larksanders said:

I think there is not one song on that album that I don't love.

alphastreet said:

He's really great when he wants to be.

But like Dave and a few others said, his lyrics can be downright awful, and he comes across as trying to sound more important and spiritual than he needs to--almost theatrically desperate at times.

But I wasn't aware that he was quite this talented, actually.


For a really awful song (lyrically), check out Dolphin on youtube.


(Yes, he has a song called Dolphin... And one called Anastesia (sp?" !!

Imago said:

His lyrics are great, "Holding On To you" has some of the most beautiful lyrics I have ever heard . His lyrics are one the reasons why I prefer him to Prince.
And he is that spiritual as a private person too. He's not pretending, he is like that.

Serious said:

Have U listenned to Dolphin?

dreadful.

Of course, Prince beat him with one line, " It's going down yall. Like the Wall of Berlin"

Imago said:

Yes I have. And I cannot understand how anybody who listens to Prince can say that Sananda's lyrics are bad.

Serious said:

But this is predicated on the notion that I don't think Prince's lyrics are bad.


Prince's lyrics are often terrible!

ludwig said:

But Symphony or Damn is even better.

The Vibrator album, to me, is very good. And I've personally always dug "Holding On To You". I was one of the few cats that NEVER saw TTD as a Prince clone. Even when he came with Hardline, I always thought the dude was his own man. Sure, the cat was influenced by P just like he was by James Brown. And many other artists. But to me, I always thought TTD was more connected to 60's soul/r&b than ANYTHING else. And he had no shame in his game on flaunting it. I always saw him as the "real deal" and I respected him for it. When he hit with his debut, it blew up. BUT he caught flack back then for bitting off of P. I didn't see it that way.. I saw a cat that obviously dug Bobby Womack & Wilson Picket and he just modernized it. I would LOVE to hear him cover "I'm In Love" because he certainly UNDERSTANDS that sound. But at the time of his debut, especially after he started to hit big with the album, then came the P flack. P doesn't own the keys to shit. So much of what Prince has done has come from so many other people. The thing is is that P colored his bites from others with so much weirdness and shit that for many, it truly camouflaged what he was actually doing. Which to his credit, it worked. But TTD, who bit waaaay less off of P than P did from anybody else (take your pick) then TTD didn't get the "pass" that P did. Same as with Kravitz. I NEVER heard anything that Lenny did that sounded like P. Again, P does NOT own the keys to a black male playing rock guitar or having a rock element in his sound or a black male who sounds soulful and it just so happens that it has live drums on the song. But to many, P has monopolized that in people's skulls to the point that any other brutha who seems "different" from the rest, THEN he's automatically trying to be Prince. I think TTD has so many other things going for him that certainly puts him far beyond a P clone. His phrasing and lyrical sense, not to mention the cat's vocal tone sounds NOTHING like Prince. And I always thought that his lyrics to Holding On To You is paying homage to a time gone by. Again, 60's soul. To me, it's clear that he's tipping his hat to cats from that period that he loves. Again, you can hear it not just in these lyrics but in his vocal phrasing. Even the chord progression is straight 60's soul love ballad mode. I think the song is killin'. Yeah, I thought TTD got caught up in his own hype after his first album and tried to release his version of ATWIAD as his sophmore album. He pulled the trigger too quick. But he was like "Fuck it...I'm not going to wait untill I release 6 albums and shit. I'm doing this waaay out shit now!" But he got it together eventually, I think. And at least he kept releasing material and not taking damn near a decade for a new album. I just like the cat because he stays true to who he is. If I dig it all or not is besides the point.
[Edited 8/18/09 21:25pm]

Huggiebear said:

He's married to an Italian woman. Last time I heard they were living in Milan, Italy.

blackguitaristz said:

Nah man, he caught flack for saying that his debut was as good as Sgt Peppers "point fucking blank"

abierman said:

your momma!

xlr8r said:

I'm well aware of that comment but I wasn't refering to that. It was crazy for him to state that but folks were heavily comparing him to James Brown and even moreso to Prince. When he performed at the Grammys when MJ performed Man In The Mirror and P was there as well because he was nominated for his Signs album, when TTD was doing his thing, during a pause in the song, somebody yelled from the crowd, clear as day "Go ahead Prince!". That had NOTHING to do with TTD talking about Sgt Pepper.
[Edited 8/18/09 20:16pm]

blackguitaristz said:

ok if you say so.

blackguitaristz said:

holy crap, could that be heard? Like by the camera crew and shit?
Is it on video?

omg !

xlr8r said:

Not if I say so player. To me, it's not about "Who says so? Me! I say so!" "Nah man, it's ME! I said so first!" I mean damn, fuck all that. I acknowledged what u were talking about and I too am aware of that TTD caught static for the Sgt Pepper comment. But THAT wasn't what I was talking about. Now if YOU personally associate TTD being compared to P because he made the comment about Sgt Pepper, then cool. I personally think it's two enitrely different things. But that's just me.

Imago said:

I remember that I taped the show when it came on CBS. I used to have it on tape. Hell yeah you could hear it! That's how I heard it, from watching it on t.v. I was like "Oh damn,...that was kinda fucked up." You could see that TTD heard it, because whoever yelled it, it was loud as hell. And TTD kinda flinched like "Oh shit!" But he just kept on doing his thing and got through the song. I felt bad for him because like I stated, MJ and Prince both were in the audience and the vibe that night was "Here was this new upshot so he better bring it."

yeah, I really don't care for his material as Sananda Maitreya. in fact, I really dislike it. it's a friggin' mess.

blackguitaristz said:

Ok I understand..that wasn't what you were talking about.

xlr8r said:

And did Terrance say "point fucking blank" afterwards and shit? Or is that you saying that? Cuz damn, I don't recall Terrance saying no shit like "point fucking blank". But if that's you adlibing then I can dig it.

blackguitaristz said:

terrance was quoted as saying "point fucking blank" lol not me...I think it was in Rolling Stones Random Notes section or the feature with him on the cover...the SOTT review one IIRC
[Edited 8/18/09 20:48pm]

xlr8r said:

Oh shit! Damn TTD! That motherfucker was heated wasn't he? Damn player...It doesn't have to be like that and shit! I remember him running his mouth about his debut was better than Sgt Pepper but "point fucking blank" sounded like that cat got up off the sofa and stood up on a chair during the interview and shit. Thumping his chest with his fist and shit. Damn.
[Edited 8/18/09 21:11pm]

But good choice for a thread, Imago.

blackguitaristz said:

lol exactly..and you know back then the rock press were not gonna let this dude get away with that lol..you dont fuck with their holy grail

ludwig said:

Mine was Symphony Or Damn at The Ventura Theater. He tore it up (and we got tore up as well lol). That She Kissed Me single is so underrated.

blackguitaristz said:

and then some...

His wife's Myspace page with some gorgeous photos..

http://www.myspace.com/fr...nemaitreya



http://www.myspace.com/sanandamaitreya

Holding On To You...beautiful, beautiful song...

This one ROCKS!! Sooner or later you'll feel Sananda!...

Another beautiful ballad...

One of my favorites that got me through some "down" times...



I love this one....

If you're not good to yourself
You'll be drowned out
By your inner scream
If you're not good to yourself
Then your anger becomes a disease

A carnival of confusion
A carousel of emotion
A freak show of frustration
A Merry go-round mojo

If you're not good to yourself
If you're not good to yourself
You'll look elsewhere for absolution!
If you're not good to yourself
Then your self doubt becomes retribution

A sideshow of suspicion
A ferris wheel of fear
A roller coaster of madness
A circus of solitude

If you're not good to yourself
Go on and let your scream out
Go on and let your scream out
Go on and let your scream out
Let it out

noimageatall said:

Overall, this track always reminded me of Curtis Mayfield. It doesn't sound like Curtis but it reminds me of Curtis.

blackguitaristz said:

How so? I liked some of Curtis' songs with The Impressions and his 70's stuff like Superfly and Freddie's Dead, but I never was a super fan.