Adria said:

His backing band lately has been completely subpar. It's like he doesn't care anymore about what he's putting out and is only making new friends and letting them share the musical limelight with him, no matter how it sounds. Maybe it's possible he really doesn't care about his career anymore and is only doing what he truly wants to do.

Good point.

A gread concept can only become a great product if you have talented people who make it come together.

If I would only work with friends, I would have a good time, however, it would not be a great product, because they would not be the best.

And yes, there also needs to be chemistry and respect for a team to work together.

If everybody wants to accomplish the same goal, it's not pivotal that everybody likes eachother. If they respect eachothers work and input, if they stimulate eachother to be the best they can, a team accomplishes more than they ever imagined.

If the bandmembers are happy to be and stay in his band, they will make it work.

If they are in his band because it their own career, they don't have the same goal, and that just won't work. Because they will not be focused on the music, the focus will switch to how much of the limelight, attention, perks or credits they get. Jalousy sure does spoil the atmosphere! And they will compete with other players, making themselves look good individually, in stead of trying to make everybody look good. It will be a fight about ranks in stead of creating something magical together.

I think Ida is a good bass player, and is happy as his bandmember, as far as I can tell, because I'm not a musician or expert. She doesn't need to get her own band or be in the limelight. She just is good at her job; playing Bass for and with Prince.

I just hope Prince gets a band based on both skills and chemistry and not forms a band because he wants to do somebody a favour or make friends.

Same goes for his love life. If he thinks he only can be with a girl, if he helps their career or buys them expensive dresses, he will atract girls like that. And a girls who sees an affair with him as a good career opportunity, will focus on that.

[Edited 1/19/13 17:16pm]

XxAxX said:

i think it's great that prince gives so many different people a chance to shine. that seems really generous to me

True.

But he also needs a band that wants him to shine.

If they aren't good enough, that will rub off on him.

He has to choose wisely who'm he wants to associate himself with professionally.

excited said:

thank god he does! imagine being stuck with shelby j & andy allo. i'm pleased that he switches stuff up, that's healthy & gutsy

I don't think that would be a bad thing. Seems to me he has major respect for ShelbyJ and Andy, as artists. Both ShelbyJ and Andy have their own style of music, even if some fans, not all of course, may not particularly like either of those artists' style of music. I don't think it means Prince may not be collaborating with either artist in the present/future though, even if he introduced 2 other new band members as part of the NPG now. On top of that he has a new horn section, so it seems quite a few more members have been added.

Guess we'll have to wait to see 'all' of the types of music he wants or plans, to present to fans in 2013, if he does a tour or puts out a new album, including which band members he will bring on the tour as current band members. Also, just to add, based on the reviews of the Dakota show, doesn't seem like he's dismissing any of his funk/funk-rock/blues-rock/r&b/soul sound, even if he released a snippet of a hard-rock track recently. Just my two cents.

'Just a few changes edit'

[Edited 1/19/13 20:48pm]

what else is he gonna do? send hannah ford to my house?!?!?!?

I like it. It keeps things fresh. He's always done it when you think about it. Some lineups I prefer more than others, but that's a given I suppose.

purplepolitician said:

what else is he gonna do? send hannah ford to my house?!?!?!?

or to a restaurant... for a cup of coffee . please

I think if the tone is set that this is not a permanent thing for the band members, it's fine. If it's coming across that they're in for the long haul and he lets them go in a few years, it's manipulative.

He could rotate different bands around if he wanted, but to get them back might be tricky if some of them went off to work with another artist.