Lotus Flow3r

With the build up and tease leading into Lotus Flow3r I was wondering if it would be all hype and no follow through. Being one of the few who signed up to LF.com on the day it opened I willingly forked over my $77 to start downloading 3 Cds that wouldn’t be available in Australia for a few more weeks.

It was a weird experience watching those tracks make their way to my hard drive. Each offered so much promise, but would they be fulfilled.

Kicking off with From The Lotus… I was greeted with a jazz funk fusion that took you on a smooth little journey around the newly formed purple galaxy. Driven by the ringing ride cymbal and hypnotic guitar solo it set up what was to follow, and delivered you safely to…

BOOM with its Darling Nikki co-opted lyrical melody the track is beautifully layered with a floating one minute thumping the next groove. Intrigue abounds in the chorus as we hear snippets of Prince speaking in reverse (another nod to Darling Nikki). And when you ascend the bridge the track just takes flight and swirls around the heavens before blasting off in a fuzz tone guitar solo before quickly segueing into…

The Morning After, a bright pop rock ditty that has all the fun and innocence of For You era tracks and the balance of guitar and keys just makes it a definite head bop and toe tapper. While the CD featured Crimson and Clover in its place, TMA feels like it jolts you from the soothing groove of BOOM, whereas Crimson and Clover takes it a step further and delivers a truly psychedelic experience.

From the opening piano build up and vocal of 4Ever I was reminded of one of my all time fave Prince songs “Starfish and Coffee”, but this isn’t a carbon copy but a brilliant track in its own right. It’s joyous, optimistic, lovelorn, and yet finds solace in the ever after rather than the now. The arrangement in this track is just sublime and should be a single.

If 4ever was the light side of funk pop, Colonized Mind got deep. With a tweaked vocal treatment akin to 3121 the track informs rather than preaches and has a chorus that should be repeated more than it actually is. This had instant classic written in every bar, the soft crawl of the guitar solo that works more on melody that flashy tricks, the choir building chorus that proves once and for all that the man can still write some of the catchiest tracks around. Hearing this makes you ache to hear it live.

So here I was track 6 and so far I was floored at how cool this album was. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful pumped through the speakers. Given its first airing just before the close of 3121.com the track is a return to the feel good funk that the tile promises. This is the jam of the album, and that is saying a lot.

Maybe it is working with the right musicians here, but this album holds together much better than some more recent releases. Love Like Jazz benefits from the musicianship displayed by all those around him, letting everyone step up and instead of trying to overpower another, they compliment perfectly. With a jazz bosa nova groove the track is all the things that were missing from other balladesque attempts and the final phrasing in the last minute just takes a perfectly arranged track and makes it sublime.

Just when I thought this album might be the most consistent in recent times, 77 Beverly Park came on. And what started well soon drifted into a soft piece of drivel. It reminded me too much of listening to some band play in a Mediterranean restaurant, who are trying to entertain without being offensive but it is just bad all round. I am sure some may love it, but for me its just drivel.

Thankfully Wall Of Berlin brings the funk back with a beat that is too good to sit still to. The track bristles with funk rock and packs a punch and just build with intensity with every passing chorus. Again the whole band brings their a-game to the party and the track benefits from everyone working to the same objective – to blow the roof off the joint.

Ok well $ is a track that didn’t get me first, third, tenth listen. I mean it’s a cool rockabilly style track but I’m just not feeling it the way I know I should. I am sure live it will hit with those horns. Listening to it now I think it’s not the music that is making me not grab it, but more the vocal delivery that doesn’t do it for me.

Dreamer with its Jimi Hendrix inspired (some may say stolen) riff is a return to the cool funk rock that is peppered through the album. It has such a power to it, a depth in the music that doesn’t overpower the lyric but holds it up and gives it the proper support. As much as I would love to hear it live, I am sure it would be hard to mix just right to give that balance that makes the track just infiltrate you and take over. Even in the climatic swirl of the guitar solo the mix is perfectly balanced. This is production, playing and performance and its finest.

It’s like Prince knows that after such a strong set of tracks the listener needs to be revived. And he does it by taking us Back 2 the Lotus. It’s fitting that this reprise brings us full circle and returns us to our own private worlds as the whole album has been like a journey, taking in the sights of brilliant music and a true return to form.

I could never describe a song as well as you do, but I just wanted to say that I really really like Lotusflow3r!! For me it is the best Prince CD of this century - because of the rock songs!

When I heard him play Dreamer for the first time at the concert in Vienna in July, it just blew me away and this song is the reason why I looked for the CD (and found it to my big surprise the very next day)!!

The other surprises were Boom, Crimson and Clover and Colonized Mind, which I would absolutely love to hear live!!

Dreamer live was even better than on CD, with extended guitar playing that had me go crazy!

In my opinion LF was the stronger of the two offerings compared to MPLS which will be covered tomorrow. LF is just more consistent and focused.

I love LOtUSFLOW3R, the first new album after I became a fan (in early 2008 - I'm still new!). The album flows really well and consistently. All the songs just seem to belong together and follow a concept or theme, as opposed to 12/13 songs randomly thrown together. One thing I will say though, is $77 for 'The Morning After'?! Why not just make it a bonus/hidden track...

I can't wait for your 20Ten review, I still listen to it everyday. It's definitely my favourite album from 2000-2010. Unlike other albums from this time period I can listen to it from start to finish without getting bored or drifting off halfway through.

Bria Valente's album was the best CD

'dre

there's a big shift in lyric style here. +++ the metaphysics.

there'd always been tracks where I had no idea what he was talking about, or i'd just think, 'oh bullshit', but this was pretty consistent.

the first prince album with not one song I related to personally.

But lest i seem like a whiner, it definitely grew on me in time. The productions cool, and the chill vibe is very nice for certain moods. I just let my mind go numb when he talks about other universes, living forever, rocks on the shore, and chemtrails.

Numb...chill...metaphysics...i should get altered and give it a listen.

Dreamer20ten said:

I could never describe a song as well as you do, but I just wanted to say that I really really like Lotusflow3r!! For me it is the best Prince CD of this century - because of the rock songs!

ooops, I meant to say "of this decade", since the year 2000.

I really liked lotusflow3r(well,really only the 2 prince disks)but its a bit much saying its the best prince album this century.Bria Valente had one good song in "everytime" and the rest of her effort was not up too much(it was boring).LF and MPLSound was worth the £30 alone.Feel good,feel better,feel wonderful,Love like Jazz,U're gonna c me,they are all classic prince,but The Rainbow Children And Musicology are both better buys than Lotusflow3r for me this century.

I was listening to some of this album yesturday and I have to say again, I thought this was a great album. I thought MPLSoUND was a tease and when 20Ten came out I was like 'Ah, yeah love it' ...

I think Lotusflower (disc 1) is by far his best material of the last decade, together with TRC and ONA.

The songs are good, the performance is excellent, especially on the guitar and it all sounds great too.

The only thing it still doesn't really do with me is touch my soul but I recognize it as a really good Prince album.

Tremolina said:

I think Lotusflower (disc 1) is by far his best material of the last decade, together with TRC and ONA.

The songs are good, the performance is excellent, especially on the guitar and it all sounds great too.

The only thing it still doesn't really do with me is touch my soul but I recognize it as a really good Prince album.

... what WOULD touch your 'soul', then? [img:$uid]http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif[/img:$uid]

PurpleLove7 said:

Tremolina said:

I think Lotusflower (disc 1) is by far his best material of the last decade, together with TRC and ONA.

The songs are good, the performance is excellent, especially on the guitar and it all sounds great too.

The only thing it still doesn't really do with me is touch my soul but I recognize it as a really good Prince album.

... what WOULD touch your 'soul', then? [img:$uid]http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif[/img:$uid]

It's hard to say. It's basically the same as with TRC. When I listen to it I can hear the passion that went into the performances, especially the guitar playing. That is really excellent and for me as a guitar player and a big fan of Prince's playing, a true treat. I can also hear all the effort that was put into the production. It all sounds very balanced, clear, warm and cohesive. Really sweet.

Maybe it's because of the lyrics. I do not really get the impression that Prince really feels much of what he is singing himself and that used to be different. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but that's the impression it leaves on me.

Tremolina said:

Tremolina said:

PurpleLove7 said:

... what WOULD touch your 'soul', then? [img:$uid]http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif[/img:$uid]

It's hard to say. It's basically the same as with TRC. When I listen to it I can hear the passion that went into the performances, especially the guitar playing. That is really excellent and for me as a guitar player and a big fan of Prince's playing, a true treat. I can also hear all the effort that was put into the production. It all sounds very balanced, clear, warm and cohesive. Really sweet.

Maybe it's because of the lyrics. I do not really get the impression that Prince really feels much of what he is singing himself and that used to be different. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but that's the impression it leaves on me.

Ah ... Perfect ... Understood completely, that is the MAIN reason why I frequent sites like MoQuake and p.org like I do. When you explain it like that, that's the 'moment' or explanation I was looking for and why I'm still a fan myself. It's all about the music, the lyrics ... Eh ... Sometimes, not so much. I'm not JW and I cannot relate to some of what P sings about but, I get the 'gist' of what he's saying, ya know ...

PurpleLove7 said:

I was listening to some of this album yesturday and I have to say again, I thought this was a great album. I thought MPLSoUND was a tease and when 20Ten came out I was like 'Ah, yeah love it' ...

Nice observation on the MPLSoud front. It's being discussed today so check it also, love to hear your thoughts.

I like the first 2 cds.

Bria's stuff was ............. meh.

This CD was my least favorite of the set. But it does rock, it's not as cool as Planet Earth but it's up there.

I still listen to this regularly. The only track I dont really care for is love like jazz. Otherwise this is great. I really dig 4ever and $ is a sick groove. He has put out some great music over the past couple of years. Very happy to be a fan right now.

The only track I dig on this is "Here". I absolutely love that song. It's my favorite of the whole set.