KingSausage said:

Goddammit. I typed a long review but I lost it because I have iOS 8 running on a 4S right now so I'm essentially slapping my fingers on a brick. I can't make myself retype it. So I'll sum it up: MEH. I don't love it. I don't hate it. But can someone please help Prince with lyrics. He's always been a poor lyricist, but AOA might be the low point. It's accetpable when the music is bad too. But I like the AOA songs so far.

I totally disagree. Prince has written brilliant lyrics. (Not Richard Thompson brilliant, but still...) They're just as scarce as hen's teeth now.

Gotta say, even though I don't like the music, or the production or the lyrics, this may be my favorite Prince vocal delivery in a minute. He actually sounds like he has some spirit in there. Too bad it was wasted on this shit!

Noooo. Imo, THIS song is nothing like Gett Off...?!

wow I loved the Gett Off 12 inch back then, and I have the birthday vinyl in the white cover.. I love that, a favorite of mine.

This FunkNRoll "woodpecker song", is nothing like Gett Off IMO.

Like someone already wrote this new song is based too much on sound effects + studio trickery....

I wish I liked it, but I really don't.. I feel like the dear Kingsausage was feeling with Clouds -- that was before he changed his mind..

I still love "Clouds", and "Breakfast".... so my hopes for the AOA album are still "medium" to: "high".

KlyphIsBackAgain said:

Gotta say, even though I don't like the music, or the production or the lyrics, this may be my favorite Prince vocal delivery in a minute. He actually sounds like he has some spirit in there. Too bad it was wasted on this shit!

thedance said:

POOK said:

It seems that this track is more polarizing than normal for a Prince track. I haven't seen anyone say it's merely ok, that they aren't offended but they also don't love it. Seems it's either love or hate.

Is anyone here not bothered by it one way or the other?

Sigh. Just when I think I've heard the weakest track on the albums, another one jumps out and proves me wrong. What happened to the atmosphere in Prince's music? What happened to the color and the stories? Funknroll makes me long for songs like Joy in Repetition and Mountains. No more eerie unrecognizable sounds, no more waves of rockgospilfunkysoul? Somebody please please tell me what the hell is wrong?!?!

TheEnglishGent said:

KingSausage said:

TheEnglishGent said:

It seems that this track is more polarizing than normal for a Prince track. I haven't seen anyone say it's merely ok, that they aren't offended but they also don't love it. Seems it's either love or hate.

Is anyone here not bothered by it one way or the other?

Me. It's pleasant and I like it okay. Sounds great on a nice system. Not terrible but not special. It's just meh.

You don't count I'm afraid. You'll change your mind over the weekend, no credibility any more.

TheEnglishGent said:

TheEnglishGent said:

It seems that this track is more polarizing than normal for a Prince track. I haven't seen anyone say it's merely ok, that they aren't offended but they also don't love it. Seems it's either love or hate.

Is anyone here not bothered by it one way or the other?

I love it. This is the most sassy/energetic/interesting vocal performance from Prince in ages. It truly brings back the Camille vibe for me.

It's 1 track out of a body of work of hundreds. You guys need to learn to appreciate variety, the spectrum, the big picture.

The spine of the song is still the funk jam FUNKENROLL, just drastically reduced / mnml.

TheEnglishGent said:

The NFL Network highlighted MEGA new single "FUNKNROLL " on Thursday Nights Football!!!!!!!!

thx185 said:

TheEnglishGent said:

It seems that this track is more polarizing than normal for a Prince track. I haven't seen anyone say it's merely ok, that they aren't offended but they also don't love it. Seems it's either love or hate.

Is anyone here not bothered by it one way or the other?

I love it. This is the most sassy/energetic/interesting vocal performance from Prince in ages. It truly brings back the Camille vibe for me.

It's 1 track out of a body of work of hundreds. You guys need to learn to appreciate variety, the spectrum, the big picture.

The spine of the song is still the funk jam FUNKENROLL, just drastically reduced / mnml.

Variety is the spice of Prince, we all appreciate it, doesn't mean we have to like everything.

tatocorcu said:

TheEnglishGent said:

It seems that this track is more polarizing than normal for a Prince track. I haven't seen anyone say it's merely ok, that they aren't offended but they also don't love it. Seems it's either love or hate.

Is anyone here not bothered by it one way or the other?

I think The whole album is going to be polarising...

I remember people at the recent listening parties saying that. That some of the music is a departure, very in your face, and will be loved or loathed. Seems to be true.

2020 said:

The ending kind of reminds me of Loose in a good way!

I caught this too but couldn't put my finger on it. Good catch.

After several listens I don't really like it.

It's obviously a remix and the different sounds just don't complement each other. They don't work together in a musical way (sure, "U Know" was similar in that sense, but we already know what the original version of this track is like). It's just a bunch of sounds thrown together and the breakdowns from the original stick out unfavourably.

I criticized another orger for calling the production of "Clouds" amateurish, but this one I really do find amateurish myself.

i find it interesting that so many people only like the last, really bussy part

and hate the middle.

just because so many people were saying in the past year that he doesn't

do stripped down bare bones anymore.

this is so bad that i just dont even know where to begin.

is this prince producing? or the other guy?

i am astounded at how awful this is. it sounds like something that would have sounded dated and cheesy in the 90's!

what is happening!

totally bummed.

purplepolitician said:

I'm kinda broke right now so i'ma hold off coppin this til the albums.

Just listen to the YouTube stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9R1E4y7_Js

I can't decide if I like it or not. I thought the Arsenio performance was fucking great but this sounds so...I dunno...plastic and overproduced. I usually enjoy the studio tricks Prince plays around with but this feels like too much and there's really not much of a SONG here. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's like "Black Sweat" to me in that regard - a whole lot of sounds but too much of a song, if that makes any sense.

.

If Prince's stuff has suffered over the last decade or so it's because his songwriting has largely shit the bed. See: Planet Earth, 20Ten. That, or he's just out of ideas. 3121 and LotusFlower had some strong songwriting but, lately, that seems like exception and not the rule. Like I said, I tend to like the studio wizardry he messes with and weird sounds, but on albums like SOTT, Parade and 1999 they were embellishments, decorations and punctuation to already solid songs, not the song itself.

.

I don't hate it but I agree with others that it sounds like a reach somehow; an intentional grab at a younger audience.

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

this is so bad that i just dont even know where to begin.

is this prince producing? or the other guy?

i am astounded at how awful this is. it sounds like something that would have sounded dated and cheesy in the 90's!

what is happening!

totally bummed.

It's most likely a remix by Joshua Welton.

I suspect what's happening is what happened during the days he had Kirk Johnson working on his stuff. He's allowing a personal friend, who is younger than him, to add all kinds of superfluous sounds to his own productions hoping that it will make him more contemporary.

I´ve listened to the remix version, it´s not really my kind of song but so far I prefer the remix over the original because the lyrics seem to be much shorter, which is a good thing in this case since I find many of his 3rd Eye Girl songs a tad too corny for me.

I´m genuinely surprised that so many of my HipHop friends really like this song and still rave about the "sick beat that kicks in around the 0.22 second mark"...to quote one of them.

Just goes to show you that what we hardcore Prince fans like and dislike is not the same as the average Joe likes or dislikes.

Reading those comments on FB and some Rap blogs made me think that at least Prince´s own solo album has a good chance at being a success. Folks seem to love it and the media buzz is working, or so it seems.

Has a little bit of a Pharell vibe. I know, I know...Pharell is considered Prince´s musical heir in some people´s minds, but still.....this is Prince trying to channel current sounds...but then again, that´s what he did in the early 80s, too. Channelling what was on the current charts and giving it his own spin.

Not my favorite song but better than I thought. It´s aight. I prefer Clouds and Breakfast Can Wait. There are actually not that many songs on the new album that I think I´m going to like but it would be cool to see Prince become a bit popular among the newer generation of music listeners.

tatocorcu said:

I Really don't like this, the version of Funknroll from plectrumelectrum and the three times I've had the chance of listening to it live have been great but this... However, as KoolEaze says, it seems to be getting a lot of love on social networks and YouTube so who knows...

It´s weird, isn´t it?

I must admit I barely remember the original version though, and I´ve only listened to it two or three times, and I hated that version he did on the Arsenio Hall show.....that´s why I prefer the remix. It is less reminiscent of the original.

I think this album is going to be a financial success that´s going to introduce Prince to younger listeners. It boggles the mind, but hey, I wish him nothing but the best.

Oh, people just love it when you conform to their standards.