the songs Breakdown, Way Back Home, U know and Time are better than most of the last 10 years. Funk n Roll + AOC are better than his last 10 years worth of stale funk jams that say the same exact thing over and over .. the rest of AOA is pure rubbish right up there with the rubbish from the last 10 years.

While there are a handful of Prince albums I've well-liked/loved over the years (particularly TRC and Lotusflower), I haven't been as enthalled by any of them from top to bottom as much as I am with AOA. To me, the lyrics, soundscapes, cohesiveness, quirk, and unforced "Prince-ness" of it all is the most present of any album since Lovesexy. I don't care if I'm a lone voice crying out in the wilderness -- I say this is a classic Prince record.

The critics and press just follow trends. When it was cool to slag off Prince because he was that nutter who scrawled slave on his face, changed his name was a bit past it, they were giving mediocre reviews. Now he's an elderstatesman of pop they'll give a better review.

.

Either way nobody but us is going to be listening to these albums this time next year. And that's why you have to take reviews with a pinch of salt.

.

There is absolutely no narked increase in the quality of songwriting and production on these two records - for all their good points or bad points, these songs could easily have come from other album from Rave onwards (TRC aside). People are enjoying the albums and that's great, there's much to enjoy, but no more so than any other album from the past 15 years, there's nothing special here we haven't heard before.

NouveauDance said:

The critics and press just follow trends. When it was cool to slag off Prince because he was that nutter who scrawled slave on his face, changed his name was a bit past it, they were giving mediocre reviews. Now he's an elderstatesman of pop they'll give a better review.

.

Either way nobody but us is going to be listening to these albums this time next year. And that's why you have to take reviews with a pinch of salt.

.

There is absolutely no narked increase in the quality of songwriting and production on these two records - for all their good points or bad points, these songs could easily have come from other album from Rave onwards (TRC aside). People are enjoying the albums and that's great, there's much to enjoy, but no more so than any other album from the past 15 years, there's nothing special here we haven't heard before.

Lol...I'm glad I have MY EARS.............and not yours.

Militant said:

I know OperatingThetan from the London shows. He's not a shill. Can we just respect each other's opinions, please? You all know I'm not a shill, and I think Thetan has a point.

I also feel AOA is a strong contender for the best album of the last 19 years. I do personally prefer TGE and 3121, but there's not much in it, really.

Cheers, Militant. I've been here for fucking years. If however, Warner Bros want to sponsor me for my honest opinion of 'AOA' they're more than welcome.

Graycap23 said:

Lol...I'm glad I have MY EARS.............and not yours.

Amen to that sweetcheeks, amen to that!

NouveauDance said:

The critics and press just follow trends. When it was cool to slag off Prince because he was that nutter who scrawled slave on his face, changed his name was a bit past it, they were giving mediocre reviews. Now he's an elderstatesman of pop they'll give a better review.

.

Either way nobody but us is going to be listening to these albums this time next year. And that's why you have to take reviews with a pinch of salt.

.

There is absolutely no narked increase in the quality of songwriting and production on these two records - for all their good points or bad points, these songs could easily have come from other album from Rave onwards (TRC aside). People are enjoying the albums and that's great, there's much to enjoy, but no more so than any other album from the past 15 years, there's nothing special here we haven't heard before.

spot on, totally accurate

WorldofPeace said:

This is what the org is all about the naysayers and fams Love it

thanks for this post, I enjoy trashing Art Official Crap just as much as I understand the RAGE some fams have directed towards me or many of the naysayers; must be hard to face that Prince needed four years to release one of the most disappointing albums of his career (and I repeat, once again, that I LIKE the 3rd eye girl album)

it's all part of a game, really

[Edited 9/30/14 14:03pm]

skywalker said:

Don't get me wrong, I dig the new albums. However, I really liked albums like Musicology, 3121, MPLSound, and Lotusflower. - Example: people around here slagged off on songs like Chocolate Box, but somehow see the humor in Art Official Cage? What is up with that? - The conspiracist in me says that teaming with WB "magically" warm$ up critics and the press. - What do you all think? Am I just deaf, or are the new releases of a higher quality than albums of the last decade? [Edited 9/30/14 9:16am]

I think all the albums have a few killer tracks, but what makes this new album great is it has a running vibe/theme of Prince accepting and reflecting on his age, like he is a patient, he is on the voyage... not the usual perspective of the listener being on the voyage though Prince's world.

I think it's quite an emotional and artistically sound album, he's drawing a parallel to an elder pop star waking up into the new styles and trends of music, and also wkaing up to a perspective on his own personal life and relationships, and injecting his own sound into it, or sarcastically falling victim to it as a prisoner like in the title track.

PS I'm only talking of AOA. The other one is a typical collection of a mixed bag to my ears so far.

[Edited 9/30/14 14:08pm]

Militant said:

dandan said:

It's definitely one of Prince's better 00s albums but, out of any artist? Nah Hell, I think there have been multiple albums this year alone better than 3121. The 1975's debut album for example.

That came out last year. And was my favorite album of 2013. Actually seen them in concert twice already! Both in Birmingham, last October and then again this February.


"Girls", "Sex", "The City", "Chocolate" and "Settle Down" are my favorites. Brilliant album. But I still like 3121 a little bit more.

So it did! Time flies. What are they like live?

For me it's all about the freedom in the music. This music sounds free, mysterious and dreamy. Theres even a little darkness mixed in. I love the way the girls blend in. There are a few tracks on both albums that are as strong as any in a long time. Time is one.

NouveauDance said:

Nope. It's because it's been four years since an "official album". Imagine if this was released at the end of 2010... would have had some lovers, but not nearly as overhyped as it is now. When Lotusflower was released, a lot of people were getting hard over it iirc, but as time went on people got over it and it sunk to its rightful place in the Prince canon. AOA will too, soon.

dandan said:

YES IT IS!

skywalker said:

Don't get me wrong, I dig the new albums. However, I really liked albums like Musicology, 3121, MPLSound, and Lotusflower. - Example: people around here slagged off on songs like Chocolate Box, but somehow see the humor in Art Official Cage? What is up with that? - The conspiracist in me says that teaming with WB "magically" warm$ up critics and the press. - What do you all think? Am I just deaf, or are the new releases of a higher quality than albums of the last decade? [Edited 9/30/14 9:16am]

skywalker said:

Don't get me wrong, I dig the new albums. However, I really liked albums like Musicology, 3121, MPLSound, and Lotusflower. - Example: people around here slagged off on songs like Chocolate Box, but somehow see the humor in Art Official Cage? What is up with that? - The conspiracist in me says that teaming with WB "magically" warm$ up critics and the press. - What do you all think? Am I just deaf, or are the new releases of a higher quality than albums of the last decade? [Edited 9/30/14 9:16am]

Well there will certainly be more hype from the MSM because of the influence of WB's enormous PR machine. For the first time in ages my local news announced a new Prince cd. All of a sudden he exists again.

Other than that I think people should stop doing so much comparing. Either you like something or you don't.

NouveauDance said:

The critics and press just follow trends. When it was cool to slag off Prince because he was that nutter who scrawled slave on his face, changed his name was a bit past it, they were giving mediocre reviews. Now he's an elderstatesman of pop they'll give a better review.

.

Either way nobody but us is going to be listening to these albums this time next year. And that's why you have to take reviews with a pinch of salt.

.

There is absolutely no narked increase in the quality of songwriting and production on these two records - for all their good points or bad points, these songs could easily have come from other album from Rave onwards (TRC aside). People are enjoying the albums and that's great, there's much to enjoy, but no more so than any other album from the past 15 years, there's nothing special here we haven't heard before.

I think as Prince aficionados, we sometimes lose sight of how genius his music is. I haven't listened to the album thoroughly yet since i'm at work, but This Could Be Us proves that his voice is still angelic at 56, that is a perfect little jam. Time, Art Official Cage and Way Back Home are brilliant for totally different reasons.

I've liked all of his record to some extent, but AOA stands out in my mind

[Edited 9/30/14 17:55pm]

JoeTyler said:

skywalker said:

The conspiracist in me says that teaming with WB "magically" warm$ up critics and the press.

at this point I'm even willing to accept that Warner's overrating campaing $$$$$$$ of AOA (but, oh the irony!, NOT OF THE 3RD EYE GIRL album) has finally reached the org

some of the posts I've read here are just too intense to be just a coincidence

look at that OperatingThetan guy, for example; he just said: "AOA' is infinitely better than anything Prince has done in the last 19 years."

19 years...19 YEARS! exactly after the last two Prince Warner albums (TGE-C&D) were released...95-96...

read between the lines people, Warners has clearly infiltrated the ORG !

[Edited 9/30/14 11:41am]

Just when I thought I had read it all here comes more insane paranoia from the perenially fixated contingent. You think Orgers in general are much too enthusiastic, that's why you've hanging here longer and more insistently, you actually want to counter them -- so why would WB need to come here? Like sending a sand shipment to the Sahara and making a snowdrop in Antarctica, But let's suppose you're right -- why the hell would you care and how many people would such an operative seduce in buying a Prince record, here on the Org?

No sense of proportion whatsoever, people who are always extremely categorical are who they are I guess.

I agree 3121 is high on my list...and I love AOA

ufoclub said:

skywalker said:

Don't get me wrong, I dig the new albums. However, I really liked albums like Musicology, 3121, MPLSound, and Lotusflower. - Example: people around here slagged off on songs like Chocolate Box, but somehow see the humor in Art Official Cage? What is up with that? - The conspiracist in me says that teaming with WB "magically" warm$ up critics and the press. - What do you all think? Am I just deaf, or are the new releases of a higher quality than albums of the last decade? [Edited 9/30/14 9:16am]

I think all the albums have a few killer tracks, but what makes this new album great is it has a running vibe/theme of Prince accepting and reflecting on his age, like he is a patient, he is on the voyage... not the usual perspective of the listener being on the voyage though Prince's world.

I think it's quite an emotional and artistically sound album, he's drawing a parallel to an elder pop star waking up into the new styles and trends of music, and also wkaing up to a perspective on his own personal life and relationships, and injecting his own sound into it, or sarcastically falling victim to it as a prisoner like in the title track.

PS I'm only talking of AOA. The other one is a typical collection of a mixed bag to my ears so far.

[Edited 9/30/14 14:08pm]

That's my feeling as well, but to be fair I haven't spent much time on PLEL yet -- my first reaction was that it tries to be raw à la Undertaker but is actually too controlled for its own good. I expect some of the songs will be more to my liking once I've had time to process AOA, which is shaping up exactly as you described -- it does feel like Prince is on a journey through various soundscapes, rather than the listeners visiting Prince's sonic world (though there is some of that, reconfigured).

Art Official Age is the best album in the last 10 years or so.


1. Art Official Age (4/5) best Prince album since TRC
2. Lotusflower (3.5)
3. Musicology (3.5) I love the 1st half (minus Life O The Party)
4. MPLSound (3.5)
5. 20Ten (3)
6. The Chocolate Invasion (3)
7. The Slaughterhouse (3)
8. Planet Earth (2.5) FBM is excellent
9. 3121 (2.5) weak, BS is great though
10. PlectrumElectrum (2) I love 2 songs, Wow & Anotherlove (the rest no)
11. Indigo Nights (Book & CD) (1) what a crap live cd

No.


For now, I think I'd still rate LotusFlow3r as my favorite, but AOA is probably a close second that may surpass it. There's a quirkiness, a certain Prince kink, that has been missing on almost everything in the last 10 years.

But I have generally enjoyed most of his output the last 10 years. I don't think AOA is that much of a departure from what he's been doing in that time. But there's a certain freshness to it, which combined with that missing quirkiness, causes it to stand head and shoulders over the rest, at least as an album.

Plectrum Electrum (I'm not typing all those stupid titles as one word) is fairly close to the bottom of the heap. It's fun and it's growing on me and its newness is causing me to listen to it a lot, but the sum of its flaws (mostly letting other people sing half the songs - and a few fairly weak songs at that) is going to keep it fairly low on my list of go-to albums in the long run.

NouveauDance said:

yeah, the overall quality of AOA is a few notches above 20ten, Planet Earth, mplsound, and Musicology. I'm not saying he's laying masterpieces here, but there's nothing as embarassing as what you'll find on those albums.

.

It's like his quirks are almost fun again, and he throws enough curveballs to keep the songs interesting. Even the best parts of 3121, Lotus, and Musicology were a bit more predictable (standard? staid?) than AOA. It's fun. Good retirement plan. Not gonna set the world on fire, but a good time.

Plectrum Electrum isn't, but Art Official Age is definitely a step above most of his recent stuff. That's not to say that there is not a song on Planet Earth that tops one on AOA or that the third part of LotusFlow3r isn't really good, but AOA has a consistency that the others have lacked.

While it's not perfect, it's creative without going overboard (like The Rainbow Children) current without pandering (Mr Goodnight, Future Baby Mama) retro without sounding like a pale comparison (Compassion), makes a point without being too preachy (TRC again), and it's fun!

Musicology is a strong album, but who wants Prince to play it safe? Not me. This one smooths out the rough edges while maintaining some freedom. And I feel like it needs a few spins to really get into, unlike Plectrum Electrum, so it's got some depth.

It's not a revelation, but it's just been put together well, and that makes it feel like one after so many years of bumpy road.

dandan said:

Militant said:

That came out last year. And was my favorite album of 2013. Actually seen them in concert twice already! Both in Birmingham, last October and then again this February.


"Girls", "Sex", "The City", "Chocolate" and "Settle Down" are my favorites. Brilliant album. But I still like 3121 a little bit more.

So it did! Time flies. What are they like live?

Pretty damn good, although Matty was high as hell the last time and not making much sense when talking in between songs The second time I saw them, they'd added a sax player to their live lineup.

As someone who has loved a lot of what Prince has done since 1999, I don't agree that AOA and PlecElect are THAT much better than the bast fourteen years, but I do like AOA and PlecElec a lot. I gave TRC, Musicolgoy, and Lotusflow3r/MPLS 8s and 9s of 10, and I also give AOA and PlecElec an 8 or 9 of 10. So, I like the new albums like I like the other work. So, I think that the WB machine is simply doing its magic.

SuperSoulFighter said:

How can you say UKnow is great while stuff like Dance 4 Me isn't? Only because he put some more thought into the production?

Yeah, because songs like that lean heavily on the production. They aren't going to be great because of the beautiful melodies and harmonies or the catchy hook or whatever. But while I'm on that topic, I should also mention that the harmonies in the chorus of UKnow are way more interesting than anything found in Dance 4 Me.

NouveauDance said:

There is absolutely no narked increase in the quality of songwriting and production on these two records - for all their good points or bad points, these songs could easily have come from other album from Rave onwards (TRC aside). People are enjoying the albums and that's great, there's much to enjoy, but no more so than any other album from the past 15 years, there's nothing special here we haven't heard before.

I dunno, the synth bass on Gold Standard sounds great. I remember the synths on other recent albums sounding like trash, but maybe I'm fooling myself? I think Gold Standard really does annihilate any similar song from the last 15 years, and I'm preeettty sure that opinion will stick.

Overall, you're probably right. My excitement for AOA is probably a bit too high and my opinion will almost surely cool. And I just listened to "walk in sand" and I thought it was better than I remember it being. So probably in 5 years, my opinions on his recent albums will even out and the apparent jump in quality will seem smaller and smaller. You're giving us the reviews of the future - today!