I am just hearing A Time To Love. If I hadn't spent countless hours learning to like Emancipation I think I'd hate this cd. But I think Prince taught me (for better or worse) to hear past the slick beats and fluffy material to hear the incredible arrangements, vocals, and (especially in Stevie's case) melodies.

I don't think it's a classic--ditto Emancipation--but Stevie's still got it. But like Prince, I wish he'd get some real drums and work with more live musicians. It'd really bring the music alive.

But like Prince, people expect too much from Stevie. They remember Livin' for the City & Superstition, but they forget Too Shy To Say, I Just Called... & Part Time Lover. Stevie's been doing sappy love songs since the 70's.

As for Prince's contribution, I get the feeling he just played it simple, thinking "I don't want to fuck this up, I'm not going to be too tricky." Shame on him! And they should have done a video together. Shame on them!

...

I know a lot of people here seem to love it, but I wasn't too knocked out by the new album. But I appreciate the craft that went into it, and I realize that Stevie's in a different place than he used to be back in the day...and that's Fine, more power to him... If this is the kind of Music he really wants to make now, and it makes him happy, that's Great...I don't particularly care for it, but that's just my personal taste...I just move on to some other music...and I can always go back and listen to his classic stuff...Same with latest EWF album (and Prince's latest singles)...



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There's no question, it's a bit more fluffy & plastic than classic Stevie. I don't love it yet either. Obviously I'd prefer something more substantial & organic sounding.

But like you say, there's no denying the craft. And Stevie is definitely in another place--another place than he used to be, and another place than the rest of us. He's got to live a pretty insulated life, and I hope he's happy. He certainly sounds happy.

And actually my original point is that it reminds me of Emancipation. Prince & Stevie have never reminded me of each other except conceptually, but now they actually remind me of each other in terms of sound & material, for better or worse.

andyman91 said:

Yeah, I hear You...It's seems like they've both reached this comfort level...kind of a safe, slick middle of the road area, in terms of the sound and production....


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[Edited 1/5/06 12:46pm]

paligap said:

same here... I was literally suprised at the response to the latest album around these parts. I don't think Stevie ever slipped as hard as Prince did when it came to trying to fit in and keep up (Prince's 1996-2000 work) but Stevie got stuck in a serious time warp. He was able to advance into the 80s and still pioneer the use of synth technology and his sound still came through... somewhere along the way *cough* Conversation Peace *cough* he got so caught up in programming his Casio that he left his Rhodes, Clav, and Moogs alone. 1995 is the year he should have ridden the Neo-Soul thing all the way to the bank and pulled out some of that left-over 70s material. I was highly disappointed in A Time 2 Love, not because it didn't measure up to his 70s material, but because it was falsely heralded as Stevie's return to form: organic production, Stevie being a one-man show again.


Either way I'll still support both artists because even on their worst days... they still release better stuff than what's typically on the radio right now.

His response to accusations of being too "techno" was convincing, something about a trumpet simply being an imitation of an elephant, and so on. A Moog & Rhodes are the synths of their day, and playing a synth is still playing an instrument.

But I can't say I disagree with the complaints. I'd rather hear bass than "keyboard bass." I'd particularly rather hear drums than sequences.

TSOP said:

Yeah, I gotta admit, all that "return to form" stuff made me raise an eyebrow, too! but hey, again, I guess it's down to everyone's personal preference...and like you said, either one of 'em is preferable to listening to the radio these days...

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andyman91 said:

Yeah, I guess that's still the key problem for me...for a drummer as good as Stevie...I dunno, I just want to hear him hit those Skins! Man, I miss that feel! but apparently Stevie doesn't....there are a few live drums on the album, (and I know Narada Michael Walden shows up on the kit at least once), but the overall feel is still very clinical, with the digital sheen replacing that warm feel...


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[Edited 1/5/06 13:50pm]

paligap said:

That would probably make all the difference to me, as well. Prince, too. I think a lot of the material on A Time To Love (and, to beat this dead horse, Emancipation!) is pretty decent, and with real drums it would really sound good.

As far as the "return to form," you gotta take that stuff with a grain of salt. They say that about every classic artist every time they release an album.

andyman91 said:

The "return to form" cliche was used other by folks other than journalists and press people. I know some interns who worked for Motown and Universal who heard the album in advance and when they said it, I thought there might be some truth to it. I mean I hear some elements of "classic" Stevie, but with each repeated listen I found myself forcing my ears to love this album... and it just wasn't happening naturally.

TSOP said:

I'm not surprised that people would have the same reaction that you do. It's not Talking Book. But like you said, he & Prince on their worst days are better than most. I'd hate for people to dismiss it on first listen when I can hear that many hours of Stevie's time went into making it. It's not throwaway music.

It's somewhat about expectations, too. I didn't expect more than what this album is. If I'd had it on good authority that this was a true return to form, I might be disappointed, too.

Sequenced drums don't have to sound so clean and "clinical".

well,I really,really love the 'A Time To Love' CD


can it compete with his 70s masterpieces? Of course not,and I wasn't expecting it to.Be honest,can any album by any artist ever top 'Innervisions' or 'Songs In The Key Of Life'? But I consider Stevie's latest to be a return to form.I know that's a tired phrase that is used much too often these days,but in Stevie's case,it is true.'A Time To Love' is his best work since 'Hotter Than July'.My only complaint about the album is,there are perhaps a few too many ballads.If he had replaced a few of these ballads with a couple of uptempo funk jams,the album would be more balanced.But it's hard to argue when you have so much quality material here..."Moon Blue","My Love Is On Fire" (should be a single!),"Passionate Raindrops","Can't Imagine Love Without You","Sweetest Somebody I Know" and "Please Don't Hurt My Baby" are some of the strongest,most satisfying songs he has ever recorded,imo.


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[Edited 1/6/06 6:00am]

I'm with David. I think it's a great album. The songs are healthier than they've been in many moons.

CinisterCee said:

That's true, it depends on how they're used...even if they are clean, a lot of artists can do very innovative things with 'em...I love stuff by electronic artists like Hefner( aka Lee Jones)and Ig Culture/New Sector Movements, Jazzanova, Vikter Duplaix, Clara Hill, 4Hero, etc...

but here again, there's innovation involved...as opposed to somebody just programming 'cause it's a convenient short cut and they don't feel like setting up a drum set.....



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[Edited 1/6/06 6:23am]

Cloudbuster said:

That's true...the songs are improved...


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paligap said:

And if the songs are good I can overlook drum machines and the like.

paligap said:

Exactly!

paligap said:

That's totally true. Sequenced drums really only sound good if you're on the cutting edge of that stuff, like the young hip hop producers & dj's.

The irony is that, as a musician, I've programmed drums a lot and I've played with drummers. I find working with real drummers to be a thousand times easier. Programming drums is like claymation; you have to plan every single beat that a real drummer could do instinctively.

I wonder if Stevie doesn't just like the clean sound?

DavidEye said:

I think this is my only real complaint with the actual material on the album (okay, not the only, but the biggest).
I'd definitely cut How Will I Know (sorry Aisha!) and Can't Imagine Love Without You for starters. There's still plenty of ballads without those.

I'd rather have shorter albums released more often than longer albums so many years apart.

andyman91 said:

That's a good point. Sometimes programming can be a chore.

And that's probably true about Stevie...over the last few decades, he seems to have preferred the clean sound....


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[Edited 1/9/06 7:10am]

I listened to this album again at work, and I noticed it was crazy ballad-heavy too.. dare I say, a snoozefest.

CinisterCee said:

I'm never crazy about hearing a ballad come after a ballad. But take out the two I mentioned (How Will I Know & Can't Imagine Love) and they're pretty strong.

Passionate Raindrops is in the classic Stevie style. Shelter in the Rain not sleepy at all, and his singing on it is phenomenal. Moon Blue & True Love are fine as well.

CinisterCee said:

That's my only real complaint...too many ballads! Remove a few of these ballads (say,"True Love" and "How Will I Know"),replace them with a few strong uptempo jams,and the album would be a little more balanced.

DavidEye said:

"Sweetest Somebody I Know" is probably my favorite(that Chorus kept gettin' stuck in my head!), but the rest...I dunno, between the lazy instrumentation on some of the uptempo stuff (did he really need Prince to come in for that tired guitar line on "What The Fuss"?)and, like everyone pointed out, a few too many average ballads...


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paligap said:

True. In my original post I said shame on Prince for playing it so safe.

Some of these songs really stick in my head, too, for better or worse, like From the Bottom of My Heart. A fluffy song but damn if I wasn't singing that to myself all day. Also Tell Your Heart. Those songs are the most "Stevie" to me, as well. Maybe it's the harmonica.

Everyone's comments tell me that the comparison to Emancipation is appropriate. The album has some really good stuff, some not so good stuff, it may be a bit too long, its plastic production may hinder its appreciation, and it's probably not going to eclipse the classic work of the past.

Does that mean Stevie's still got a Rainbow Children in him?