Number23 said:

TheVoid said:

I like the uptempo songs alot though--except for that VERY STRANGE closing track. lawd

20TEN is just a better version of MPLSOunD. It is what MPLSOunD should have sounded like.

20Ten compares 2 MPLSound! I like it! It's the flipside of MPLSound. Prince need 2 get his own website again and do it right. Release this online along with Warner Bros and tour the USA! Prince is open eyes with this album. I think it's a good album. I like most of the songs and the ones I'm not in2 (I think) will grow on me later. It's cool.

TheVoid said:

20Ten is what Elixir should have sounded like!

Klyph said:

Timmy84 said:

I guess some folks hear what they wanna hear, but to me, I'm with you, it's not this era's SOTT at all.

Co-sign with a big fat EXACTLY!!! The slow jams sound like typical R&B shite that I hate, the pop songs are amateurish as hell, and Prince should NEVER try to do Hip Hop, not now not ever. He's still writing lyrics from his head and not his heart or soul, he's still...aw fuck it.

paisleypark4 said:

Klyph said:

Co-sign with a big fat EXACTLY!!! The slow jams sound like typical R&B shite that I hate, the pop songs are amateurish as hell, and Prince should NEVER try to do Hip Hop, not now not ever. He's still writing lyrics from his head and not his heart or soul, he's still...aw fuck it.

I never heard no glimpses of SOTT and I really do not feel anyone should keep thinking about old albums from twenty years ago while listening to somehting in 2010..what kind of sense does that make? Twenty years from now if Prince is still making album u think u going to compare that one to 20Ten? It's not realistic but that is what you guys are doing.

Excellent points Klyph and paisleypark4! I've never really understood why people like to compare an artist's new record with something that was done a couple of decades ago. Not only do hardcore and avid admirers do things like that, but critics eat it up alot too. I mean it gets really old and crazy at times because 20Ten might have a retro feel for a production (analogue sound, hiss, linn drums and all) but it will never ever compare to what he's done previously. I just got a pinch of the sounds from his golden period (1980-88) mixed with the best of his post-90's work.. It's nothing relevatory or groundbreaking, but it is a fresh record.

[Edited 7/9/10 7:30am]

After reading some VERY positive reviews, hailing it as Prince's best since Sign O' The Times, a return to the Purple Rain form and so on, all I can say is that it is a BIG disappointment

So far, the only song I liked instantly is "Act of God".

What surprises me though is that it seems that I'm alone on this one.

Mix of Controversy/SOTT/Lovesexy and some other ingredients...

teoalcantara said:

After reading some VERY positive reviews, hailing it as Prince's best since Sign O' The Times, a return to the Purple Rain form and so on, all I can say is that it is a BIG disappointment

So far, the only song I liked instantly is "Act of God".

What surprises me though is that it seems that I'm alone on this one.

No you aren't. That's the best song!

WOW!!!!!!!! I didn't know they still made Casio keyboards!!!!!

I know Prince does not read this but come on man put a little more effort into it.

ShadeoViolet said:

teoalcantara said:

After reading some VERY positive reviews, hailing it as Prince's best since Sign O' The Times, a return to the Purple Rain form and so on, all I can say is that it is a BIG disappointment

So far, the only song I liked instantly is "Act of God".

What surprises me though is that it seems that I'm alone on this one.

No you aren't. That's the best song!

Stop reading reviews and form your OWN opinion maybe. Just maybe you would have had a different outlook

BEST ALBUM FOR A LONG TIME

It's just as good as every other piece of shit album from this past decade.

I wouldn't compare this to any of his older efforts, but suffice it to say, It's pretty good. Someone said it sounds like what MPLSound should have been...that's a good analogy. It definitely harkens back to that "sound" everyone here says they wished he'd go back to, but doesn't sound dated like MPLSsound did.

I actually like it quite a bit. Comparing it to first listens of 3121, PE, and Lotusflower, I'd have to say that I think this one will keep my attention much longer.

smoothcriminal12 said:

20TEN is just a better version of MPLSOunD. It is what MPLSOunD should have sounded like.

I agree.

[

sirweasel said:

WOW!!!!!!!! I didn't know they still made Casio keyboards!!!!!

I know Prince does not read this but come on man put a little more effort into it.

... and the "dunce of the day" award goes to you.

errant said:

Mars23 said:

Is 20Ten the evolution (or regression) of the Lotusflow3r set?

Was LF the 1st step to getting back to a "classic" Prince sound?

as I said in another thread, this album sounds like the companion to LF that MPLSound was trying to be in that on LF, he got relaxed with the rock/organic thing. I like (most of) MPLSound a lot, but in retrospect, it sounds forced compared to 20TEN, like he was making himself rediscover how to make that sound work for him again. that said, swapping out the better tracks on there for the weaker stuff on 20TEN (WIS, SOE) and adding a couple more would make an absolute home run out of the combined material.

Maybe THIS is the material that John Blackwell heard and later described as reminiscent of Controversy. I guess some of the songs on 20Ten were already recorded during the same sessions that brought forth the MPLSound songs.

The style is very similar, probably closer to the "original" Minneapolis Sound of the 80s.

I wouldn´t regard it as an evolution of the Lotuflower set but more so as a regression , or in your words, getting back to a "classic" Prince sound. Or at least using a lot of the ingredients of a classic Prince song pre 1983.

I like at least half the songs on it, maybe even more but I keep wondering how this would have sounded if he had used the 1995 NPG.

I felt the same way about the Emancipation album.

I'm loving it so far.Keep playing Lay Down over and over then move on2 Future Love Song which kind of reminds me of The Beautiful Ones and I wish U heaven

teoalcantara said:

After reading some VERY positive reviews, hailing it as Prince's best since Sign O' The Times, a return to the Purple Rain form and so on, all I can say is that it is a BIG disappointment

So far, the only song I liked instantly is "Act of God".

What surprises me though is that it seems that I'm alone on this one.

Wow.

KoolEaze said:

errant said:

as I said in another thread, this album sounds like the companion to LF that MPLSound was trying to be in that on LF, he got relaxed with the rock/organic thing. I like (most of) MPLSound a lot, but in retrospect, it sounds forced compared to 20TEN, like he was making himself rediscover how to make that sound work for him again. that said, swapping out the better tracks on there for the weaker stuff on 20TEN (WIS, SOE) and adding a couple more would make an absolute home run out of the combined material.

Maybe THIS is the material that John Blackwell heard and later described as reminiscent of Controversy. I guess some of the songs on 20Ten were already recorded during the same sessions that brought forth the MPLSound songs..

From what I understand, the majority of the 20TEN songs were recorded or re-recorded during a different period than the MPLSoUND sessions and the aborted Ebony covermount CD (with Hot Summer) was probably an earlier set of songs in the same vein. It's hard to say what John Blackwell heard, but an educated guess would be there was an earlier configuration of 20TEN - which contained a title track. Hopefully, the US release will have the extra disc/tracks.

squirrelgrease said:

KoolEaze said:

Maybe THIS is the material that John Blackwell heard and later described as reminiscent of Controversy. I guess some of the songs on 20Ten were already recorded during the same sessions that brought forth the MPLSound songs..

From what I understand, the majority of the 20TEN songs were recorded or re-recorded during a different period than the MPLSoUND sessions and the aborted Ebony covermount CD (with Hot Summer) was probably an earlier set of songs in the same vein. It's hard to say what John Blackwell heard, but an educated guess would be there was an earlier configuration of 20TEN - which contained a title track. Hopefully, the US release will have the extra disc/tracks.

Now THAT would make up for the lack of a US plan at release.

Doesn't sound at all like something Prince would do, but we can dream.

Mars23 said:

squirrelgrease said:

From what I understand, the majority of the 20TEN songs were recorded or re-recorded during a different period than the MPLSoUND sessions and the aborted Ebony covermount CD (with Hot Summer) was probably an earlier set of songs in the same vein. It's hard to say what John Blackwell heard, but an educated guess would be there was an earlier configuration of 20TEN - which contained a title track. Hopefully, the US release will have the extra disc/tracks.

Now THAT would make up for the lack of a US plan at release.

Doesn't sound at all like something Prince would do, but we can dream.

True. The US retail version will probably just have "special" Vajazzled cover art.

Bree8016 said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

20TEN is just a better version of MPLSOunD. It is what MPLSOunD should have sounded like.

I agree.

3-signed. Ironic that an album called 20ten sounds like it was recorded in 1982 but sounds pretty fab nonetheless. I'll take 25 - year old sounding outtakes over Prince desparately trying to sound like 90's/00s hip-hop anytime.

[Edited 7/9/10 13:32pm]

I'm hearing Controversy songs with 1999 synths and MPLSoUND production. Minus Laydown which seems to have missed the 3121 train.

Doesn't hold a candle to LotusFlow3r.

TheVoid said:

Number23 said:

I mean, what was that exactly? That was some serious High School Musical bullshit.

An average Prince album. And I mean that in the best possible way.

i want to hear this so bad !