As some of y'all may have noticed I've posted reviews before (like this one) about a Reykjavik based Prince tribute band called Black Clock, led by singer/actor Seth Sharp. Now this band has released a CD called "A Song for You", full af mostly jazz and blues standards, including also an Icelandic folk song and a stripped down cover of Purple Rain.... The line-up on the CD is a bit different from the band that played last summer at the Prince Tribute gigs.... the only instruments featured here are piano, cello and drums along with Seth's voice.... Here is a link to their CDBaby site, which features a sample of their cover of Purple Rain, along with the other songs on the CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/blackclock

About the cover: I saw this line-up do their cover of Purple Rain at a US Embassy gig on Leif Ericsson day earlier this October... and the cello player played the guitar solo part, which was kinda special .... I'm still undecided about what I should think about this cover, but I know for sure that this probably isn't intended to replicate the original, because the instrumentation is so vastly different... There IS one thing though that bugs me about this cover..... Seth sings at the beginning: "Never meant to cause you any problems" .... which of course should be "I never meant 2 cause U any sorrow".... I could imagine someone out there shouting: "Who's the fool singing problems, it's sorrow!"
So what do you think of this cover?

From the two minute sample it sounds passable. BUT, to me Purple Rain is so near and dear that it is UNTOUCHABLE. Nobody should even try to sing it, except the purple hippies at the concert singing along with Prince!