading your review.

Dunno what went wrong there... Slow internet connection screwed the WYSIWYG editor removing all the html I think.

Edited above.

Rebeljuice said:

erik319 said:

Shit the bed. Do you wanna go back and whack a few paragraphs in there, it's really hard to read and I know it'll put people off reading your review.

Dunno what went wrong there... Slow internet connection screwed the WYSIWYG editor removing all the html I think.

Edited above.

yay! I have to say I pretty much agree with what you wrote.

Damn the critics. anyway i haven't had much time to read the comments from the community of Prince org but I describe this album as brilliant futuristic yet has the old prince sound.

I also found this album a fusion album of some his past work & past musicians which incooperated a new sound. I believe they are so many other songs are mixed up in the songs.

I can't believe some of you out there and critics haven't noticed this.

The reason I am not mentioning any of the songs that Prince has been influenced by is critics of prince will start coming out with Prince ripped of this song or that song but that's not how I see it it's a skill which only a GENIUS can do.

Veej said:

Sadly this is my least liked P album so far. Happy for those who are saying it’s his best since sign and all the other fams who truly adore it but I can’t get into it.

For the first time there’s not one redeeming brilliant song or possible single/s. Even during his patchiest periods there’s always been a few killers i.e., Rave's the surreal ‘Beautiful Strange’ (10/10), Musicology’s ‘Reflection’ (10/10) or 3121's ‘Black Sweat’ (10/10) (I know this song divided fans but I was proud of P knocking this out so late in his career). Even Planet Earth had ‘Chelsea Rogers’ (8/10)…what does 20Ten have that’s comparable or so great?

I like the first few songs but ultimately it’s a collection of average Prince songs capped off by a musical number with a title celebrating narcissism, says it all really.

1. Compassion – nice groove but goes nowhere, duff lyrics 4/10

2. Beginning Endlessly – Great hook, a fav track 7/10

3. Future Soul Song – good slow jam could be on Emancipation 6/10

4. Sticky like glue – nice cheesy funk 7/10

5. Act of God – what’s all the fuss about this song? 5/10

6. Lavaux – nice groovy blandness 5/10

7. Walk in Sand – like the cheesiest hallmark card on Valentines day 4.5/10

8. Sea of Everything – more cheesy romance 4.5/10

9. Everybody Loves Me – average musical number 4/10

77. Laydown – look at me everyone I’m still funky 4.5/10

78-88 Mind blowing

89-95 Still consistently good

96 - Patchy

Grateful that he’s still touring and amazing live – but he’s dead in the studio. Face down.

Someday You will come 2 ur senses 20Ten is a fantastic album. Damn U R very critical.

Sign of the times has been criticised - parade, Lovesexy, Black album has been criticised etc but only a Genius can test the listener and may he continue.

At least he doesn't play it safe!

Cool to see mostly great reviews around here for 20Ten. Pretty diverse opinions as well. Also cool. And the same ones that hate and shit on everything are here too!

After 4 or 5 listens I find myself humming melodies or hooks to certain songs when I'm not listening to it. Examples:

Beginning Endlessly- main keyboard riff

Future Soul Song- Chorus

Act of God- Ending chorus chant...the gospel type part

Laveaux- Main groove

Lay it Down- Purple Yoda (Lol)...and bounce, bounce feel of song

And yes maybe the guitar is a bit understated on 20Ten (it is) the grooves, feel good vibe, and fun is not.

Great album for the summer. Now, U.S. release?

And as far reviews go...I've seen crappy reviews consistently since Around The World In A Day.

Some worst then others. But it never has and never will influence what I like or how I listen. That's for me to decide. Thanks. That is all for now.

murph said:

Probably the most honest and well-written review of the new Prince album...My collegue Scott Poulson Bryant (former VIBE,SPIN, and Rolling Stone writer) pretty much nails it...

Whew! I was so nervous that I would once again have to start defending Prince to my friends and reminding them of the brilliance of his early years through the mid-90s.

I think I'm off the hook. This is a great album! Listening to it makes me happy. Some of the lyrics seem a little amateurish for someone who has been writing for 30+ years, but I kind of feel like 20TEN is my reminder that all I need to enjoy Prince is some interesting music and a well sung song.

There are definitely at least 4 songs that are worthy of singles. Possibly a couple more.

Beginning Endlessly

Future Soul Song *(my current fave)

Sea of Everything

Sticky Like Glue

I'm content.

It’s 5 days since the Daily Record included a free copy of this album and after half a dozen listens I’m now in the position where I can sing the chorus for 9 of the 10 songs while brushing my teeth.

The fact there is a memorable tune to the majority of the tracks puts this firmly in the “worth having” category of Prince albums, rather than the “self indulgent funk jam/drippy ballad” territory I worried he was stuck in a few years back.

Tony Parsons from the The Mirror must have known he wouldn’t be taken seriously when he declared this “the best Prince record in 23 years” but the NME’s being overly harsh when it calls it his best in 4 years.

There are several potential hits here – if only Prince was willing to play the game. “Act of God”, “Lavaux”, “Laydown” and “Compassion” are the most obvious with sharp, relevant lyrics and catchy hooks.

Fat cat bankers get it in the neck, there’s criticism of the war in Iraq and much talk about the price of freedom.

But Prince deliberately doesn’t play the game and although he hasn’t cut off his nose yet remember this is the guy who scrawled “SLAVE” on his cheek to spite his face. At times he overcomplicates his songs with elaborate production, stops them dead just as they’re getting going, or hides them away at the end after 68 tracks each containing 4 seconds of silence.

On top of that, his distribution method means you’re unlikely to hear these on radio and his ridiculous “the internet is over” stance means they can’t be found on You Tube.

Prince only wants to exist on his terms, on his own special purple planet. And the impact of his songs suffers as a result.

And that’s a shame.

Because while there’s nothing here in the same league as “Sign o’ The Times”, “Alphabet Street”, “Kiss” or “Gett Off” there is a lot of good material on “2010” which deserves to be heard and if given a chance, could become widely known.

Hidden track “Laydown” is a stormer with massive beats, big dirty synths and funk guitars. In the hands of Timbaland or Jay-Z it would dominate radio for months. What does Prince do? Packs it full of corny lyrics and cuts it dead at the very point you’re willing it to keep going.

Others are wrapped up in predictable shuffly synth sounds and multi tracked vocals that just sound mushy. When he lets it shine his voice is as good as ever and he’s capable of completely changing style and range from one song to the next and still sounding totally convincing.

His Jehovah’s Witness faith seems to be a priority these days but Prince still gets a massive kick from playing live and epic ballad “Future Soul Song” is getting great reactions from his recent shows with some fans tipping it for a Grammy.

For me, it borrows slightly too much from Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. Overall, I’d put “2010” in the same league as “Emancipation” era Prince and the closest he’s come in years to having hits that take over the world. He’s only got himself to blame for the fact this won’t.

Genius is good. But genius with discipline would be better.

NeoGeo24bit said:

PurpleKnight said:

I agree it comes closest to answering that question, but I disagree with the answer you think it provides. I think it plainly shows that Prince is best now when he accepts his age and makes songs with a full band.

As cool as 20TEN is, I'd rather have Prince make music such as Fury, Planet Earth (the song), Guitar, The One You Wanna See, 77 Beverly Park, Wall of Berlin and Dreamer. That's when he reached his critical best... with rock and roll... not Prince, Dirty Mind or Controversy style sounds. Those albums were always fringe/cult albums.

Some people think Dirty Mind is kind of a rock & roll sound--it's all live drums (as is Prince). Plus, he continued using the synth/drum machine sound on 1999 and Purple Rain, which were far more than cult albums--not to mention Purple Rain with all it's synths & electronic drums is probably still his biggest success with rock sounds.

[Edited 7/14/10 10:28am]

Compassion: Explosive in some areas, yet taking the time to percolate subtly in others. "Never B Another Like Me" meets "Dance On" with a slight dash of "PFUnk" and "Turn Me Loose."

Beginning Endlessly: First impression was that it was a 100x better version of "Undisputed" with inflections of "Magnificent." I like the hazy sounding echos and I enjoy the opening line as it seems somewhat complex to me.

Future Soul Song: I enjoy this. A good way to slow for a quick breather. Has that oft-used "R&B Sample" or one along that line (Used on tracks like "Rope Burn" from JJ - I think it's originally from a Parliament song but not sure). Better than the ballads on MPLSound, IMO.

Sticky Like Glue: Cool opening. Call the colonel, 'cause we got some chicken scratchin'. Took this track for me to realize, "hey, Prince is really bringing the funk on this one! 'Atta boy!" AWESOME use of overdubs at the end. I actually love the rap, but then again I love whenever Prince raps ("Strange But True" a guilty pleasure)

Act Of God: Reminded me of a Chic song in the way that the instrumentation was as engrossing as the vocals, forcing you to listen to everything as a whole all at once. The Gap Band does "Dreamer."

Great keyboard lines at the end.

Lavaux: Initially, hard for me to get over the "Automatic" similarity, but I love this track because it seems like such an effort to put out a "1999" or "Lolita" type track with a hot lead line. Actually brought to mind "Lovesexy" in certain parts. Like the lyrical concept of exotic locales (a funky James Bond title song)

Walk In Sand: Nice -n- mellow. Makes me picture the beach. I think he acheived exactly what he was going for.

Sea Of Everything: If this track had been around in the Emancipation days, it would have been 8 minutes long or something like that. I like how it takes its time to get its point across, and after meandering for just a tiny bit, closes out. To acheive a lead in off of the fade out of "Sand" that is more distinctive and interest-piquing he has to use a more unique drum pattern.

Everybody Loves Me: Like others have said, very reminicent of "OnedayI'mgonnabesomebody." Fused with "The Morning After." I frequently catch myself repeating "There ain't nothing to it but to do it." Lacks a little enthusiasm.

Laydown: I go back and forth on this one. It is very "Days Of Wild" on one hand, which is totally my jam, but there's just something about the tone of Prince's voice...meh. I don't know what it is. I enjoy the lyrics, the handclaps and distorted bass.

Overall, nice and solid. Totally trying to judge it on its own merits, but I put it on par with MPLS and Lotus, far above Rave and Graffiti Bridge (albeit slightly IMO), Approaching Parade yet definitely not surpassing it. I feel like Prince has found his new sound and has gotten away from the some of the rock-y stuff that doesn't stand out of the crowd (Hot Summer, Boom).

I dig it.

This album really falls apart in the latter half. Walk in Sand and Sea of Everything are as bland and boring as they come, and then the last two tracks are silly throwaways.

PurpleKnight said:

This album really falls apart in the latter half. Walk in Sand and Sea of Everything are as bland and boring as they come, and then the last two tracks are silly throwaways.

the first half is much stronger, true.

[I know you're not into the album, but] I feel that if the last two songs had been very strong this album might have been great. As is, think it's good-to-very good

NDRU said:

PurpleKnight said:

This album really falls apart in the latter half. Walk in Sand and Sea of Everything are as bland and boring as they come, and then the last two tracks are silly throwaways.

the first half is much stronger, true.

[I know you're not into the album, but] I feel that if the last two songs had been very strong this album might have been great. As is, think it's good-to-very good

The first half is growing on me, but fuck that second half is depressing. It loses its momentum completely.