RichardS said:

I often browse but rarely post. Can I just ask - is the only reason BartVH posts on here to 'shout' at us for being stupid/wrong for still liking some of the things Prince does?

Just ignore him, it's all he's done ever since he started posting on amp way back in the day. When you've read one of his posts, you've read them all.

Well, I like it way better than MPLSound simply because I felt there was more interesting linn beats on it. And the synths. Love the retro 80's vibe and even felt a bit 70's on the ballads. The hardest songs for me to get into was Everybody Loves me and Laydown. I am just picturing my 14 year old dissing Laydown for trying to imitate someone lame she listens to. I agree with the statement that I will probably forget this album like PE at some point. Still not sure what he wants to sing about. I feel his most artistic album lyrically and musically in a while was Rainbow Children. It's like, does he want to put out a religious album or a secular album so he is just riding the fence on the lyrics? So he isn't happy cause its not what he wants to say and I'm not happy because he isn't really saying much? Like there are these political and romance lyrics jumbled all over the place but I walk away going huh? I think he should pull the trigger and go full out for what ever it is that is his passion. If it all sounds like Rainbow Children oh well. At least it would be honest and then we would get those monumental cohesive albums he writes. All in all, not bad though.

Prince - 20ten (My opinion, which I am entitled to, like it or not. And if not then kick me out of the commune. PEACE!)

Musically it's OK. A bit over produced and busy in areas but without the lyrics I could almost enjoy this album and consider it better than 'OK'. As for the retro sound, I understand what he is doing, and while it worked to a point on MPLSound, I think he should have left well enough alone. If I want retro I can listen to the original albums. Also since when does Prince bow down like this? That's one of the whole points of his music. It doesn't sound like anything else to include his
previous works.

Lyrically... where do I begin? I want so much to like the positive messages and romantic sentiments but most of the lyrics don't have any flow to them. I read years ago how David Bowie came up with lyrics by writing down his thoughts and copying phrases and quotes he'd seen or
read and then would work them together for lyrics to his songs. Somehow it seems like Prince is doing this but he's not smoothing them out, they just ramble on.

And even though Laydown is possibly one of the best sounding songs on this egotistical mess, with lyrics like 'from the heart of Minnesota here come the purple Yoda guaranteed to bring the dirty new sound' which honestly makes 'My name is Prince and I am funky' sound like Tolstoy, he's going to be laughed out of the business and considered 'done' by anybody except the 'extreme hardcore fans.'

Thankfully there's no sign of anything even remotely akin to 'Purple & Gold' however 'Hot Summer' & 'Cause & Effect' might have been OK on this project.

B.L.U.F. : This album is perhaps the best argument for him to go back to doing what he did with stuff like, N.E.W.S., C-Note & Xpectation! Let's get back to making real music (preferably heavy on the guitar jams (personal favorite)) for real music lovers, throw in a vault song or two now and then and quit trying to cater to the masses.

I'm amazed at some of the hate for this album I've seen here (I don't know why it should surprise me really) but seriously if you don't like this you might as well just never check fro Prince again. I can see saying it's not groundbreaking or some next level shit ... but to not even be able to enjoy it for the fun little album it is? WOW

I love Prince, he's given us so much.

Thankyou. This album is great.

alexnvrmind said:

Lyrically... where do I begin? I want so much to like the positive messages and romantic sentiments but most of the lyrics don't have any flow to them. I read years ago how David Bowie came up with lyrics by writing down his thoughts and copying phrases and quotes he'd seen or
read and then would work them together for lyrics to his songs. Somehow it seems like Prince is doing this but he's not smoothing them out, they just ramble on.

And they don't fit either, sometimes he tries to cram in too many words rather than finding a more elegant rhyme. It's a really bad habit he's exhibited in recent years and can knock an otherwise fine track down a couple of notches for me.

alexnvrmind said:

Thankfully there's no sign of anything even remotely akin to 'Purple & Gold' however 'Hot Summer' & 'Cause & Effect' might have been OK on this project.

Totally. In fact, I stuck C&E and Hot Summer on the end of the album on my iPod and these two tracks followed Laydown really made me hear them in a better light, especially Cause & Effect.

alexnvrmind said:

B.L.U.F. : This album is perhaps the best argument for him to go back to doing what he did with stuff like, N.E.W.S., C-Note & Xpectation! Let's get back to making real music (preferably heavy on the guitar jams (personal favorite)) for real music lovers, throw in a vault song or two now and then and quit trying to cater to the masses.

Again, I agree. When you're making a toss-off electropop album, there really is nowhere to hide, so it has to be great songs, punchy production - For me, Prince has lost this ability, but he still puts out some great stuff in the vein of TRC and Lotusflow3r, that's where his strengths are these days IMO, not in trying to sound like whatever is fashionable in US teen black pop these days.

[Edited 7/9/10 11:33am]

james said:

In the UK, has this album been promoted ANYWHERE? (other than in the Mirror, and on their website.)

I only heard about this release a few days ago... on here... and I'd concider myself a pretty hardcore fan!!

The shame of this is, that unless you read The Mirror anyway (and few do), the public won't have heard anything about this new Prince album! Very poor promotion.

Caught an ad for it on TV this afternoon whilst flicking channels.

NouveauDance said:

And they don't fit either, sometimes he tries to cram in too many words rather than finding a more elegant rhyme. It's a really bad habit he's exhibited in recent years and can knock an otherwise fine track down a couple of notches for me.

I completely agree. One of my current pet peeves about his work is his lyrics seem so painfully forced into music where it doesn't belong, and its like fingernails on a chalkboard its so awkward. Its so strange too because he used to make everything flow so beautifully, making even inane lyric sound cool.

Tinchy stryder on prince Because I write, it’s normally the lyrics that catch me first. With this album it was the music and the beats.

I think that says it all.

I've only heard the snippets so far, but the vocals and lyrics are horrid.

Can we get an instrumental version?

Seems like many of you like Future Soul Song a lot more than Walk in Sand and Sea of Everything. Why is that? FSS (to early to abbreviate?) has a wondeful chorus and lovely guitar, but WiS and especially SoE has a better verse. No?

after listening 2 20ten:

this album is a great way to start a new decade of prince being in the music industry for 30+ years.....its like dirty mind, 1999, emanicpation, rave, planet earth and lotusflow3r/MPLSound were all meshed together into 1 album

Just listened to it first time through. Not feeling it.

I like this better than anything he has released since Musicology. Each album since Musicology has been overreaching either artistically or commercially. This one has a homespun, matter of fact feel to it. What it lacks in ambition it makes up in craftmanship. Although some of the tracks are radio-friendly, he doesn't try something hopeless like Chocolate Box (i.e. his version of radio friendliness). It defnitely has a retro feel but it's a good fit for a "genre" we'll call "Classic Prince Album" (attempts at bringing to mind any of his classic albums from Dirty Mind to Lovesexy).

Timmy84 said:

fabriziovenerandi said:

I agree. My impression is Prince slaved away to make this 35 minutes album.

I don't know about that, sounds like he slept on most of them lol

infact he sing he dream a lot

james said:

Tinchy stryder on prince Because I write, it’s normally the lyrics that catch me first. With this album it was the music and the beats.

I think that says it all.

I've only heard the snippets so far, but the vocals and lyrics are horrid.

Can we get an instrumental version?

IT has been promoted on channel 5 by the mirror, but the ad was terrible

Personally I think it's bloody marvellous

2the9s said:

Has anyone gotten their t-shirts yet?

What TShirt?

I am feeling so lost.

Quick run through, I am liking it for the most part....I am bopping my head without even thinking about it.

Might be on a steady repeat tonight.

RW's Verdict on the new Prince album

OK, after I ripped this CD, I discover the strengths of Act of God and Lavaux so I'm viewing those tracks differently than I do on constant listen. Where I thought there was some weakness and my focus on lyrics, when you play it in the stereo, you can groove to 'em because it's definitely deep in the funk, as is "Sticky Like Glue". "Laydown" sounds better in the stereo but I still can't get passed the lyrics and Prince's continued embrace of psuedo hip-hop funk so it's still a lowpoint plus like I said that song ends real abruptly. Now as for "Compassion", I think it's a weak opener. "Beginning Endlessly" sounds nice and the second half is bonkers, it drags during the first half IMHO. "Future Soul Song" is still enjoyable and I still haven't changed my mind on it so to me it's the best track on the album. Like I said I've grown on "Sticky Like Glue" (I'm past that annoying rap), "Act of God" and "Lavaux" but I still think "Walk in Sand", "Sea of Everything", "Everybody Loves Me" and "Lay Down" makes this album not so enjoyable but he's kinda redeemed himself in the bit that he still has that old school charm.

So the real standouts to me are:

Future Soul Song

Sticky Like Glue

Act of God

Lavaux

Compassion is OK.

Beginning Endlessly picks up near the end.

And the other tracks are turds.

As for it being his best since "Sign O' the Times", it's just not, maybe better than, say, "Musicology" since that one kinda dragged on and on. It holds up as far as 52-year-old Prince is concerned but comparing it to any of his '80s classics is a little too much.

Timmy84 said:

As for it being his best since "Sign O' the Times", it's just not, maybe better than, say, "Musicology" since that one kinda dragged on and on. It holds up as far as 52-year-old Prince is concerned but comparing it to any of his '80s classics is a little too much.

Tony Parsons, for a supposedly well regarded music critic, he must have been really behind on his rent or had a pistol to his head to be coaxed into such shameless pandering of a newspaper. Now, I doubt he would even have a problem if The Daily Mirror asked to work as sign holder for the corner newstand dressed as Apollonia.

I had to edit his name in here for the google tracking bots,

[Edited 7/9/10 14:30pm]

violetblues said:

Timmy84 said:

As for it being his best since "Sign O' the Times", it's just not, maybe better than, say, "Musicology" since that one kinda dragged on and on. It holds up as far as 52-year-old Prince is concerned but comparing it to any of his '80s classics is a little too much.

For a supposedly well regarded music critic, he must have been really behind on his rent or had a pistol to his head to be coaxed into such shameless pandering of a newspaper.

I wouldn't doubt The Daily Mirror will have him working as a sign holder dressed as Appolonia in front of a newsstand on Saturday.

Yeah I was kinda turned off that he would make such a statement considering when Prince made "Sign" he was hungry to always better what he initially put out at the time. Prince has basically relaxed into a more settled down performer who is only doing this because he has nothing left to prove. But he's not 70, I still think there's a fight left in Prince but it seems he's just running on auto pilot but that doesn't mean every album he's done since "Sign" isn't totally terrible but it's like for someone to make a bold statement like that, Prince would have had to go all out. However, I think because Prince has settled into a religiously devout, older, respected music legend, I guess anything he can put out once compared to what mainstream pop puts out is always gonna be seen as better but compared to what Prince used to put out, it's not enough.

prijsbeestje said:

and the award for the most friendly org member is tataraaaa !!!! bartvanhemelen .he is always so friendly and positive .

Yes, evil me, pointing out the lies people say.

Let's see:

- people lying = a-okay

- people pointing out lies = evil

Genesia said:

PurpleKnight said:

This part is empirically false. Many great albums have received initially lukewarm reviews only to be regarded as classics later on.

And don't even get me started on movies that did terrible at the box office in their initial runs, only to become classics over time. Wizard of Oz, anyone?

Which part of "half a dozen" is so hard to understand?

BartVanHemelen said:

Genesia said:

And don't even get me started on movies that did terrible at the box office in their initial runs, only to become classics over time. Wizard of Oz, anyone?

Which part of "half a dozen" is so hard to understand?

Was I talking to you? I don't believe I was.

Lovin it, that's all I need to say.

I haven't been this excited about a Prince album (of course I like em all for one reason or another) in a long long time. Nice to get that "feeling".

"2night I love everybody, that's right, everyone!"

I'm loving these new vibes. Worthy of a few dates at The O2...please!

BartVanHemelen said:

prijsbeestje said:

and the award for the most friendly org member is tataraaaa !!!! bartvanhemelen .he is always so friendly and positive .

Yes, evil me, pointing out the lies people say.

Let's see:

- people lying = a-okay

- people pointing out lies = evil