20ten is massively underrated in my opinion.

I view it as his strongest album in some time - and his quality was already pretty solid, with him on a relative winning streak. It's funny since critically people seemed as though he'd lost the plot after the consistent attention and acclaim of Musicology.

The first half is the stronger one but even the ballads on the second half are enjoyable (especially Walk In Sand). My only real issue with the album is Everybody Loves Me, which could have been better with some less throwaway lyrics. I've seen a lot of people single out this track as the highpoint of the album, which is surprising to me.

I know the response has been pretty mixed, and I'm sure the distribution strategy didn't help anything.

What are your thoughts on this album, good or bad?

And actually on a relisten I have to admit that the weird complexity of Everybody Loves Me is a bit more appealing than I remembered, although I still feel like the lyrics could be better.

Laydown has probably the coolest funk guitar on the album. It's easy to view this 'secret' track as separate from the rest of the album, and hearing 20ten on YT, which removes the silence and sequences the song as simply the final track strengthens the album significantly imo.

It's a decent album but I think it could have been much stronger.

The first 6 songs are really enjoyable and then it takes a turn with Walk in Sand. I like walk in Sand but it doesn't fit this album.

walk in sand is great.

lovely song.

Sorry, I'd rank it as one of his all time worst albums. The song Compassion is embarassingly bad. The only songs I enjoy are Sticky Like Glue and Laydown. Laveux is borderline for me.

This and Planet Earth are his only 21st Century albums I can't listen to at all. But my objections to those two albums are different. The style of music on Planet Earth simply isn't my cup of tea -- I don't deny that it has some merit. In contrast, I think 20Ten has no artisitic or technical merit.

Is my FAVORITE 2000's album by Prince(r.i.p.) from TOP 2 BOTTOM besides "Rainbow Children"....

I'm looking foward to hearing the rest of 20T3N Deluxe that Prince(r.i.p.) offered WBR for a deal that didn't happen until 2014.

[Edited 10/4/21 11:01am]

lurker316 said:

The style of music on Planet Earth simply isn't my cup of tea -- I don't deny that it has some merit.

I do deny it having any merit. It's a steaming piece of shit front to back. 2Oten absolutely slapps by comparison, but people like what they like so neither of us are wrong in our assessments. HOORAY

It's got some good stuff on it but at the end of the day it's just another mid tier release.

2 or 3 great songs, 3 or 4 OK ones, 2 or 3 bad ones and, always, at least one clunker that makes you rush for the skip button.

I kept Beginning Endlessley, Sticky Like Glue, Lavaux and Laydown (which, to me, is the best track on the record). I like that Face Down style funky stuff. Everybody Loves Me is fucking embarassing.

If Act of God were played just that little bit faster it would have been brilliant. Sounded awesome like that at SXSW.

I like this album from start to finish

rebelenterprise said:

I dig most of 20Ten for real...but my preferred way of listening to it is as a combination with tracks from "MPLSound" to create a 9 track, 42 minute Funk/Rock/Dance album with no ballads. It would be the 1st P album without one... Even "The Funk Bible" had one. And '09's "LotusFlow3r" would've just been a single disc, which is one of his best IMO. Here's the tracklist: PRINCE: "Laydown" 1. Laydown 2. Beginning Endlessly 3. Chocolate Box 4. Dance 4 Me 5. Sticky Like Glue 6. Act Of God 7. Lavaux 8. Ol' Skool Company 9. No More Candy 4 U The link for the playlist @ https://youtube.com/playl...j-ry0-9h51

That works.

NPS is a lot of fun and pretty underrated. That's a good mix but I'd get Wasted Kisses in there somewhere.

herb4 said:

rebelenterprise said:

I dig most of 20Ten for real...but my preferred way of listening to it is as a combination with tracks from "MPLSound" to create a 9 track, 42 minute Funk/Rock/Dance album with no ballads. It would be the 1st P album without one... Even "The Funk Bible" had one. And '09's "LotusFlow3r" would've just been a single disc, which is one of his best IMO. Here's the tracklist: PRINCE: "Laydown" 1. Laydown 2. Beginning Endlessly 3. Chocolate Box 4. Dance 4 Me 5. Sticky Like Glue 6. Act Of God 7. Lavaux 8. Ol' Skool Company 9. No More Candy 4 U The link for the playlist @ https://youtube.com/playl...j-ry0-9h51

That works.

NPS is a lot of fun and pretty underrated. That's a good mix but I'd get Wasted Kisses in there somewhere.

rebelenterprise's post features tracks from MPLSound, not NPS.

Just like with Planet Earth, it has a great run of songs for the first half. Take the first half of both of those and combine them into a good longer album.

Yeah, I like the retro "Hair" musical style energy of "Compassion".

26ten said:

Laydown has probably the coolest funk guitar on the album. It's easy to view this 'secret' track as separate from the rest of the album, and hearing 20ten on YT, which removes the silence and sequences the song as simply the final track strengthens the album significantly imo.

I actually put Laydown as the first track for my 20Ten playlist. The logic behind it being that if you listen to the album on repeat, there's a long silence before Laydown plays and then it goes straight into Compassion. So on a second run through, it's as if it is the first track.

I quite like the album overall, with the exception of Sea of Everything. For me, that is the most unlistenable track on any Prince album.

Its fine, but not his best. Works like a collection of ideas that work and dont work than something full fledged like Art Official Age, PretzelBodyLogic and even Lotus Flow3r.

It is not bad, there are some nice songs like Lavaux, Act of God, Beginning Endlessly and especially Sticky Like Glue.

WhisperingDandelions said:

This thread got me thinking that perhaps I've been unfair to the song Compassion, so I just went and listened to it again... Sorry, ddin't change my mind. I think it sounds like the theme to a cheesy game show called "Compassion!" I would genuintely ratther listen to Purple and Gold.

Romeoblu said:

Hamad said:

I love the album, a feel good afternoon listen. I think expectations were high and the org was having an emotional meltdown upon the release of the album, but it’s a fun little project. I hope people revisit it more often

LoveGalore said:

EmmaMcG said: