26ten said:

It's a cool record, and I'm sick of switching from Spotify to Tidal 4 it lol. I love The One & mm those goddamn STRINGS. So expressionistic.

donnadiavolo said:

It's spelled Newpower Soul. New Power Soul is a track on Exodus.

^ Yep - I'll edit the title of the thread

databank said:

It's spelled Newpower Soul. New Power Soul is a track on Exodus.

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Was about to mention that too.

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I like the Chaka Kahn collab. ''Push It Up'' too.

...with that hunting vocal were they sing together.

Love that beat.

I remember that summer, it was on repeat on my iPod.

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databank said:

Newpower Soul is the first full on plastic production album from him.

The songs are good in their base form. But the dried out, flat production zaps them of any life from them.

If they'd played those songs, especially stuff like "Mad Sex," "Freaks On This Side," "Until U're In My Arms Again," "Push It Up," live and have that "live studio mix" (See "Somebody's Somebody") feel, they'd have been fantastic. The best parts of Diamonds and Pearls and was that they were band records. Same goes for something like Exodus, the previous New Power Generation album. Despite Tony M. on the former two, those three albums felt real. They had grit, texture, a cohesive smoothness, layered yet raw. It was one of the best moves (sans Tony M.) Prince could've made at that point his career.

NewPower Soul is the polar opposite. It's flat, dry, uninspired.

I don't believe, for me, that Kat Dyson was that great of a guitar player. Kirk Johnson's drum programming sounds like it was on a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model IV. Better talents like Mike Scott, Marva King, Chaka Khan, Morris Hayes and even Larry Graham (solely as a bass player) feel muted by the production and lesser players.

It seems that new power soul was an acrylic genre he wanted to create. Meh. I literally scoffed and LOL'd when he told Melanie B that NewPower Soul was the most hype record he'd ever made. Uhhh, RIGHT. Out'cho mind.

I can listen to it, but it feels disappointing. I often get halfway thru it and think, "I'm wasting my time."

Loving it still, wholeheartedly. Freaks on this side!

It´s an album that I don´t listen to very often because of its dry and sterile sounding production and the poor songwriting on songs like Push It Up and I Like Funky Music but half of the album consists of some decent to really good songs. I like The One, Wasted Kisses and Come On a lot, and as far as I remember Come On was also the last great maxi single he put some effort into, with some nice remixes.

[Edited 10/6/21 16:49pm]

26ten said:

I am going to be experiencing this album again and will he playing it as much as I can. A cursory listen makes me remember how much I love Freaks On This Side and how clever and cool it is - and trippy. This, Come On, and Wasted Kisses are likely the Peaks of the album, but overall it's an album that at once could be way better if he didn't base so much of it around these sort of (dated now) catch phrases but is hysterically underrated. How do you all feel about this record? Is it one you listen to much compared to the rest of his work?

Out of sheer curiousity.....what exactly do you find clever and cool about that song?

.

I mean, I do like it and prefer it over stuff like Push It Up or I Like Funky Music but I don´t see why you´d consider it clever or cool.

Some cool songs, but could have been better with a different production. I cant help it, but those 98-2001 years in Prince music were the ones that I really wasnt as happy as the other eras.

KoolEaze said:

KoolEaze said:

26ten said:

Farfunknugin said:

26ten said:

Compositionally the song is insane. I don't know if you are a musician so I'll just sort of describe what I hear: So it starts with the crowd chanting. Already I see a stadium full of people chanting - textuarally to hear that your first response is to mentally see it. They're on beat and pretty well synchronized. Then they get used as a metronomeand the drums and bass hit - but we still hear their echoing voices now with reverb. Then these ultimate P funk horns enter and are joined by this dark organ sounding. When the horns drop out the organ continues and Prince's voice enters, but there is an atonal effect on his voice that throughout the song gets increasingly dissonant until its two wacked out voices pulling themselves apart. All throughout the bass and drums keep the beat, and the chants are put back in and then removed.

I remember him doing a call & response in Oakland with the left & right side of the crowd chanting it, I think this was before the release . I thought it was a cool in concert moment, who knew it’d one of the best tracks in the album.

Right?! Oh jesus I'd love to have been able to go to a show of his. That will surely be a top 5 biggest regret of my life.

I will be obsessing over this disc a lot I think for the next few days. I am very happy to be revisiting it. I bought it on a whim years ago and post 80's P didn't really catch on with me right away (the lack of those Linn drums just hits different I think).

It occurred to me today that Freaks is real similar to Lemoncrush with the vocal effect. Another seriously underrated track no less.

[Edited 10/7/21 19:25pm]

[Edited 10/7/21 19:36pm]

26ten said:

KoolEaze said:

Out of sheer curiousity.....what exactly do you find clever and cool about that song?

.

I mean, I do like it and prefer it over stuff like Push It Up or I Like Funky Music but I don´t see why you´d consider it clever or cool.

Compositionally the song is insane. I don't know if you are a musician so I'll just sort of describe what I hear: So it starts with the crowd chanting. Already I see a stadium full of people chanting - texturally to hear that, your first response is to mentally see it. It's a really interesting sound musically and it's sort of sharp and fuzzy at the same time. The crowd is on beat and pretty well synchronized. Then they get used as a metronome and the drums and bass hit in at once - but we still hear their echoing voices (now with reverb, which adds a real cool psychedelic feel). Then suddenly these ultimate P funk horns enter with a jolt and are joined by this real dark sounding organ. When the horns drop out the organ continues and Prince's voice enters, but there is an slight atonal effect on his voice that throughout the song gets increasingly dissonant until by the end it sounds like two wacked out voices that are pulling themselves apart. All throughout the bass and drums keep the beat, and the chants are put back in and then removed back and forth. Texturally it's one of his most incredible tracks, and it's the equal of any of his 80's work in my opinion. It would have worked well on SOTT for instance. [Edited 10/7/21 19:23pm]

Ah, ok, I see. Thanks for the in-depth explanation.

I like the song but I never really thought about such details.

To me it always sounded rather simple in the music and lyrics department but now I see your point.

Then again, I am not a musician.

This album isn't a favorite, but I don't mind it.

I'm probably in the minority, but my favorite song on it is the title track, Newpower Soul. I also like Mad Sex, Push It Up, and Shoo-Bed-Ooh.

Come On has a good groove, but it doesn't really go anywhere. Also, I like some of the remixes of Come On more than the album version.

I want to like Freaks On This Side and (I like) Funky Music, but the crowd chants ruin those songs for me. I don't like that they sound like a large, distant crowd in an arena-setting. If they sounded more like a small, close-up group -- like his band or voices at party -- I'd probably like the chants better. I have the same objection for the crowd chant in Rock n Roll Is Alive (And it Lives in Minneapolis).

TrivialPursuit said:

If they'd played those songs, especially stuff like "Mad Sex," "Freaks On This Side," "Until U're In My Arms Again," "Push It Up," live and have that "live studio mix" (See "Somebody's Somebody") feel, they'd have been fantastic. The best parts of Diamonds and Pearls and was that they were band records. Same goes for something like Exodus, the previous New Power Generation album. Despite Tony M. on the former two, those three albums felt real. They had grit, texture, a cohesive smoothness, layered yet raw. It was one of the best moves (sans Tony M.) Prince could've made at that point his career.

NewPower Soul is the polar opposite. It's flat, dry, uninspired.

I see what you're saying and mostly agree, but I think this argument is more true for Emancipation than Newpower Soul.

lurker316 said:

I see what you're saying and mostly agree, but I think this argument is more true for Emancipation than Newpower Soul.

I would double down and say it's definitely true for both. "Somebody's Somebody" in studio mix is a prime example for Emancipation.

And some of that flattened sound made it into the Jam of the Year Tour because, whether he or anyone admits it or not, they were playing with backing tracks. Kat Dyson can lipsync all day, but she doesn't sound like Rosie freakin' Gaines (she even did that on the VH1 concert during that song). Same with the drums on some songs, it was a loop often times, not all Kirk playing.

Fair to say both records could've given things like Exodus or The Gold Experience (both mostly band records) a run for their money, had he just used the band.

OperatingThetan said:

26ten said:

lurker316 said:

This album isn't a favorite, but I don't mind it.

I'm probably in the minority, but my favorite song on it is the title track, Newpower Soul. I also like Mad Sex, Push It Up, and Shoo-Bed-Ooh.

Come On has a good groove, but it doesn't really go anywhere. Also, I like some of the remixes of Come On more than the album version.

I want to like Freaks On This Side and (I like) Funky Music, but the crowd chants ruin those songs for me. I don't like that they sound like a large, distant crowd in an arena-setting. If they sounded more like a small, close-up group -- like his band or voices at party -- I'd probably like the chants better. I have the same objection for the crowd chant in Rock n Roll Is Alive (And it Lives in Minneapolis).

I was not a fan of this album when it was released, but it has grown on me, and I now think its a decent album. My fave track is the title track as well.

coldcoffeeandcocacola said:

26ten said:

Compositionally the song is insane. I don't know if you are a musician so I'll just sort of describe what I hear: So it starts with the crowd chanting. Already I see a stadium full of people chanting - texturally to hear that, your first response is to mentally see it. It's a really interesting sound musically and it's sort of sharp and fuzzy at the same time. The crowd is on beat and pretty well synchronized. Then they get used as a metronome and the drums and bass hit in at once - but we still hear their echoing voices (now with reverb, which adds a real cool psychedelic feel). Then suddenly these ultimate P funk horns enter with a jolt and are joined by this real dark sounding organ. When the horns drop out the organ continues and Prince's voice enters, but there is an slight atonal effect on his voice that throughout the song gets increasingly dissonant until by the end it sounds like two wacked out voices that are pulling themselves apart. All throughout the bass and drums keep the beat, and the chants are put back in and then removed back and forth. Texturally it's one of his most incredible tracks, and it's the equal of any of his 80's work in my opinion. It would have worked well on SOTT for instance. [Edited 10/7/21 19:23pm]

Now thats one of the best song descriptions I've ever heard, I don't like the track that much but this is incredible [Edited 10/8/21 12:33pm]

I am listening to it right now with a new appreciation for that song. I´ve always liked it but 26ten helped me appreciate it even more. Blasting it on headphones as I´m typing this.

I wish he had played this live more often instead of Play That Funky Music or other cover songs.

It has so many moments that are perfect for solos...the drums, the organ, bass.

One of his worst albums ever. A shitty shit hop mess. The only track I can halfway get into is "When You Love Somebody".

vainandy said:

26ten said:

vainandy said:

One of his worst albums ever. A shitty shit hop mess. The only track I can halfway get into is "When You Love Somebody".

There is basically no rapping on it at all haha

I'm not referring to rapping. I'm referring to the Fisher Price sound of the music and the attitude.