Here were my thoughts on NPS when it dropped.... then and now.

New Power Soul

With Crystal Ball still rotating its way through my playlist, the word came out that a new album was due to drop. Credited as a New Power Generation release New Power Soul I was curious how much of it would be a group workout and how much of it would be pure .

Slotting the cd into my player, I loaded up New Power Soul. And as instructed the groove did make my head bop, up and down up and down. As if hypnotising me into the groove. While lacking the punch of some of the other album openers the bouncy vibe laid the work for the album – focused on dance grooves and fun rather than reinventing or pushing musical bounds.

Case in point, Mad Sex, a slithering little song that just kicks back in the groove of the track. Nothing overwhelming about it, the track quickly lost my attention and ended up being background music. Saved for the lyric book that tried to entice me back with every new verse.

With its ethereal vibe “Until Your In My Arms Again” is a song that shows off the artistry of song writing, of laying down on a page the truth, in all it’s painful glory. The longing is tangible, the pain real. The sadness ever present despite the beautiful arrangement and vocal.

When You Love Somebody to me always feels like it would have been more at home on emancipation. It has a Disc 1 vibe to it, sliding up next to somebody’s somebody. Now you know I love SS, so I was bound to fall for this track too. A playful track punctuated by horn stabs and carried by a hopeful though that you accept the good and the bad in relationships and a flip side to the whole “why do you put up with such $hit” line. What the final breakdown has to do with the song I don’t know, but it’s funky so I let it be. Lol.

When I first heard Shoo-bed-ooh I was hooked on the stripped back feel of the track, but now whatever appeal it had has overstayed its welcome. It just feels lightweight. Shame, cause I once really loved this song.

Unfortunately lightweight is how I would describe Push It Up! Unfortunately by referencing “Jam of the Year” it just highlights what the song isn’t, a kick a$$ funk jam. Instead it comes across undercooked and under baked.

Thankfully Freaks on This Side with its sample of “Now” does justice to the comparison. With a modern funkadelic feel, the track warbles along through the verses and hits with a hook in the chorus. A smile raiser.

From the first note of Come On I was there. The prancing beat, and slinking synth bass line had me. Then that playful melody danced across my speakers. So before a word was spoken I had bought it. Thankfully the chorus lived up to the catchiness of the groove. And was I ever so pleased it was the lead single with the remixes that came along with it.

The sex you up title has be awarded to The One. It had always been a hidden gem in the catalogue with its simmering seduction and enchanting arrangement. Lost on many during the 2003 live tour of Australia I for one was happy it was in the set. Reminiscent of The Question of U, it’s one of my favour ballads.

It’s a shame Funky Music follows it. This run of the mill funk groove did nothing to me back then and fails to move me today. Dressed up in all the production value it can muster, it just fails to impress.

Am I alone in thinking the most interesting track on the set is Wasted Kisses? I remember when I first listened to the album, Funky Music lost me and I pressed stop. It wasn’t until I played the album a second time later that night as I was drifting off to sleep that after a few minutes of silence I was jolted upright by the song. There is a great deal of sadness inherent in this track, and I think that is the appeal. Addressing the same issues as I Hate U, but done with a darker funkier edge it remains a favourite of mine.

In whole the album was a tad disappointing. I remember it not sticking around too long amongst the stuff I listened to that year. And to be honest it was the start of a sense of apathy that crept into my appreciation for Prince / . From here and the next few releases I would buy them religiously, listen to them find a gem or two and then kind of park the album. It was a time where if I wanted to really feel the funk I was delving back into the catalogue than relishing the new material. Even today as I relisten to the album I can’t help but think it is a tad disjointed, almost a rushed collection of individual songs than a cohesive set. Sure there are some wonderful songs on here, but as an album it just doesn’t sit right.

I agree with Iztenszek...if Prince had released NPS as an EP, people would have liked it much more. He should have dropped those embarrassingly bad songs "I like funky music" and "Push it up", maybe even "Freaks on this side" ( I kind of like parts of Freaks on this side but as a song, it just doesn´t feel complete, and the chants are corny).

There are far too many strong songs on NPS to call it a total failure, but the wack songs I mentioned above plus the tacky album cover ruined any potential that the album probably had.

On a good song per album ratio though, NPS is comparatively strong, stronger than a couple of other releases that don´t get as much flak as NPS.

I really like Wasted Kisses , The One, Until U´re In My Arms Again and the melody of Shoobedooh (the lyrics do nothing for me ).

It´s not as bad as people say it is, and considering what Prince was going through back then, it is almost a miracle that he was able to do a tour AND produce a new album instead of getting high, drunk or suicidal. Prince in his worst phase is still lightyears ahead of some current "superstars" who start going downhill as soon as they lose a bit of control. Gotta respect Prince for that.

Swa said:

Thankfully Freaks on This Side with its sample of “Now” does justice to the comparison.

Sample of "Now"?

rialb said:

databank said:

NPS is one of my favorite prince albums ever.

I think the only reason it's so unpopular is because it's one of Prince's most "R&B" album, and a lot of Prince fans r white folks who listen to Radiohead

It's the only possible explaination, as it's, in terms of pure funk, one of the funkiest thing prince has ever done.

I think your theory is deeply flawed. I suspect that many of Prince's white fans, even those that listen to Radiohead, enjoy albums like The Time and What Time Is It? which are two of the funkiest albums he has ever done. For me it's just a weak album filled with poor songs. If Prince wants to deliver a funk album that's fine as long as the songs are great. Also, the album is usually hailed as one of his best albums of the '90s and it's got a lot of funk in it.

The 2 Time albums are indeed funky but they're arranged like synth-pop, much more close to that time's british new wave than what the afro-american scene was producing (MPLS sound didn't become the trend before 1984).

The album has a lot of funk in it too, but it also contains a lot of pop, rock and hip-hop (the later being more popular with white audiences than funk ever was).

Actually, except maybe the jazz albums, The Black Album, Goldnigga, Exodus and the contemporary Come 2 My House and GCS2000, I don't think that any prince album sounds as "black" as NPS: it's deeply rooted in R&B and has almost nothing pop or rock about it, which is very uncommon for Prince who usually crosses over a lot. Elixer also was very much R&B and look how it was received 2 years ago! Actually, out of all the aformentioned albums, only The Black Album and Exodus are fan favorites (and both have their fair share of psychedelia, another "white" concept): all the others were slaughtered by most of the fans. Don't u find it odd?

databank said:

rialb said:

I think your theory is deeply flawed. I suspect that many of Prince's white fans, even those that listen to Radiohead, enjoy albums like The Time and What Time Is It? which are two of the funkiest albums he has ever done. For me it's just a weak album filled with poor songs. If Prince wants to deliver a funk album that's fine as long as the songs are great. Also, the album is usually hailed as one of his best albums of the '90s and it's got a lot of funk in it.

The 2 Time albums are indeed funky but they're arranged like synth-pop, much more close to that time's british new wave than what the afro-american scene was producing (MPLS sound didn't become the trend before 1984).

The album has a lot of funk in it too, but it also contains a lot of pop, rock and hip-hop (the later being more popular with white audiences than funk ever was).

Actually, except maybe the jazz albums, The Black Album, Goldnigga, Exodus and the contemporary Come 2 My House and GCS2000, I don't think that any prince album sounds as "black" as NPS: it's deeply rooted in R&B and has almost nothing pop or rock about it, which is very uncommon for Prince who usually crosses over a lot. Elixer also was very much R&B and look how it was received 2 years ago! Actually, out of all the aformentioned albums, only The Black Album and Exodus are fan favorites (and both have their fair share of psychedelia, another "white" concept): all the others were slaughtered by most of the fans. Don't u find it odd?

I have to disagree with your assertion that hip hop was more popular than funk among white audiences, at least as far as Prince is concerned. Maybe I am wrong but judging by people's opinions on this board Prince's attempts at hip hop are probably among his least loved songs. I think that many fans would be perfectly happy if Prince had never attempted hip hop.

How would you explain the reputation that Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic has? That album has a lot of pop and rock material but, along with Newpower Soul, it is widely considered to be one of his weakest albums. There's also the NPGMC material, most of which was recorded not too long after Newpower Soul. If you look at the fan reaction towards The Chocolate Invasion and Slaughterhouse it is generally negative. I think it is fair to say that the late '90s is considered by many fans to be his weakest era. Your argument would have more merit if Newpower Soul was the only release from that era that fans generally do not enjoy. That whole era has a fairly negative reputation which to me indicates that fans were disappointed with the music that Prince was making at that time regardless if it was funk, pop, rock or whatever. To claim that white fans dislike Newpower Soul because it lacks pop and rock music is to ignore the fact that many of those same fans also dislike Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic which features lots of pop and rock songs.

rialb said:

databank said:

The 2 Time albums are indeed funky but they're arranged like synth-pop, much more close to that time's british new wave than what the afro-american scene was producing (MPLS sound didn't become the trend before 1984).

The album has a lot of funk in it too, but it also contains a lot of pop, rock and hip-hop (the later being more popular with white audiences than funk ever was).

Actually, except maybe the jazz albums, The Black Album, Goldnigga, Exodus and the contemporary Come 2 My House and GCS2000, I don't think that any prince album sounds as "black" as NPS: it's deeply rooted in R&B and has almost nothing pop or rock about it, which is very uncommon for Prince who usually crosses over a lot. Elixer also was very much R&B and look how it was received 2 years ago! Actually, out of all the aformentioned albums, only The Black Album and Exodus are fan favorites (and both have their fair share of psychedelia, another "white" concept): all the others were slaughtered by most of the fans. Don't u find it odd?

I have to disagree with your assertion that hip hop was more popular than funk among white audiences, at least as far as Prince is concerned. Maybe I am wrong but judging by people's opinions on this board Prince's attempts at hip hop are probably among his least loved songs. I think that many fans would be perfectly happy if Prince had never attempted hip hop.

How would you explain the reputation that Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic has? That album has a lot of pop and rock material but, along with Newpower Soul, it is widely considered to be one of his weakest albums. There's also the NPGMC material, most of which was recorded not too long after Newpower Soul. If you look at the fan reaction towards The Chocolate Invasion and Slaughterhouse it is generally negative. I think it is fair to say that the late '90s is considered by many fans to be his weakest era. Your argument would have more merit if Newpower Soul was the only release from that era that fans generally do not enjoy. That whole era has a fairly negative reputation which to me indicates that fans were disappointed with the music that Prince was making at that time regardless if it was funk, pop, rock or whatever. To claim that white fans dislike Newpower Soul because it lacks pop and rock music is to ignore the fact that many of those same fans also dislike Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic which features lots of pop and rock songs.

I know a lot of folks who don't like funk and dig hip-hop.

Now u make a point about the so-called "plastic years" being unpopular. In retrospective they're maybe my favorite era in Prince's career so i can't really understand why people hate them so much. (Before everybody starts to shout at me, I'm not saying that the plastic years are BETTER than the classic years, just that in the end I end-up having more fun relistening to these albums than to albums from other eras).

Now, yeah people will say that they don't like Rave too much, but they hardly ever show as much hate for it (or any other 96-01 album) than they do for NPS, so i still think it's got a lot to do with its funkyness, because no shit dudes, from a pure funk's perspective, it IS one of Prince's most funky albums.

Anyway I don't think that Prince fans in general like Prince's music in general

databank said:

rialb said:

I have to disagree with your assertion that hip hop was more popular than funk among white audiences, at least as far as Prince is concerned. Maybe I am wrong but judging by people's opinions on this board Prince's attempts at hip hop are probably among his least loved songs. I think that many fans would be perfectly happy if Prince had never attempted hip hop.

How would you explain the reputation that Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic has? That album has a lot of pop and rock material but, along with Newpower Soul, it is widely considered to be one of his weakest albums. There's also the NPGMC material, most of which was recorded not too long after Newpower Soul. If you look at the fan reaction towards The Chocolate Invasion and Slaughterhouse it is generally negative. I think it is fair to say that the late '90s is considered by many fans to be his weakest era. Your argument would have more merit if Newpower Soul was the only release from that era that fans generally do not enjoy. That whole era has a fairly negative reputation which to me indicates that fans were disappointed with the music that Prince was making at that time regardless if it was funk, pop, rock or whatever. To claim that white fans dislike Newpower Soul because it lacks pop and rock music is to ignore the fact that many of those same fans also dislike Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic which features lots of pop and rock songs.

I know a lot of folks who don't like funk and dig hip-hop.

Now u make a point about the so-called "plastic years" being unpopular. In retrospective they're maybe my favorite era in Prince's career so i can't really understand why people hate them so much. (Before everybody starts to shout at me, I'm not saying that the plastic years are BETTER than the classic years, just that in the end I end-up having more fun relistening to these albums than to albums from other eras).

Now, yeah people will say that they don't like Rave too much, but they hardly ever show as much hate for it (or any other 96-01 album) than they do for NPS, so i still think it's got a lot to do with its funkyness, because no shit dudes, from a pure funk's perspective, it IS one of Prince's most funky albums.

As far as funk vs. hip hop I was specifically referring to Prince and his fans. I think you would have a tough case arguing that most Prince fans prefer his hip hop songs over his funk songs.

For me the biggest problem with the album is that too much of it is mediocre. Tracks like "Sho-Bed-Ooh," "Push It Up," Freaks On This Side" and "(I Like) Funky Music" are, to me, fairly forgettable and far from the best of what he is capable of. That's nearly half of the album. Even the songs I like are only average or slightly better than average for Prince. There are some funky grooves on the album but they seem a bit tossed off and underdeveloped.

Expectations also have a lot to do with why I find the album so disappointing. I loved Emancipation and Newpower Soul was kind of the first proper Prince album since then. I was really excited to hear it because while I enjoyed most of Crystal Ball and The Truth it felt like a long time since we had a high profile release from Prince and he did quite a bit of promotion for the album. When I finally heard the album I was extremely underwhelmed. For me that was the beginning of me losing faith in his ability to create great music and I didn't really start to enjoy him again until the Musicology album. 1998-2003 were pretty rough times to be a Prince fan and it started with Newpower Soul, that may be why I dislike the album so much.

Different folks different strokes. Personally I've been kinda bored since precisely 2003 and on the contrary I enjoyed the years you disliked sooo much. I'm not just talking about the music but the whole "being a fan" xperience.

databank said:

Different folks different strokes. Personally I've been kinda bored since precisely 2003 and on the contrary I enjoyed the years you disliked sooo much. I'm not just talking about the music but the whole "being a fan" xperience.

While I have enjoyed most of the music circa 2004-2011 I think I see what your mean. There hasn't been much experimentation or adventure in his recent music. I didn't enjoy albums like The Rainbow Children or N.E.W.S. but I would like to see him try something similar again. I would be quite happy if he alternated between "safe" pop albums and "weird" experimental albums.

like most of you, I really dislikes this NPS album too...

NPS: 4/10, and that's maybe too much.

the Black Album is much better, very hard and "edgy" funk. The twin to the Sign O' The Times album, (imo).

the Black Album: 9.5/10.

Genesia said:

Warner Brothers never would have approved that piece of crap.

^

Haha, this could be true.....