JoeyCococo said:

As an authority on Prince and probably one of the longest followers here (we continue to lurk:) I declare these two new albums to be....a worthy reminder of his GREATNESS. A crude measure is the fact that I have played songs off these two albums NON STOP. I don't remember when I did this last. There is always a few tracks that are great but I always wonder if I would have given them the chances I do if it were not Prince. Time, Another Love, This Could be Us, Way Bach Home, wow, plectrum, breakfast can wait, tictactoe, fix up your life- to me, these are a new additions to his greatests music. Then there is the stuff that is so interesting like the Boy Trouble bass playing, the mature lyrics of Breakdown etc.this guy can do everything and he shows it off. The vocals on This Could Be Us alone are amazing. Has he lost anything at his age??? Does he sound at all less than he did 25 years ago? His voice is a treasure. Like anyone, he is getting older. I think he made the right and deliberate decision to wait a few years to release an album and it paid off. I have no doubt he could do this every year as he did before but he would have to listen to an objective producer and we know he won't!!! I thought to write this b/c I was so impressed with the part I. this Could Be Us where he blows you away with his vocals and then does a subtle guitar line. It reminded me that he has so many 'weapons'- he can express himself so easily, and so well in so many ways... Gifted.

Wait a minute. Are you or have you ever been the real Joey Coco of Org Fame?

Important questions first need to be answered.

[Edited 10/26/14 15:03pm]

JoeyCococo said:

As an authority on Prince and probably one of the longest followers here (we continue to lurk:) I declare these two new albums to be....a worthy reminder of his GREATNESS. A crude measure is the fact that I have played songs off these two albums NON STOP. I don't remember when I did this last. There is always a few tracks that are great but I always wonder if I would have given them the chances I do if it were not Prince. Time, Another Love, This Could be Us, Way Bach Home, wow, plectrum, breakfast can wait, tictactoe, fix up your life- to me, these are a new additions to his greatests music. Then there is the stuff that is so interesting like the Boy Trouble bass playing, the mature lyrics of Breakdown etc.this guy can do everything and he shows it off. The vocals on This Could Be Us alone are amazing. Has he lost anything at his age??? Does he sound at all less than he did 25 years ago? His voice is a treasure. Like anyone, he is getting older. I think he made the right and deliberate decision to wait a few years to release an album and it paid off. I have no doubt he could do this every year as he did before but he would have to listen to an objective producer and we know he won't!!! I thought to write this b/c I was so impressed with the part I. this Could Be Us where he blows you away with his vocals and then does a subtle guitar line. It reminded me that he has so many 'weapons'- he can express himself so easily, and so well in so many ways... Gifted.

Agreed. My feelings exactly.

Exactly....This Could Be Us is on repeat for me. Ugghhh...these two albums are great and they shut up all the people who said he couldn't do it or he lost his mojo. Wonderful job. Exceptional!

Agreed with everything you wrote, particularly the awesomeness of This Could Be Us.

Wait a minute. Are you or have you ever been the real Joey Coco of Org Fame?

Important questions first need to be answered.

[Edited 10/26/14 15:03pm]

JoeyCococo said:

Yup - on repeat for me too - there are only 2 tracks I skip from both albums. Really enjoying that he brought out 2 different-sounding albums. I listen to one, one night - the other, the next so it's still sounding fresh to me at the mo. Bit of album tennis...

an authority 'in' prince would be like a police man who pulled Prince over for speeding but decided to left him off with a good rogering. sorry it's late.

Militant said:

Agreed with everything you wrote, particularly the awesomeness of This Could Be Us.

Too true....its a purple pyschadelic pimp slap!....lets just say its been a long time coming!

I'm over AOA. I will say though, it lasted longer than than most of it's pop/R&B predecessors (MPLSound, 20Ten, 3121, Musicology). It's a decent 6 for me. I think PE isn't as solid a set, but for some reason that's the one I want to keep coming back to. I'd also give it a decent 6, but it's the one I want to explore more - I feel it has more nooks and crannies. Hannah's vocals - ick. But she wouldn't be the first under-par vocalist on a Prince produced album, so we live with it and quitely imagine what a song would sound like had Prince done it himself (see also: Superconductor).

I still haven't written my reviews yet, and may skip it this time around. I really like a lot of the songs...would've been better as one album, with the best of PE and AOA, and much better with the same songs without all the pandering to the under 25 set...no autotune, no stupid loud horn at the start of AO Cage... no stupid "Mr Nelson" talking all over the songs...but.....

despite my large amount of complaints...the basic songs are all really good for the most part. Not a bad song on AOA. Underneath the hideous autotune of U Know, there's a nice song there. Clouds is really nice. This Could Be Us is great...The Breakdown might have been the best song without the stupid overproduction, and laser gun sound effects. The Gold Standard is maybe the best song...but overall it's a very enjoyable listen. PE would've been much better without the girls singing. Hannah is not Prince. Those songs should have been on one cd with all Hannah's vocals, but there should have been another with just Prince's vocals. It could have been like the Lotus Flow3r 3 cd set. I could then just listen to the Prince vocals, and maybe the Hannah ones once or twice, and put it on the shelf.

I totally agree. Greatness. Especially Art Official Age, but Plectrumelectrum has fantastic songs too. I can put Art Official Age side by side with his best work.

[Edited 10/28/14 10:18am]

Damn near every song that man comes out with reminds me how brilliant he is and that we're dealing with arguably the baddest songwriter and composer on the planet. But yes, I love AOA & PE. I'm leaning more into AOA currently but I alternate the new albums every day for my listening pleasure.

.

"This Could Be Us" is a sweet, enjoyable track. Now, about a week ago, out of nowhere, the song latched onto me and it's grown on me bigtime--like overnight. Couldn't get it out of my head and I'm feeling it with some intensity. Of all the songs on that album, I wouldn't have pegged TCBU to grab me like this. I hear elements of some sweet 80's r&b and oh my goodness he does it justice.

.

Affirmations I, II, and III are all beautiful and provide context for Prince's artistic statement on the album. Love it when the brotha gets deep on us. It stimulates the intellect; has me seeing the world in a different way.

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As always, I'm loving the poetry of his lyrics, the music is on point and groovin', his singing--amazing. I think it was a smart move on his part to incorporate some of the signature sounds from his 80s and 90s work into various tracks on AOA--most notably "The Gold Standard" and "Time". It bridges the gap between the musical stylings of Purple Rain and his current sound, for the prodigal fan base at large, who may find themselves returning to the fold for the 30th year anniversary of PR.

AOA, for all its qualities, is a fine record. But "greatness"? Come on...

Finally we hear bass, background vocals and guitars being playful again. The lead vocals are top notch, ad libs are inspired, and the overall sound does not get in the way, but enhances the gimmicks and the overdubs, which are interesting again.

As for the lyrics, it's the first time that Prince sings about time passing by, regrets, death (the whole Cryopreservation stuff is meant for dead people), and conjures all of this with energy, humour, and style.

That said...

"A Place In Heaven" (a random example) weighs more in the balance than the whole AOA album.

But it has to do mostly with what the music has become. Something of an utility, something that gets coupled with phone subscriptions, "Millions of songs" offered as a bonus with the purchase of 3 washing powder boxes, as if music was nothing. When you get access to thousand of albums (imagine the hours spent in producing them, even for the lowest shit) for $9.99 a month, music does in fact count for nothing.

In that sense, AOA strikes the perfect balance between "It doesn't mean shit anymore, all of this is going to hell, who cares" and "I had a spiritual epiphany last night", the void and the concrete, the artificial sound against blisters coming from playing the bass on "Time". A truly post-modern pop album, and a very pleasant journey from start to finish.

But I wouldn't call this "greatness". My only hope is that AOA is what "For You" is to "Prince", just a demo of what it's gonna be.

It's 'bout time that Prince quits being self-indulgent. I want him on that mixing desk 7/7 for a whole year, and a lot of what will be produced has to go down the toilet. To quote Morris : "I want some perfection".

No one will persuade me that AOA is the result of 4 years of hard labour. If PE was, it should bear the same qualities as "Witness 4 The Prosecution". Instead, the sound is not raw nor dirty, it sounds like Amplitube or Guitar Rig presets.

Susan Rogers, where art thou?

Two Slammin' Albums. AOA has a host of alter-egos we love on One Album (Camille : Voices ,Bob George : Voices ,Alexander Nevermind and Joey Coco : Producing & Writing style )