Including 20Ten, the NPG albums, ONA, NEWS and Elixer (but not the live albums)

For me, 3121 was his best produced album of the 00-09 years until 20Ten was "released". Hell, 20Ten sounds amazing with a good stereo system. The bass is so funky/deep that it basically makes your heart pump, the guitars are pristine, the drums kick ass, the layering is superb and I just love how the synths are all over the map but without being distracting/annoying

The last minute of Future Love Song is probably the best produced moment in a Prince album since "Gold". Not bad for an album with 0 promotion that was released with a British Newspaper. Amateurish production? no way!

Opinions

[Edited 1/26/11 14:28pm]

3121, really? ....

(I can't stand the 3121 album, 1 of his weakest, imo 5/10)......

Imo, the best produced: MPLS for it's funk-pop (Dance 4 Me, Here, Ol' School Company)

& Lotus flow3r (for the rock feel) could be the best produced.

I don't like the PE album that much,

but I absolutely the production of Future Baby Mama.

That's the Prince I like. The Prince use of Linn never fails.......

the Future Soul Song is great produced, I agree. I like Prince doing pop songs. Too bad the album did not sell / wasn't promoted at all / was overlooked. Prince should make videos and single releases again, for radio / TV promotion.

I miss the Warner days deeply .

JoeTyler said:

Including 20Ten, the NPG albums, ONA, NEWS and Elixer (but not the live albums)

For me, 3121 was his best produced album of the 00-09 years until 20Ten was "released". Hell, 20Ten sounds amazing with a good stereo system. The bass is so funky/deep that it basically makes your heart pump, the guitars are pristine, the drums kick-ass, the layering is superb and I just love how the synths are all over the map but without being distracting/annoying

The last minute of Future Love Song is probably the best produced moment in a Prince album since "Gold". Not bad for an album with 0 promotion that was released with a British Newspaper. Amateurish production? no way!

Opinions

Agree. 3121 or 20Ten.

good choices, i'm inclined to agree. but i have to give Lotus some love and now that i think about it MPLS too. i don't like the latter as much overall, but its not for production reasons. if i had to give someone a recent sampling of P's enduring genius though, i think i'd go with Lotus

The best of the last 10 years = The Rainbow Children

Most listened too = Musicology

20TEN, then Musicology, then LotusFlower/MPLSound (which is fighting for 2nd place with Musicology)

Production-wise, conceptually and musically, The Rainbow Children remains his best album released in the 00's. Lyrically though, I have to give LoutsFlow3r or Musicology more edge. 3121 was a good release, but I now think that Musicology was just a better album. And you know I love that funky analog sound of 20Ten. It really sounds great on quality speakers and headphones.

[Edited 1/26/11 10:58am]

The Rainbow Children.

Hard question because it's been so hodge podge over the last decade.

I have to say Rainbow Children was very fresh when it came out. It was like he matured in someway and that it might be a new direction for him given everything that came out post Emancipation.

However, I don't listen to it that much these days. I tend to stay away from the religious mumbo jumbo that has permiated much of his out put (Planet Earth and 2010). I think the album I listen to the most form the last 10 years is 3121. It has held up quite well, I think. I also think a lot of good material surfaced up through the NPGMC and I have listened to those song MUCH more than anything else he's put out and it's a shame that that material was never put out as a proper release just a download.

I have to agree that 20Ten is the best produced. Every time I hear Laydown I regret living in an apartment too small to really handle a subwoofer. But I suspect that the production is so great to make up for half the album being medicore filler tracks with dreadful lyrics.

[Edited 1/26/11 12:37pm]

20 Ten

But I secretly think Bria's CD is a masterpeice. There are just 2 songs left on that cd that I press NEXT! There are no glitches or odd noises. Other than the type of singer she is, it matched alright so... yeah, I absolutely think Bria's CD . Hmmmm...

MPLSoUND

20Ten

3121

Musicology

The Rainbow Children

I would have to say Musicology....Great sound allover that one

I would have to agree with "2010" The cd is exceptionally clear. It sounds like Prince and The Band are in the room.

The Rainbow Children.

But lotusflower [title disc] ranks in as a nice second. Overall, most of his 2000 output was

nicely produced. Sometimes perhaps a bit too safely, but it beats most of his late 1990's

plastic production or the overproduced yet muffled sound of a lot of npgmc tracks.

20Ten, then 3121, next Musicology.

Yeah, 20Ten really sparkles. It's the first album where I can tell an obvious difference between the FLAC and 320 on my system, not that I've ever really made an effort to compare. MPLS sounds lush too.

Single disk LotusFlow3r

The only Prince album of the past 15 years that i did not find cringeworthy.

LF, though the mastering (or whatever you'd call it) leaves a lot to be desired. TRC is a close second, but the performances are lacking a certain punch to them that would put it over the top, beyond their lite jazz tendencies. musically, anyway. narrators and greek choruses are rarely a good idea in pop music.

3121 and MPLSound are over-produced, each in their own way. Some of the 3121 is so coated in glossy sheen that you can't even hear the good parts. Things like Lolita, Fury and BL&B may be otherwise decent songs but are so lacking any emotional connection or visceral connection, that you can barely even tell that there's some music in there. MPLSound suffers from him gripping his early sound that so many are aping a little too hard and beating it over the head. say what you will about 20TEN, but it benefits from a much lighter, defter touch while mining the same seam.

Musicology + 3121 = perfect

rainbow children or planet earth ..

i don't like the rainbow children record at all but i always did wish it had better songs with that production .. so organic and warm in ways .. i also like planet earth .. its very acoustic and raw sounding .. and i still like chelsae rogers quite a bit and the song planet earth and the one u wanna c even tho the lyrics bug me .. 3121 production really annoys me .. its got its own sound but hes going for this futuristic sound but it honestly sounds canned to me .. like he just used the toys on the computer program presets or something .. like he hit the future sound button on his casio keyboard .. same with 2010 .. neither of those records have the same kind of mind blowing future sound as 1999 record or sign o the times song and if i was ur girlfriend .. prince older sound was more home grown .. the newer stuff sounds like all his experimenting is done within the computer ..

production wise i've always loved songs like i wonder u, 17 days, if i was yer gfriend .. just the sounds alone make my ears perk up .. and if he is gonna just keep it raw .. the sounds on 'how come u dont call me' are just perfect .. and honestly .. purple rain the song, live and all .. just sounds amazing from the palm muted flanged out guitar intro to the big drums and cello added .. the over distorted guitar solo burried down low in the mix ..

mostly in his last 10 years i tend to like his strait funk or flat demo production better than his future sound attempts simply because the futures sounds sound like they go to a sci fi cartoon .. at least with the dry demo sound i dont get so distracted from the actual song .. and there are not enough words to express my extreme disappointment in prince use of auto tune to any degree .. its as bad as putting tony m on a record .. and he really did that up on 3121

errant said:

Things like Lolita, Fury and BL&B may be otherwise decent songs but are so lacking any emotional connection or visceral connection, that you can barely even tell that there's some music in there.

Lolita was overproduced? I think it's fairly raw and simple, and you can hear empty space too. And the vocals sound kind of plain and up front. I wouldn't agree on that one.

The Rainbow Children

ufoclub said:

errant said:

Things like Lolita, Fury and BL&B may be otherwise decent songs but are so lacking any emotional connection or visceral connection, that you can barely even tell that there's some music in there.

Lolita was overproduced? I think it's fairly raw and simple, and you can hear empty space too. And the vocals sound kind of plain and up front. I wouldn't agree on that one.

someone name the instruments in this song. or point out an actual melody. all i hear is a bunch of noise turned up to the max and some semi-sing-song talking.

errant said:

ufoclub said:

Lolita was overproduced? I think it's fairly raw and simple, and you can hear empty space too. And the vocals sound kind of plain and up front. I wouldn't agree on that one.

someone name the instruments in this song. or point out an actual melody. all i hear is a bunch of noise turned up to the max and some semi-sing-song talking.

The hihat, the Van Halen-esque epic synth, the drum touches, the funky rhythm guitar restrained to little hits...

it plays it by the book of Prince minimal pop. Kind of like SOTT was minimal.

I think it's really catchy too.

Something tells me this might have been recorded in the same sessions as "Beginning Endlessly"

20TEN

ITS SIMPLY A MASTERPIECE!!!!

one & only 3121 !

then Musicology, and at the place 3rd MPLSound.

Despite of being heavily compressed, TRC gets my vote.