Amethyst5 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Newpower era correct?

He looks so dreamy in the second pic.

I wonder what inspired this nun-like outfit.

I actually don't know the story behind this set

1998 Cafe De Paris aftershow

-from

unique°

USA TODAY

Little new in Artist's 'Power Soul'

Three months after unleashing the four-CD Crystal Ball, the Artist (formerly known as Prince) returns Tuesday with an uneven single disc of party jams and languid ballads.

In a sign o' the times gone by, New Power Soul (*** out of four) revisits old-school funk and Princely themes of sex and salvation. It also rehashes familiar turf and yields little of the innovation that fueled his '80s output.

.

He handles most vocals and instruments, with backing by his New Power Generation band and guests Chaka Khan and Larry Graham, onetime bassist for Sly and the Family Stone.

As always, the Artist delivers pristine sonics, rich R&B textures and spectacular vocals. He fails to construct songs as infectious as Kiss or Let's Go Crazy but does keep the party cooking with addictive grooves that range from silky to thumping and sensual to funky. Push It Up and (Eye Like) Funky Music are dance-floor kindling, as is the brassy When U Love Somebody and a nasty, piano-stroked Mad Sex.

.

Vocally, the Artist nails all the high notes on pillow-talk numbers and musters a muscular tenor on grittier tunes, yet he comes across as a merely competent rapper. In a spine-tingling falsetto, he agonizes over an absent lover on Until U're in My Arms Again and croons devotion on The One. He slips into a deeper register to wax philosophic in Freaks on This Side and growl a lecture about self-respect in Shoo-Bed-Ooh. There's evidence of marital bliss in the lusty monogamy of Come On: "C, eye don't want no mistress, I want to be bound/Let's find a preacher so we can get down."

On these 10 songs (plus a CD bonus: the delicate ballad accessible as track No. 49), the Artist is playful, confident, content and, unfortunately, not particularly ablaze in creative ambition.

After peddling Crystal Ball via the Internet, he's returning to retail outlets, though he's bypassed distributors to get New Power Soul on shelves. While the Artist's rebel stance and growing autonomy are admirable in an industry mired in corporate formulas, his insistence on wearing every hat in his empire is beginning to tarnish the crown that gleamed during Prince's reign.

By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

OldFriends4Sale said:

Amethyst5 said:

He looks so dreamy in the second pic.

I wonder what inspired this nun-like outfit.

I actually don't know the story behind this set

It's ok if you don't know the story behind this pics. The third pic is interesting.

I thought that he was wearing a shirt in nun-like style, but it is actually a dress/long tunic.

OldFriends4Sale said:

1998 Cafe De Paris aftershow

-from

unique°

That's me in the bottom pic! A great night...

LOL NICE !!!

April 24, 1998 . Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

USA TODAY

Little new in Artist's 'Power Soul'

Three months after unleashing the four-CD Crystal Ball, the Artist (formerly known as Prince) returns Tuesday with an uneven single disc of party jams and languid ballads.

In a sign o' the times gone by, New Power Soul (*** out of four) revisits old-school funk and Princely themes of sex and salvation. It also rehashes familiar turf and yields little of the innovation that fueled his '80s output.

.

He handles most vocals and instruments, with backing by his New Power Generation band and guests Chaka Khan and Larry Graham, onetime bassist for Sly and the Family Stone.

As always, the Artist delivers pristine sonics, rich R&B textures and spectacular vocals. He fails to construct songs as infectious as Kiss or Let's Go Crazy but does keep the party cooking with addictive grooves that range from silky to thumping and sensual to funky. Push It Up and (Eye Like) Funky Music are dance-floor kindling, as is the brassy When U Love Somebody and a nasty, piano-stroked Mad Sex.

.

Vocally, the Artist nails all the high notes on pillow-talk numbers and musters a muscular tenor on grittier tunes, yet he comes across as a merely competent rapper. In a spine-tingling falsetto, he agonizes over an absent lover on Until U're in My Arms Again and croons devotion on The One. He slips into a deeper register to wax philosophic in Freaks on This Side and growl a lecture about self-respect in Shoo-Bed-Ooh. There's evidence of marital bliss in the lusty monogamy of Come On: "C, eye don't want no mistress, I want to be bound/Let's find a preacher so we can get down."

On these 10 songs (plus a CD bonus: the delicate ballad accessible as track No. 49), the Artist is playful, confident, content and, unfortunately, not particularly ablaze in creative ambition.

.

After peddling Crystal Ball via the Internet, he's returning to retail outlets, though he's bypassed distributors to get New Power Soul on shelves. While the Artist's rebel stance and growing autonomy are admirable in an industry mired in corporate formulas, his insistence on wearing every hat in his empire is beginning to tarnish the crown that gleamed during Prince's reign.

By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

I have to admit (and this is just my own humble opinion) this is where the wheels came off for me. I liked The Gold Experience and Emancipation - even though both albums were a bit disappointing as there was a lack of creativity, but both albums contained great songs. The songs on Newpower Soul were uninspiring and bland... where as the 2 previous albums contained strong songwriting, NPS missed on almost all levels. I gave it a chance but 15 years later it still does nothing for me.

At a concert in the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Hawaii on February 16th, 1997, a section of the front had been reserved, at Prince's request, for handicapped patrons.

This scan is from Uptown #29 (Fall, 1997):