I've been a member of this site now for some many years, and a Prince fan for a few more. Like most fans, my taste in Prince's music evolves and changes over time, however, one album just keeps getting Better With Time . Seriously, this has become my favourite Prince album of late - and no, I aint trolling. I know that this album has often been re-tilted S.N.O.O.Z.E by many a fan, but it truely excites and inspires me. It's like a Stanley Kubrick movie - Each time I listen to this album, I always hear something new - something I didn't notice before.

Anyways - I'm not here to win people over, but I am here to give some appreciation to an album which is very-very over looked and underrated.

Whether one likes it or not, it was Prince looking forward and not backwards, and that's always to his merit considering the brilliant past catalogue he has.

In my book N.E.W.S. is one of Prince's best albums ever. Not kidding.

databank said:

In my book N.E.W.S. is one of Prince's best albums ever. Not kidding.

.

Then we have the same book, my friend. Totally agree.

thanks2joniandu said:

Agreed. It's one of my favs too. I've always felt T.R.C, O.N.A., N.E.W.S, was one of Prince's most musically fruitful periods.

It was. Like I've said before, he was trying to make different things, not caring much about commercial success. Then, with Musicology, it was looking backwards again; there were good tunes on it and on the next album, but it was Prince trying to recover something of who he was 20 years ago.

Its a light jazz album, only a moron would listen to it expecting something else then complain its "boring".

NEWS is a superb album

Javi said:

thanks2joniandu said:

Agreed. It's one of my favs too. I've always felt T.R.C, O.N.A., N.E.W.S, was one of Prince's most musically fruitful periods.

It was. Like I've said before, he was trying to make different things, not caring much about commercial success. Then, with Musicology, it was looking backwards again; there were good tunes on it and on the next album, but it was Prince trying to recover something of who he was 20 years ago.

I remember listening to T.R.C for the first time and I felt so invigorated and RELIEVED that he was going in this direction musically. His focus was the music and the craft of making music. When the Musicology tour came to Cleveland we went, thrilled with the performance but then popped in the free disc they gave us after the concert and I thought..."awwww, man- trying too hard again, forced etc..."

I still prefer the whole Musicology, 3121, Planet Earth time period a hell of a lot more than Emancipation, New Power Soul and Rave period.

OKay... lemme put it on. It's been years, and all I listened to before was East.

thanks2joniandu said:

Agreed. It's one of my favs too. I've always felt T.R.C, O.N.A., N.E.W.S, was one of Prince's most musically fruitful periods.

Absolutely. The years 2001-2003, while not always satisfying, were very exciting. Experimentation is not a bad thing, even when it falls flat.

The last minute or so of "North" is sublime...gorgeous, haunting music.

Giovanni777 said:

databank said:

In my book N.E.W.S. is one of Prince's best albums ever. Not kidding.

.

Then we have the same book, my friend. Totally agree.

Ditto, this is probably one of my most played (obscure)(whatever that is) Prince albums ever.

I check this site every day (being a purple junkie-- by the way, why you guys drop the ball not announcing new material on the front page, sometimes??? nvrmnd) --anyway, so I read alot but rarely post (maybe 3 times in 7 years or something, I dunno) BUT, I'm weighing in on this one...

Although I prefer Prince when he does bizarro "pop" music (and no one does it better) I have to say, I've probably listened to this album of his more than any other. Let me explain... I often listen to instrumental music while I sleep (other than eating strange foods-- it can sometimes have the effect of making your dreams trip, not to mention, part of me hopes to extra-absorb sounds and get a sort of oddball music education while I sleep-- Baby Mozart, anyone, ha!)

So, I put this album on repeat and just let it play while I'll sleep. Maybe that sounds like kind of an insult, considering some of the "criticisms" on here I've read about this album-- but I assure you, it is not.

To me, this album is full of sonic adventure and is both strangely free and meticulously crafted at the same time. What got me into Prince in the first place were not only the melodies and concepts but also, alot of the arrangements. To have a great song with a great concept and then to arrange it in strange and exciting ways and to top it off with uninhibited delivery-- that is the formula for revelatory listening experience right there. Although this is strictly an instrumental album, it's thoughtfully and adventurously arranged, and to me, along with some of the other music from this period, saw him really just doing the "music" thing-- without the, of late, "baggage" of stardom burdening his creations. Don't get me wrong-- I still want songs-- but, as someone who also just likes cool music for music's sake, this shit was way out there in Prince being Prince land and I found it totally groovy. I'll second the other poster on that I'd take another of these albums over ten albums like the last few (give or take a track here and there).

That said, why people always be hatin' on NewpowerSoul?..

See you in another few years...

p.s. NouveauDance: I'm still crushin' on Dallas Mustache! HA! Controversy 4ever...

iZsaZsa said:

I have it, but I have yet to listen to it. I don't know what I'm waiting for.

Always loved this CD. It is a real gem in the Prince collection. It shows such deft execution of style, musicianship, of course, feeling and vibe - all wrapped up in a unique package (14 minute pieces).

I think I have two copies of this because I dang near wore out the first one!

Thanks for showing love to N.E.W.S.

All love.

Byron said:

The last minute or so of "North" is sublime...gorgeous, haunting music.

i love that. the guitar sounding like wind.

whole album is very cool.

this, c-note, trc, xpectation. such a great string of releases.

thanks2joniandu said:

Agreed. It's one of my favs too. I've always felt T.R.C, O.N.A., N.E.W.S, was one of Prince's most musically fruitful periods.

+1

I'd add Xpectation to that list. Violin and saxophone.

IstenSzek said:

^Haha. Yeah, I remember that sample. I remember being a little disappointed when finally hearing the album for the first time because I was expecting the whole thing to be like that sample. The album was a bit more 'jammy' than I had anticipated. That said, I've always liked the album, though it's been a few years since I've listened to it.

Y'all are making me want to hear this album again, and I'm not even a fan of instrumentals. I've never listened to the album all the way through for that reason.

TheDigitalGardener said:

I've always liked it. Give me ten albums like this rather than one album of the shite he's putting out these days.

This.

He was inspired. I love it when Prince is inspired. Great album.

Interesting concept, but in the end a rather mediocre execution!

funkomatic said:

Interesting concept, but in the end a rather mediocre execution!

What was the concept?

IstenSzek said:

Byron said:

The last minute or so of "North" is sublime...gorgeous, haunting music.

i love that. the guitar sounding like wind.

whole album is very cool.

this, c-note, trc, xpectation. such a great string of releases.

...Had zero complaints during those years. Add in his One Nite Along - Piano CD as well.