funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

When were Prince's vocals at their peak?

The X's Face.

MrSharon said:

Probably the emancipation era The production on the songs may not have aged well on some tracks but his vocals throughout the album sound great He was 38 then [Edited 3/2/23 9:18am]

I really agree. I think his guitar playing was at its very best then too. The Undertaker and others are a great example of that.

I think on record he remained brilliant and consistent right throughout his career, in concert the situation was a little different. in my humble opinion, they were awesome during Act II tour in Europe, Musicology, and W2A where I think they were best of all.

My possible lowlights are Nude tour & Parade tour

Hey y'all--this just came in on my Youtube feed. Ken Tamplin of Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy breaks down, or illustrates, the uniformity of Prince's vocal command throughout his career--just what we talking about here!

I can't get the thread to load/display here right now, but the title line is: Prince - Singers Then And Now - Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy

<Prince><scream>

Vloger Crazy Singing does a bit (his vlog is pretty cool, BTW) on Prince, titled "8 IMPOSSIBLE Prince vocal lines." Again, the Youtube link display does not work here--if you're not already convinced of his incredible vocal abilities, which I know you all are.

His range and tone peaked around Emancipation. His unanchored subconscious expression of the human condition, around SOTT.

Just saw the Shhh performance at the Forum (2011) vocals were on fire!

[Edited 3/23/23 11:57am]

[Edited 3/23/23 11:57am]

Germanegro said:

Vloger Crazy Singing does a bit (his vlog is pretty cool, BTW) on Prince, titled "8 IMPOSSIBLE Prince vocal lines." Again, the Youtube link display does not work here--if you're not already convinced of his incredible vocal abilities, which I know you all are.

Cool. I will check it. Thanks!

I think singers don't peak, meaning that a voice doesn't get better with age. However, they loose vocal ability in their golden years - that's why it is usually disappointing to listen to opera singers in their 70s (or pop / soul singers as well).

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

Emancipation era. Just check out "One Kiss at a Time" backing vox. A completely different singer than the ultralite Dirty Mind feathery falsetto city, he had now become 100% confident and in-control of his lower ranges. Falsetto better, too.

[Edited 3/2/23 17:23pm]

Hard to disagree with this.

Man, finally some solidarity for Emancipation! My personal fave.

Sadly, the very last day of his life. When someone should have been there to hear him.