On The Ellen DeGeneres Show during "Kiss" he hit TWO sour notes during the first verse! Granted no one sings falsetto like Prince did in the 80s, but he'd never hit sour notes like that! I'm not saying he didn't know his voice failed him, but, damn, time's marchin' on!

And what about singing "I Feel For You" in his baritone range... with whoever that woman was singing backup doubling on the range he used to sing it in...??

I hope he knows when to quit and doesn't become another modern day David Lee Roth disaster.

Mutiny04 said:

I noticed that too. I guess as you get older your voice changes.

jewelz said:

Luciano Pavarotti kept it going... what is it with pop/jazz singers?

Mutiny04 said:

I think pavoratti conditions his voice though. But then again genetics play into that as well.

I have a strong feeling this is why he chose to do the Grammy performance as a duo with the young, fresh, natural female voice of Beyonce (sp?)... though he didn't state that in the Ellen Degeneres interview.

jewelz said:

Prince is half Italian, isn't he?

Mutiny04 said:

i agree about the grammy's i'm in vegas and i'll be at the show on may 29th. i'm interested in hearing the change live.

Mutiny04 said:

yes he is

jewelz said:

[b][i]No he isn't

I've got a feeling Mutiny04 is playing quite the devil's advocate this morning. Is Prince half-italian...

me thinks he knows damn well.

exactly where were these sour notes?

i can't find them. He's always been pretty breathless on the falsetto when dancing aorund like that.

really, where are they, i just listened again and i'm missing the out of tune notes fellas?

talking rubbish i wonder...

or my ears are going...

I didn't notice this?


I noticed a change in Bono from U2's voice from 1997 to 2000 (in concert and record), so I'm not adverse to noticing these things?

Mutiny04 said:

Your voice does change a little as you get older, but come on guys- his appearance was a promo for the new cd, and the tour. I personally would prefer that his save his voice for the tour.

ndigo said:

Given that he has over a quarter of a century of experience in touring, I don't think a few promotional appearances are going to waste his voice too much.

AsylumUtopia said:

Bet, and I'm sure his experience tells him- he doesnt need pour it on for tv appearances.

In my opinion Prince's voice only got better. At the last show i saw (ONA 2002) his voice was better than ever. I also read a storie written by someone of his crew who also acknowledged his last performance (i think the one in SF) was vocally better than ever.

I saw Ellen show and i think he sounded great but i had a very crappy mpeg of it. Maybe he hads a lil cold or somethin...

God, talk about picky !
I've seen Prince live over 30 times and his voice was pitch perfect everytime.
One "off day" doesnt mean he's losing his voice.
YOU'RE losing your mind mofo !!!!!

David Lee Roth kicks ass!!!, He's not a scab like Hagar, and his last CD Diamond Dave was his best since Van Halen!

no. his voice is not slipping. though voices do change as you get older, prince's voice is still in good shape. every concert i've seen recently, he has been stellar. every singer has their moments when their voice is not in top shape. something as simple as too much air conditioner in a room can fuck your throat up. too much phlegm, allergy or a mild cough, etc.

jewelz said:

It is a proven fact that your voice does slightly change as you get older. If I'm not mistaken, the singing voice ususally changes around 20 and then around 40.

Case in point, look at Stevie Wonder. He sounds completely different now than he did in the 70s. Not to say that's a bad thing, but you can clearly hear the difference. Same thing goes with Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan (and actually with the latter two, I believe their range has gotten much larger).

"Two" sour notes does not equal "losing his voice" . Talk about knee-jerk.

To echo what dealodelandron said, at the ONA show his voice was amazing. It seemed to me that he actually sounds better since he's eased up on the physical acrobatics.

Mutiny04 said:

I hope you get a life!

YOU face it, MutinyZeroFour!!! I don't WANNA face it!!!! YOU face it, YOU face it, WAAHHH!!!

Fucking LAME.

the recent ona dvd seems to prove otherwise about his vocals... they are better than in the 80's.

And, he can still scream like in The Beautiful Ones, I heard it on some recent boot...

NiKoDeLiCa said:

co-sign

Besides those two glitches he was on pretty well during kiss.... Especially towards the end.

I've seen him in Frankfurt in 02 and he really got a sweet and clear voice throughout. Listen to Reflection....

Mutiny04 said:

two sour notes! this can't be--ohmigod, he's scarred for the rest of his life!! he is the elephant man!!!

Mutiny04 said:

I missed the degeneres show so I can't comment on that. I did see the ona dvd and am surprised no one talks about how perfect his voice sounds in it. I have stated that, based on what I saw on the dvd, Prince went from just a very good singer to joining the class of the elites. I always held him below the Vandross's and Cooke's but with what I saw on this concert which is just over a year old, he is now in that class.
The voice is not like any other instrument, it is a part of your body, and any body has good days and bad days. Voice is very delicate and influenced by everything you do, from what you breathe,eate,drink to how much and how you speak, something minor can ruin your voice for a few days. Believe me I am a singer, nowhere near prince, but enough to know how fragile and inconsistent a voice can be. It's no like a guitar that you put in a case when you're done and take out again when you need it. It is a part that the musician uses for multiple functions.