BartVanHemelen said:

TheEnglishGent said:

We only have to look at any of the best single disc Emancipation threads to see that nobody agrees on the 12 best songs from that set to know that it's always better to have more to choose from.

.

That's because Emancipation is a big pile of rubbish. People are simply debating which tracks are slightly less shit than the others.

We all know the only thing that's rubbish around here

[Edited 9/24/14 7:02am]

novabrkr said:

TheEnglishGent said:

The thing with that is that Prince's idea of best would not be the same as yours or mine. I'd much rather have both discs and be able to pick my favourites than have Prince decide what is best. For starters, he's included Breakfast Can Wait which I feel is one of his worst from the last 2 years.

We only have to look at any of the best single disc Emancipation threads to see that nobody agrees on the 12 best songs from that set to know that it's always better to have more to choose from.

Well, that just requires the skill to be able to pick up the songs that make the album seem cohesive and satisfying enough for the listener (or "most listeners"). It's hardly like he didn't do that successfully in the past. That's what most artists are required to do anyway as they're not big enough names to be able to put out two records at the same time.

Even on his so called cohesive albums there are tracks I don't like or skip altogether and would have preferred some of the out takes on there.

Emancipation is a good example of the phenomenon you're describing, of course. But then again, when I've read those "12 song edition of Emancipation" threads it's hard not to get the impression that most orgers who post theirs just post the tracks they've liked the most and aren't able to think of the overall flow of the proposed single disc release at all.

I hear what you're saying but for me an album lacks cohesion when I'm skipping tracks anyway so I'd much rather be listening to a song that is pleasing to me than something which I find unpleasant.

After listening to the previews, I am looking forward to the uptempo jams. I'm just not much of a fan of ballads. Guess I've outgrown all that love stuff.

[Edited 9/24/14 6:26am]

sulls said:

After listening to the previews, I am looking forward to the uptempo jams. I'm just not much of a fan of ballads. Guess I've outgrown all that love stuff.

.

You've outgrown Love? How very sad

novabrkr said:

Rebeljuice said:

Emancipation is a polished plastic turd so you can pick any songs from it and put them together to give the same overall cohesive listen.... Even if it still sounds like a polished turd. But when you got two very sonically different sounding albums, it is much harder to get an album feel when combining songs from the two. The songs on PE and AOA should stay well apart unless you want to make an 'album' that sounds all over the place....

Oh, wait... Prince has been doing that for years!

My bad. Now back to the regular programming.

I'm sorry, while your point on these new releases is of course worth noting, your sweeping generalization on the Emancipation album should not be taken seriously at all.

[Edited 9/24/14 4:33am]

Dont apologise. My sweeping generalisations are only an opinion I decided to share. Of course, I could be a lot more sweepingly general about the glossy poo in question, but the thread isnt about that and, fortunately, there seems to be no comparisons to make between that and the 2 new albums (I hope).

A lot of people are saying that those who are unhappy with AOA and PE are doing so through a deep-seated need to go back to the 80s. That's not true. Its the need to go back to hearing good songs. Deep, meaningful lyrics, solid tunes and memorable hooklines. I'm 52 but not afraid of new music or technology. I listen to a lot of house music (underground and mainstream), breakbeat, dnb, rnb, pop, folk. I might listen to Ed Sheeran, Chase and Status, Ellie Goulding and Paulo Nutini one after another. Its the singwriting thats important - whether there are lyrics or not. I've only heard the previews but I'm worried that there are tracks on both albums that sound weak. Electronic music can be sonically beautiful but there are tracks on AOA that seem to be trying too hard to be modern at the expense of being good. The best sounding track to me on PE is ANOTHERLOVE but he ddn't write it. Just my opinion obviously. I hope it will change when I've listened to the albums in full.

BartVanHemelen said:

TheEnglishGent said:

We only have to look at any of the best single disc Emancipation threads to see that nobody agrees on the 12 best songs from that set to know that it's always better to have more to choose from.

.

That's because Emancipation is a big pile of rubbish. People are simply debating which tracks are slightly less shit than the others.

*

Not really--I love that album, and 18 of the songs I give a rating of 10/10. Yes, two or three don't move me, like "Human Body" and "Slave," but only disliking three of thirty-six is a nice ratio.

BartVanHemelen said:

Aerogram said:

Perhaps the person means new for him, and credibly?

.

That IS the point. Here's someone who probably hasn't listened to any new music in years, praising Prince's "exciting new music". When said "new music" is basically a pale imitation of years old trends. By your reasoning we should not object to someone claiming that Prince invented funk, just because that person has never heard of Sly or James Brown or George Clinton.

Nobody is claiming that Prince invented the sounds on this record. Nobody is that narrow-minded, but you are narrow-minded to project it onto anyone that is excited when Prince incorporates sounds that are new to Prince into his songs.

.

It's not about being pedantic, it's about opening your ears and exposing them to something beyond a steady diet of Prince and pop radio. Hell, judging from the reactions to AOA I'm wondering if people have heard Kanye's Yeezus, which isn't exactly an obscure record.

Bart, do you realize your post was made of letters that were already used in the past by other posters and writers? You should try opening your mind to something beyond a steady diet of the English alphabet. Your post was also colored the same black text (blue when quoted) as tons of posts before yours. Judging by your heavy use of black text you have never even heard of red or orange, which aren't exactly obscure colors.

This is how ridiculous you are. And too late, green is taken.

Don't fool yourself into thinking you are the only poster on this site that could enter a musical dick-waving contest. It simply doesn't follow that a good opinion of AOA indicates a musical mis-education.

nosajd said:

sulls said:

After listening to the previews, I am looking forward to the uptempo jams. I'm just not much of a fan of ballads. Guess I've outgrown all that love stuff.

.

You've outgrown Love? How very sad

Yep. The romantic, mushy stuff.....until I meet my next wife.

BartVanHemelen said:

Aerogram said:

Perhaps the person means new for him, and credibly?

.

That IS the point. Here's someone who probably hasn't listened to any new music in years, praising Prince's "exciting new music". When said "new music" is basically

Mr. Bart, begin learn quoting. Don't say "new music" if someone is talking about "new sound".

From snippet and "singles" AOA gets new sounds in Prince standard.

BartVanHemelen said:

That's because Emancipation is a big pile of rubbish. People are simply debating which tracks are slightly less shit than the others.

Yeees... in Italy we use acronym NCUCDM.

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

Thanks so much for this review....as i like prince`s weird 1999, synth sounds i am now more looking forward to the album....I was hoping for a long time that he will once again mix his style, songwriting with modern sounds...ad he did now in funk n roll and U know...

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

Murph, I agree..Very nice, cohesive, organic album..Folks talkong about Hannah vocals seem to forget the horrendous, yes horrendous vocals of W & L....the boytrouble, stopthistrain, anotherlove, tictactoe 4 some is amazing to me

lwr001 said:

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

Murph, I agree..Very nice, cohesive, organic album..Folks talkong about Hannah vocals seem to forget the horrendous, yes horrendous vocals of W & L....the boytrouble, stopthistrain, anotherlove, tictactoe 4 some is amazing to me

Thanks....but keep in mind. I haven't reviewed PE yet....And while I def. dig some of the songs on there, I'm not a huge fan of Hannah taking on lead vocals...

I think 3EG works well as a live band though...They kick ass in that regard....

Thanx for your review.

siim said:

i have both of the albums

i'm not as enthusiastic as feeeluupp is

ART OFFICIAL CAGE- one of the most stupidest tracks he has ever done. Definetly it has Joshua written all over it - it's cheesy eurodance (maybe you call it EDM in states), a genre i've hated all of my life

It has football horns (!!!), it turns operatic at the end for a moment, really outdated dance music sounds, some woman at the start hypes it up in a language i cant recognize (Danish?), laughable "come on, let's go, bring the people"-hook (bhhh...), Prince sings from a artificial phone, and guitar drives all over the place above that ridiculous beat.

And I'm not sure anymore it's a guest MC rapping at the last half, it might be Prince himself, manipul

it made me laugh at first, but it makes me really sad now... There's this guy I've loved all of my life, now he is old and tries to sound up to date, but some Joshua leads him to... oh well...

THE GOLD STANDARD - at first two listen it had a Black Album feel, not anymore... Guitar lick reminds the one from U Got The Look extended versions beginning. Well, there's many many 80s tracks it reminds, cuz it has so many different elements which turn up just for once... Slowed down voice sings "New power!", and here's that MC again who might be Prince. Maybe like "Purple Medley" but all the citations are musical and cleverly hidden.

THIS COULD BE US - in falsetto, as you've already heard i believe. Standard ballad i really dont care about, i lazily compare it to "The Sun, The Moon and The Stars".

And if I hear right, there's a line - "sex with me aint enough, that's why we have to do it better physically"... hahahaa

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE- duet, (with Andy Allo, right?). Mid-tempo R'n'B, unimaginative chorus, best part is the womans voice - she sounds a bit sad

AFFIRMATION I & II - new age synths, and i guess Leanne Levas speaking something on it - "Before you have any interaction with members of the opposite sex, we goint to have to... " (Is he leaving JW now? For new age? I'd surely like that).. It segues to "Way Back Home"

WAY BACK HOME - Joshua sounds through, yep. It seems like a epic stadium track (like "Gold" for example), but its arranged produced as a tiny pop track which won't fly anywhere. Drums are like some kind of march, but not really military. (Greatly arranged female back vox, maybe like FKA twigs)

TIME - duet again. or maybe there's more than one woman singing on it, can't say. Prince sings through phone-box again. Hypnotic and (new age-)prayer-like. Think "Love Song" with a mellow groove; i like the background synths (I can hear ghosts of "Girl" and "God" in them). And it citates the other album tracks at the second half

Can't compare AOA to last ten years output, i just can't rank those albums. And this doesnt seem to stand out.

Some really nice elements, nice tracks - but i wanna be euphoric like I used to be

WetDream said:

PE:
Really let down by this.....what a potential this album had. It could of been some spacey, musically out there, creative statement with that feminine power i also want to see more of....but instead it sounds like Highschool cheerleaders chanting a cheesy chant on every song. Only FNR, WOW and Tictactoe have me slightly intrigued.

AOA:
Hmm....What a pleasent surprise after being distraught after hearing the attrocious U Know and FNR Remix. Art Official Cage sounds like it could also be potentially bad, but it needs a full listen before i can write it off.
The Gold Standard....YES!! A thousand times, YES!!! Great sounding stuff!
This Could Be Us sounds like a nice little ballad, nothing more.
Way Back Home.....hmm.....needs a full listen.
What It Feels Like is his most convincing take on futuristic RnB yet.
Time sounds really nice. I just hope he is on vox a lot more than in the snippet. Don't like that voice effect he's using, the Phone effect thing.
Affirmation III sounds like the quirky Prince i always wanted back.

Overall i am slightly hyped again, but only a bit as i am let down by PE sounding mediocre, the fact Josh Welton is making Prince look corny, desperate and not give us a mature artistic statement....and the fact i have heard most tracks from AOA.....it looks like i have paid £26 for POTENTIALLY 7 tracks........

Thank you for writing my preview review for me!

Damn that little cricket, anyway. There's just enough potentially good stuff for me to want both albums. Bastard.

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

I always take notice of your posts murph so looking forward hearing it even more after the previews as well. I'm not expecting to love every track but I think i'll like the majority, which hasnt happened with the last few albums. The previews of Time and Gold Standard sound promising

Genuinely embarrassed for Hannah. Her vocals on AINTTURNINROUND are absolutely dreadful.

I agree! AOA dosent comes close 2 TRC.

RODSERLING said:

feeluupp said:

AOA is his best album since... well...

In my opinion in the last 14 years.

It's better than:

The Rainbow Children

NEWS

MUSICOLOGY

3121

PLANET EARTH

PURPLE LOTUS/MPLS SOUND

20TEN

Dare I say it's his best since The Gold Experience...

How could an album containing some shits like FUNKNROLL, BREAKFAST... and BREAKDOWN, be better than RAINBOW CHILDREN, which is a very well written, composed, produced and thought album ? That's fucking non sense.

[Edited 9/24/14 3:42am]

Gohi said:

Genuinely embarrassed for Hannah. Her vocals on AINTTURNINROUND are absolutely dreadful.

no more dreadful than your comment above

MichaelHogberg said:

I agree! AOA dosent comes close 2 TRC.

RODSERLING said:

How could an album containing some shits like FUNKNROLL, BREAKFAST... and BREAKDOWN, be better than RAINBOW CHILDREN, which is a very well written, composed, produced and thought album ? That's fucking non sense.

[Edited 9/24/14 3:42am]

This post made me laugh...Kinda loud...The hardline Prince fans are wild as hell...lol

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

Thanks Murph! This matches my own impression from the snippets so I am officially excited. I love the new sound and so happy he finally found that mojo again. And agree, there seems to be some playfull quirckyness going on in all of this which is especially exciting. Oh boy, I have been a fan for over 30 years and I have not been this excited for some years

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

Great review! "1999" is my all time favorite album!1 It was right before the fairweathers came along. It baffles me, that this album hasn't been leaked yet!! Despite the complaints, Eye like how this project has been carefully promoted to prevent piracy & has been unveiled in the most classiest ways of any new project...

murph said:

MichaelHogberg said:

I agree! AOA dosent comes close 2 TRC.

This post made me laugh...Kinda loud...The hardline Prince fans are wild as hell...lol

When the RBC came out, folks hated the voice and the dogma...funny how time changes perception..I agree Murph, they are wild as hell..

murph said:

My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does his presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

[Edited 9/24/14 7:11am]

I agree, Skipper is enjoying life and music again.. They are learning as opposed to be tehnically proficient musicians..they results are the best in 20 years. As much as i liek neto, rhonda, blackwell et al, the best they could do in inspring him was Get on the Boat; i'll pass

BartVanHemelen said:

TheEnglishGent said:

We only have to look at any of the best single disc Emancipation threads to see that nobody agrees on the 12 best songs from that set to know that it's always better to have more to choose from.

.

That's because Emancipation is a big pile of rubbish. People are simply debating which tracks are slightly less shit than the others.

Agreed. In fact Emancipation still stands as the "Most Disappointing Prince Album Ever" in my books. Three CD's with 36 tracks on it and there is not one song that really satisfies my Princely needs...

funkaholic1972 said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

That's because Emancipation is a big pile of rubbish. People are simply debating which tracks are slightly less shit than the others.

Agreed. In fact Emancipation still stands as the "Most Disappointing Prince Album Ever" in my books. Three CD's with 36 tracks on it and there is not one song that really satisfies my Princely needs...

U people are off your rockers....lol