BlaqueKnight said:

Drakie said:

New Van Hunt Album is the Prince Album We Still Wait For.

Not me.

Prince has had his run and has made some great records already. If he doesn't come out with another record EVER, its okay with me.

!!!!!!!!!!!

The man is 53.... let him do his thang and be happy he hasn't retired like David Bowie.

PlayboyOriginal said:

BlaqueKnight said:

Not me.

Prince has had his run and has made some great records already. If he doesn't come out with another record EVER, its okay with me.

!!!!!!!!!!!

The man is 53.... let him do his thang and be happy he hasn't retired like David Bowie.

WTF do you think I basically just said?

Sheesh. Frikin' fanbots...Comprehension; you has it?

I don't care if he does or doesn't because he has already done enough good music.

Get it now?

Tittypants said:

Graycap23 said:

Prince does NOT need 2 take notes from anyone making music in 2011.

Yes he does, That's his problem. There is tons of good music being made today, you just have to look for it. Prince does need to hear other music to inspire him to try some new things. I just think that Prince needs to get out of his own world, get the "yes men" outta there, & re-discovered himself...

no the hell he dont shit van hunt is trying 2 b who prince is and for yall to come on here and always try 2 say the album that prince should of made and all that get yo lame ass out there and make one negative ass. prince needs to do whatever the hell he wants and if u dont like it take yo ass on over to van hunt site and dont come back

WetDream said:

Truly absurd comments on this thread. It's like you forget who Prince is....It is not the album we still wait for from Prince (a pet hate, stating opinion as fact). The Prince album we all wait for is the next one he chooses to release as that's the next chapter HE (you know, the artist) wants....and as a supporter, the brother is still unrivalled in versatility and the astounding fact he's still capable of all this at this stage. He's on his best form...why? Because he looks the happiest and performs his music better. We need to always respect him because we're living in his time, he could of become a figure like Sly or Hendrix...but he's still here and better than ever. Appreciate the ones left...not disrespect him anytime someone either attempts his sound etc. Truly tiring.

I'm sorry, but the premise of this thread is SUBJECTIVE.

#1 it's an appreciation of another artist's work (first & foremost)

#2 it's an opinion, shared by many, that we are "still waiting" for that "next great" album.

You posted; "....It is not the album we still wait for from Prince...The Prince album we all wait for is the next one he chooses to release as that's the next chapter HE (you know, the artist) wants...."

How can you possibly decide what someone is waiting for or not?

As a Prince fan since Lovesexy...I can TELL you (FACT not posting an opinion) that I am STILL WAITING for the "next Lovesexy". You may argue that such an album has already come & gone. You may disagree with my decision. You may even consider my mindset flawed and unreasonable. But you CANNOT tell me what I am or am not "waiting for".

I agree that being disrespectful of an artist's work is uncalled for (well...expect in the case of Clay Aiken ) but I don't think that posting opinions and personal likes/dislikes constitutes "disrespect".

You can even appreciate something (such as "Rave Until The Joy Fantastic") without necessarily "liking" it.

Basically I'm just saying that this is a subjective matter and you needn't take offense.

Brendan said:

namepeace said:

Still haven't listened to it, but I can accept this as insightful.

If Van had arrived in 1978 in Prince's place, this site may very well have been named Van.Org.

If Prince had had to deal with what Van has had to deal with, he may still be working to find an audience.

I feel for any truly great artist today. You can't fit this kind of beauty alongside the superficial narrowness that is today's commercial landscape.

Legends in the making used to dance alongside fluff. Now fluff is king.

Brendan and Namepeace, those are posts that are exactly what I think too.

What Were You Hoping For? is what Are You Experienced? was for that generation:

witnessing a new sound and an album that will have an effect and affect on the

succeeding generation's musical artists. It's a new sound and I've never heard anything

like it before.

Van Hunt is 41 by the way, not 34. And whether or not he gets better depends upon

his dedication to musicianship. Look at McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Sly Stone:

great pop songwriters who reached the mountain tops only to hurtle downward from

the heights their natural musical gifts afforded them.

Why?

Because they do not/did not study theory. Hunt has knowledge of theory (this is

easily indicated by his use of modes, polychordalism and relatives) and if he

can simply devote time to understanding the science of Western music, he can

stretch his already awesome imagination to the limit and not waste his talent.

Look at the famous classical composers or jazz artists: they all got better as they got

older. Why? They were all students of theory and like anything worthwhile or valued,

it takes time to mature and grow. Coltrane got better later. Beethoven got better later.

Davis got more interesting later. Mozart got better later. Theorists go further than those

naturally gifted musicians who rely on talent alone.

It took God 6 days to create the world, not 1, you dig? I hope Hunt takes 6 days and

not the 2 or 3 the other dudes I mentioned took.

If you ask me:

Kid A and What Were You Waiting For? are the only essential albums of the past 11 years.

cbarnes3121 said:

Tittypants said:

Yes he does, That's his problem. There is tons of good music being made today, you just have to look for it. Prince does need to hear other music to inspire him to try some new things. I just think that Prince needs to get out of his own world, get the "yes men" outta there, & re-discovered himself...

no the hell he dont shit van hunt is trying 2 b who prince is and for yall to come on here and always try 2 say the album that prince should of made and all that get yo lame ass out there and make one negative ass. prince needs to do whatever the hell he wants and if u dont like it take yo ass on over to van hunt site and dont come back

U mad Bro?

WetDream said:

Truly absurd comments on this thread. It's like you forget who Prince is....It is not the album we still wait for from Prince (a pet hate, stating opinion as fact). The Prince album we all wait for is the next one he chooses to release as that's the next chapter HE (you know, the artist) wants....and as a supporter, the brother is still unrivalled in versatility and the astounding fact he's still capable of all this at this stage. He's on his best form...why? Because he looks the happiest and performs his music better. We need to always respect him because we're living in his time, he could of become a figure like Sly or Hendrix...but he's still here and better than ever. Appreciate the ones left...not disrespect him anytime someone either attempts his sound etc. Truly tiring.

Nobody has forgotten who Prince is. We are only bemoaning who Prince has become.

There are no more 1999s, Purple Rains, or Parades in his sight; he's exhausted his

talent and this is easily indicated by the past 18,038 albums he's released since Lovesexy.

To dispel the Prince deification here, he is not unrivaled in terms of musical versatility

either: last time I looked, McCartney was still alive, Wonder is still alive, and so is

Marcus Miller. You think Prince is on his best form, as opposed to what was happening

in 1986, fine. But don't get pissy because some of us are genuinely excited that a

"kinda" Prince protege has produced an album that certainly rivals the classic albums

of Prince in and of itself and in it's own right (Van Hunt is not trying to be/beat Prince).

EDIT: typo

[Edited 9/29/11 8:02am]

duccichucka said:

To dispel the Prince deification here, he is not unrivaled in terms of musical versatility

either: last time I looked, McCartney was still alive, Wonder is still alive, and so is

Marcus Miller.

[Edited 9/29/11 8:02am]

U are actually trying 2 compare these folks with Prince in terms of diversity?

Ohh lawrd...............

WetDream said:

Truly absurd comments on this thread. It's like you forget who Prince is....It is not the album we still wait for from Prince (a pet hate, stating opinion as fact). The Prince album we all wait for is the next one he chooses to release as that's the next chapter HE (you know, the artist) wants....and as a supporter, the brother is still unrivalled in versatility and the astounding fact he's still capable of all this at this stage. He's on his best form...why? Because he looks the happiest and performs his music better. We need to always respect him because we're living in his time, he could of become a figure like Sly or Hendrix...but he's still here and better than ever. Appreciate the ones left...not disrespect him anytime someone either attempts his sound etc. Truly tiring.

Very tiring. Why is it that folks can't let other artists "be who they be" without trying to shit on Prince? Van hunt is Van Hunt and has zero to do with Prince other than being a fan of Prince like everybody else. If you love what Van Hunt is doing great! But it has nothing to do with Prince's journey as a musician.

I never have understood liking an artist but then wondering why they aren't doing what some other artist is doing. Duh! its because they are different people lol.

Some are acting like Van Hunt is the second coming. I just don't hear that at all. He is certainly making music "outside of the box" but I don't hear classic songs or even emotionally moving songs. The brother is talented but he is not a legend in the making as some of you would have it. Really at 40-plus if he was really all that he would already be considerd one.

Its all a matter of opinion but I would take Prince's latest work over Van Hunt's any day

and every day. I just don't hear the "genius" in Van Hunt. Maybe that's my loss but what I hear is a lot of "production". With Prince I hear it in the simple and complex music he makes. I mean something like "Love like Jazz" that many find dismissable I hear the work of someone who it at home with melody and groove. Prince doesn't have to bludgeon you over the head with production even though he can and has. Not to mention that Prince really is much better singer and musicion than Van Hunt. Hey I'm biased lol.

tricky99 said:

WetDream said:

Truly absurd comments on this thread. It's like you forget who Prince is....It is not the album we still wait for from Prince (a pet hate, stating opinion as fact). The Prince album we all wait for is the next one he chooses to release as that's the next chapter HE (you know, the artist) wants....and as a supporter, the brother is still unrivalled in versatility and the astounding fact he's still capable of all this at this stage. He's on his best form...why? Because he looks the happiest and performs his music better. We need to always respect him because we're living in his time, he could of become a figure like Sly or Hendrix...but he's still here and better than ever. Appreciate the ones left...not disrespect him anytime someone either attempts his sound etc. Truly tiring.

Very tiring. Why is it that folks can't let other artists "be who they be" without trying to shit on Prince? Van hunt is Van Hunt and has zero to do with Prince other than being a fan of Prince like everybody else. If you love what Van Hunt is doing great! But it has nothing to do with Prince's journey as a musician.

I never have understood liking an artist but then wondering why they aren't doing what some other artist is doing. Duh! its because they are different people lol.

Some are acting like Van Hunt is the second coming. I just don't hear that at all. He is certainly making music "outside of the box" but I don't hear classic songs or even emotionally moving songs. The brother is talented but he is not a legend in the making as some of you would have it. Really at 40-plus if he was really all that he would already be considerd one.

Its all a matter of opinion but I would take Prince's latest work over Van Hunt's any day

and every day. I just don't hear the "genius" in Van Hunt. Maybe that's my loss but what I hear is a lot of "production". With Prince I hear it in the simple and complex music he makes. I mean something like "Love like Jazz" that many find dismissable I hear the work of someone who it at home with melody and groove. Prince doesn't have to bludgeon you over the head with production even though he can and has. Not to mention that Prince really is much better singer and musicion than Van Hunt. Hey I'm biased lol.

Biased? No..............good sense?

[Edited 9/29/11 8:52am]

tricky99 said:

WetDream said:

Truly absurd comments on this thread. It's like you forget who Prince is....It is not the album we still wait for from Prince (a pet hate, stating opinion as fact). The Prince album we all wait for is the next one he chooses to release as that's the next chapter HE (you know, the artist) wants....and as a supporter, the brother is still unrivalled in versatility and the astounding fact he's still capable of all this at this stage. He's on his best form...why? Because he looks the happiest and performs his music better. We need to always respect him because we're living in his time, he could of become a figure like Sly or Hendrix...but he's still here and better than ever. Appreciate the ones left...not disrespect him anytime someone either attempts his sound etc. Truly tiring.

Very tiring. Why is it that folks can't let other artists "be who they be" without trying to shit on Prince? Van hunt is Van Hunt and has zero to do with Prince other than being a fan of Prince like everybody else. If you love what Van Hunt is doing great! But it has nothing to do with Prince's journey as a musician.

I never have understood liking an artist but then wondering why they aren't doing what some other artist is doing. Duh! its because they are different people lol.

Some are acting like Van Hunt is the second coming. I just don't hear that at all. He is certainly making music "outside of the box" but I don't hear classic songs or even emotionally moving songs. The brother is talented but he is not a legend in the making as some of you would have it. Really at 40-plus if he was really all that he would already be considerd one.

Its all a matter of opinion but I would take Prince's latest work over Van Hunt's any day

and every day. I just don't hear the "genius" in Van Hunt. Maybe that's my loss but what I hear is a lot of "production". With Prince I hear it in the simple and complex music he makes. I mean something like "Love like Jazz" that many find dismissable I hear the work of someone who it at home with melody and groove. Prince doesn't have to bludgeon you over the head with production even though he can and has. Not to mention that Prince really is much better singer and musicion than Van Hunt. Hey I'm biased lol.

WetDream said:

tricky99 said:

Very tiring. Why is it that folks can't let other artists "be who they be" without trying to shit on Prince? Van hunt is Van Hunt and has zero to do with Prince other than being a fan of Prince like everybody else. If you love what Van Hunt is doing great! But it has nothing to do with Prince's journey as a musician.

I never have understood liking an artist but then wondering why they aren't doing what some other artist is doing. Duh! its because they are different people lol.

Some are acting like Van Hunt is the second coming. I just don't hear that at all. He is certainly making music "outside of the box" but I don't hear classic songs or even emotionally moving songs. The brother is talented but he is not a legend in the making as some of you would have it. Really at 40-plus if he was really all that he would already be considerd one.

Its all a matter of opinion but I would take Prince's latest work over Van Hunt's any day

and every day. I just don't hear the "genius" in Van Hunt. Maybe that's my loss but what I hear is a lot of "production". With Prince I hear it in the simple and complex music he makes. I mean something like "Love like Jazz" that many find dismissable I hear the work of someone who it at home with melody and groove. Prince doesn't have to bludgeon you over the head with production even though he can and has. Not to mention that Prince really is much better singer and musicion than Van Hunt. Hey I'm biased lol.

Always appreciated your objective thinking whilst maintaining that deserved respect for Prince and mostly stating my mind too. It's unfortunate that i have to resort to lurking due to the absurdities of this place at times. So let it be known, i appreciate your posts.

Co-sign times 6ixx.

It saves me from having 2 go into one of my rants.

duccichucka said:

Brendan said:

I feel for any truly great artist today. You can't fit this kind of beauty alongside the superficial narrowness that is today's commercial landscape.

Legends in the making used to dance alongside fluff. Now fluff is king.

Brendan and Namepeace, those are posts that are exactly what I think too.

What Were You Hoping For? is what Are You Experienced? was for that generation:

witnessing a new sound and an album that will have an effect and affect on the

succeeding generation's musical artists. It's a new sound and I've never heard anything

like it before.

Van Hunt is 41 by the way, not 34. And whether or not he gets better depends upon

his dedication to musicianship. Look at McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Sly Stone:

great pop songwriters who reached the mountain tops only to hurtle downward from

the heights their natural musical gifts afforded them.

Why?

Because they do not/did not study theory. Hunt has knowledge of theory (this is

easily indicated by his use of modes, polychordalism and relatives) and if he

can simply devote time to understanding the science of Western music, he can

stretch his already awesome imagination to the limit and not waste his talent.

Look at the famous classical composers or jazz artists: they all got better as they got

older. Why? They were all students of theory and like anything worthwhile or valued,

it takes time to mature and grow. Coltrane got better later. Beethoven got better later.

Davis got more interesting later. Mozart got better later. Theorists go further than those

naturally gifted musicians who rely on talent alone.

It took God 6 days to create the world, not 1, you dig? I hope Hunt takes 6 days and

not the 2 or 3 the other dudes I mentioned took.

If you ask me:

Kid A and What Were You Waiting For? are the only essential albums of the past 11 years.

I agree and greatly respect a lot of what you're saying.

I don't think Prince is in his peak. Far from it.

But if Prince were to have continual decades like the 80s or if Bob Dylan were able to replicate the astonishing 60s, that to me would be doing something that heretofore has proven impossible.

They can certainly get better with age, but at some point even the most enlightened among us can't continually feed others exactly what they're craving to levels nearly unmatched.

"I've heard this one before" -- someone in Gandhi's audience.

To me both Prince and Dylan continue to make lots of great music, just not at levels that made them once seem almost alien; rulers of the musical underworld.

I live and breath knowledge and progression. But I don't feel there's any path that can lead to non-stop greatness/masterpieces at the same rate. Personal enlightenment on this level, for sure. Continued communal enlightenment?

For God, perhaps.

Graycap23 said:

Tittypants said:

Yes he does, That's his problem. There is tons of good music being made today, you just have to look for it. Prince does need to hear other music to inspire him to try some new things. I just think that Prince needs to get out of his own world, get the "yes men" outta there, & re-discovered himself...

No.

Prince's issues have far more 2 do with his religion controlling his art than outside influences like other artists.

You're right Gray. It's too bad but that's the way it is with P now.

From my other Van comment.....I like others were completely thrown off at first listen. But I know that VH is a very talented craftsman so I spone it several more times over a couple of days and then BAM it clicked, first musically and then I started to pay more attention to the lyrics. VH has grown tremendously as a writer imo. Their is social commentary veiled metaphors on almost every track. His guitar playing has improved also, I was getting Muddy and Bo in some tracks. Something I thought about, how environment can influence artists. Case in point, Popular reflected Van when he was living in ATL slightly before the ressession, Popular being a experimental punk-funk-country album ( n the southern shade ) being a good example of setting. Now with Van living in NHW and witnessing first hand the effects of the ressession his music has now taken on in his words a "post apocalyptic" bent and sounding like none of his albums that came before it. "Concrete,Grime,Grindcore" This is the first truly VH outing and I think it's a few years ahead of it's time. If things keep going the way they are, those that don't get it will get it in 2015. This is A Future Classic. Just MO.

Graycap23 said:

duccichucka said:

To dispel the Prince deification here, he is not unrivaled in terms of musical versatility

either: last time I looked, McCartney was still alive, Wonder is still alive, and so is

Marcus Miller.

[Edited 9/29/11 8:02am]

U are actually trying 2 compare these folks with Prince in terms of diversity?

Ohh lawrd...............

Um, yes.

Are you trying to tell me that Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder or Marcus Miller

are not extraordinarily versatile?; that they cannot play proficiently more than two

instruments (Paul: piano, guitar, base) (Wonder: drums, keys, harmonica) (Miller: anything

you place in his hands)?; that their body of work contain songs easily placed in more

than one two or three genres and/or subgenres? That it is Prince who holds and owns

the trademark to musical diversity?

Nigguh please. Get off of Prince's nuts. To suppose that Prince is one of a kind is to

suppose that God's gift of creation is not varied but limited: I'm not going that far, homie.

duccichucka said:

Graycap23 said:

U are actually trying 2 compare these folks with Prince in terms of diversity?

Ohh lawrd...............

Um, yes.

Are you trying to tell me that Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder or Marcus Miller

are not extraordinarily versatile?; that they cannot play proficiently more than two

instruments (Paul: piano, guitar, base) (Wonder: drums, keys, harmonica) (Miller: anything

you place in his hands)?; that their body of work contain songs easily placed in more

than one two or three genres and/or subgenres? That it is Prince who holds and owns

the trademark to musical diversity?

Nigguh please. Get off of Prince's nuts. To suppose that Prince is one of a kind is to

suppose that God's gift of creation is not varied but limited: I'm not going that far, homie.

Lol........

Brendan said:

duccichucka said:

Brendan and Namepeace, those are posts that are exactly what I think too.

What Were You Hoping For? is what Are You Experienced? was for that generation:

witnessing a new sound and an album that will have an effect and affect on the

succeeding generation's musical artists. It's a new sound and I've never heard anything

like it before.

Van Hunt is 41 by the way, not 34. And whether or not he gets better depends upon

his dedication to musicianship. Look at McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Sly Stone:

great pop songwriters who reached the mountain tops only to hurtle downward from

the heights their natural musical gifts afforded them.

Why?

Because they do not/did not study theory. Hunt has knowledge of theory (this is

easily indicated by his use of modes, polychordalism and relatives) and if he

can simply devote time to understanding the science of Western music, he can

stretch his already awesome imagination to the limit and not waste his talent.

Look at the famous classical composers or jazz artists: they all got better as they got

older. Why? They were all students of theory and like anything worthwhile or valued,

it takes time to mature and grow. Coltrane got better later. Beethoven got better later.

Davis got more interesting later. Mozart got better later. Theorists go further than those

naturally gifted musicians who rely on talent alone.

It took God 6 days to create the world, not 1, you dig? I hope Hunt takes 6 days and

not the 2 or 3 the other dudes I mentioned took.

If you ask me:

Kid A and What Were You Waiting For? are the only essential albums of the past 11 years.

I agree and greatly respect a lot of what you're saying.

I don't think Prince is in his peak. Far from it.

But if Prince were to have continual decades like the 80s or if Bob Dylan were able to replicate the astonishing 60s, that to me would be doing something that heretofore has proven impossible.

They can certainly get better with age, but at some point even the most enlightened among us can't continually feed others exactly what they're craving to levels nearly unmatched.

"I've heard this one before" -- someone in Gandhi's audience.

To me both Prince and Dylan continue to make lots of great music, just not at levels that made them once seem almost alien; rulers of the musical underworld.

I live and breath knowledge and progression. But I don't feel there's any path that can lead to non-stop greatness/masterpieces at the same rate. Personal enlightenment on this level, for sure. Continued communal enlightenment?

For God, perhaps.

What in the world makes you think that Prince is far from his peak!? What album that he's

released recently has given you the impression that he's only begun to tap into the

resources of his musical talent?

If you say that Prince/Dylan contine to make greate music but not at the same level

that made them almost alien, how can you then state that Prince/Dylan haven't reached

their full potential?

You contradicted yourself!

And I disagree: Prince/Dylan do NOT make great music today. Are you out of your mind?

They are professional pop musicians. Pop musicians for the most part do not get better

as they age. They get worse. This occurs because great pop musicians use their natural

talents to take them as far as they can go. When you run out of ideas because you have

no sense of musical theory, you begin to repeat yourself. Prince's innate ability, natural

talent and imagination has taken him as far as he can go. Why do you think he's now

starting to rehash his older stuff?

If you simply look at the careers and quality of music that classical composers and jazzers

have produced, rarely will you see what we see in pop music: great artists doing great

music at an early and then sucking as they get older. Composers and jazzers got better

and I believe it's due to music theory: they studied music.

Coltrane's giant step changes is science/music theory first, THEN his natural ear abilities.

And giant steps chord progressions were created after he studied Slonimsky and dedicated himself to theory. Davis: knew theory. If you are a composer, it implies knowledge of

theory. Parker sucked when he was young; got embarassed as a player and devoted

time, and I mean hours and hours a day on practicing and theory. We're talking about

Charlie fucken Parker!

Prince is a phenomenal musician. He has the natural talent to be placed in the same

leauge as Coltrane, Davis, etc but he is not simply because he does not study music

theory. He's done, son!

Hunt has told us that he practices and studies theory: guess what? He's getting better

as he ages. I don't think it's a co-incidence.

Or I could be wrong....

duccichucka said:

Graycap23 said:

U are actually trying 2 compare these folks with Prince in terms of diversity?

Ohh lawrd...............

Um, yes.

Are you trying to tell me that Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder or Marcus Miller

are not extraordinarily versatile?; that they cannot play proficiently more than two

instruments (Paul: piano, guitar, base) (Wonder: drums, keys, harmonica) (Miller: anything

you place in his hands)?; that their body of work contain songs easily placed in more

than one two or three genres and/or subgenres? That it is Prince who holds and owns

the trademark to musical diversity?

Nigguh please. Get off of Prince's nuts. To suppose that Prince is one of a kind is to

suppose that God's gift of creation is not varied but limited: I'm not going that far, homie.

Set us back 60 years why don't you.

duccichucka said:

Brendan said:

I agree and greatly respect a lot of what you're saying.

I don't think Prince is in his peak. Far from it.

But if Prince were to have continual decades like the 80s or if Bob Dylan were able to replicate the astonishing 60s, that to me would be doing something that heretofore has proven impossible.

They can certainly get better with age, but at some point even the most enlightened among us can't continually feed others exactly what they're craving to levels nearly unmatched.

"I've heard this one before" -- someone in Gandhi's audience.

To me both Prince and Dylan continue to make lots of great music, just not at levels that made them once seem almost alien; rulers of the musical underworld.

I live and breath knowledge and progression. But I don't feel there's any path that can lead to non-stop greatness/masterpieces at the same rate. Personal enlightenment on this level, for sure. Continued communal enlightenment?

For God, perhaps.

What in the world makes you think that Prince is far from his peak!? What album that he's

released recently has given you the impression that he's only begun to tap into the

resources of his musical talent?

If you say that Prince/Dylan contine to make greate music but not at the same level

that made them almost alien, how can you then state that Prince/Dylan haven't reached

their full potential?

You contradicted yourself!

And I disagree: Prince/Dylan do NOT make great music today. Are you out of your mind?

They are professional pop musicians. Pop musicians for the most part do not get better

as they age. They get worse. This occurs because great pop musicians use their natural

talents to take them as far as they can go. When you run out of ideas because you have

no sense of musical theory, you begin to repeat yourself. Prince's innate ability, natural

talent and imagination has taken him as far as he can go. Why do you think he's now

starting to rehash his older stuff?

If you simply look at the careers and quality of music that classical composers and jazzers

have produced, rarely will you see what we see in pop music: great artists doing great

music at an early and then sucking as they get older. Composers and jazzers got better

and I believe it's due to music theory: they studied music.

Coltrane's giant step changes is science/music theory first, THEN his natural ear abilities.

And giant steps chord progressions were created after he studied Slonimsky and dedicated himself to theory. Davis: knew theory. If you are a composer, it implies knowledge of

theory. Parker sucked when he was young; got embarassed as a player and devoted

time, and I mean hours and hours a day on practicing and theory. We're talking about

Charlie fucken Parker!

Prince is a phenomenal musician. He has the natural talent to be placed in the same

leauge as Coltrane, Davis, etc but he is not simply because he does not study music

theory. He's done, son!

Hunt has told us that he practices and studies theory: guess what? He's getting better

as he ages. I don't think it's a co-incidence.

Or I could be wrong....

cbarnes3121 said:

Tittypants said:

Yes he does, That's his problem. There is tons of good music being made today, you just have to look for it. Prince does need to hear other music to inspire him to try some new things. I just think that Prince needs to get out of his own world, get the "yes men" outta there, & re-discovered himself...

no the hell he dont shit van hunt is trying 2 b who prince is and for yall to come on here and always try 2 say the album that prince should of made and all that get yo lame ass out there and make one negative ass. prince needs to do whatever the hell he wants and if u dont like it take yo ass on over to van hunt site and dont come back

Would you like some more ice to go with that purple Kool-Aid?

Brendan said:

namepeace said:

Still haven't listened to it, but I can accept this as insightful.

If Van had arrived in 1978 in Prince's place, this site may very well have been named Van.Org.

If Prince had had to deal with what Van has had to deal with, he may still be working to find an audience.

I feel for any truly great artist today. You can't fit this kind of beauty alongside the superficial narrowness that is today's commercial landscape.

Legends in the making used to dance alongside fluff. Now fluff is king.

^ Amen! Fluff and NO jam! Makes for some very restless feet.

There is a small part of me that can’t help but to wonder if this album is considered, quirky, challenging or different simply because this is a black artist performing the material. I wonder if our subconscious mind, in a clever way, gets tricked into thinking it is different because of who it is coming from. For example I listen to the title track (which I love) and I imagine what if that was a PJ Harvey song? What if a group like the Eels performed Falls (violet) or what if Watching You Go Crazy was a Cure song? This is not to say that from that perspective I consider the material your average alternative. Over the years I have found that reinventing certain genres at the right time gives us a much needed kick in the ass that is missing from today’s contemporary music world. In today’s world of Katy Perry pop, I find his timing to be divine, and this album to be the next logical step from Popular. What Were You Hoping For sounds like the work of a young garage band anxious to hit the stage and blow you away, but with the expert touch of an accomplished musician and a soul man’s aesthetic. We have to keep in mind that Van is in his early forties, and has been around behind the scenes much longer than some may realize. I wonder if some of these tracks had been released in the mid 90’s would they fit right in with the raw and open, somewhat experimental sound of the Alternative era. Yet being released in this day and age, it is of greater value for it’s uncommonly experimental overtone. I love the fact that the album ends on a dark note, kind of reminds me of the closing track to Free Your Mind and Your ass Will Follow, how it ends off on an eerie yet thoughtful message. I love the shades of psychedelic throughout the album, reminds me of when Prince’s music would take you on a trip, the music was at times a true journey for the listener. This is an artist that is challenging himself to establish his own style, and while I find it to be an excellent hybrid of styles that our familiar to me, I have a feeling he is just getting started, and I hope that each future released will be just as challenging, yet just as focused. Just think if this was the standard of today’s black music scene, we wouldn’t think it to be different or challenging, yet, we appreciate it even more so for its heart and bravery in the face of today’s contemporary cookie cutter music scene. What Were You Hoping for and the last album by Shabazz Palaces are definitely two of my favorites this year.

Such a fucking great move to not make this album available in the stores when it is supposed to be out. I live in Norway, but the internet says it's supposed to be out over here too. I had to download this shit illegally. It's not even available on itunes. It's one of my absolute favourites after they year of 2000.

Meloh9 said:

I find this album to be the next logical step from Popular. What Were You Hoping For sounds like the work of a young garage band anxious to hit the stage and blow you away, but with the expert touch of an accomplished musician and a soul man’s aesthetic.

We have to keep in mind that Van is in his early forties, and has been around behind the scenes much longer than some may realize.

I wonder if some of these tracks had been released in the mid 90’s would they fit right in with the raw and open, somewhat experimental sound of the Alternative era. Yet being released in this day and age, it is of greater value for it’s uncommonly experimental overtone.

I love the fact that the album ends on a dark note . . . the music was at times a true journey for the listener.

This is an artist that is challenging himself to establish his own style, and while I find it to be an excellent hybrid of styles that our familiar to me, I have a feeling he is just getting started, and I hope that each future released will be just as challenging, yet just as focused.

Just think if this was the standard of today’s black music scene, we wouldn’t think it to be different or challenging, yet, we appreciate it even more so for its heart and bravery in the face of today’s contemporary cookie cutter music scene.

Great insight, Meloh9.

I finally listened to the album from beginning to end, with no distractions. To answer the question, I didn't get what I'd hoped for, but I'm glad.

VH has always had a unique voice, even if the sounds surrounding it have been familiar to varying degrees.

WWYHF is literally a definitive album for Van Hunt. Out of many influences, Van Hunt has produced a record truly distinguishable from those to whom he sometimes casually and inaccurately compared.

This is no Prince album; Prince can't "do" this one because it is (also literally) personal, the product of Van's own sensibilities.

I still enjoy On The Jungle Floor more, but on first listen, I can say this is the greatest Van Hunt project to date.

namepeace said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

Brendan said:

I feel for any truly great artist today. You can't fit this kind of beauty alongside the superficial narrowness that is today's commercial landscape.

Legends in the making used to dance alongside fluff. Now fluff is king.

^ Amen! Fluff and NO jam! Makes for some very restless feet.

Could Miseducation of L Boogie happen right now?

allsmutaside said:

whitechocolatebrotha said:

^ Amen! Fluff and NO jam! Makes for some very restless feet.

Could Miseducation of L Boogie happen right now?

I don't think so. See Janelle Monae.

Meloh9 said:

There is a small part of me that can’t help but to wonder if this album is considered, quirky, challenging or different simply because this is a black artist performing the material. I wonder if our subconscious mind, in a clever way, gets tricked into thinking it is different because of who it is coming from. For example I listen to the title track (which I love) and I imagine what if that was a PJ Harvey song? What if a group like the Eels performed Falls (violet) or what if Watching You Go Crazy was a Cure song? This is not to say that from that perspective I consider the material your average alternative. Over the years I have found that reinventing certain genres at the right time gives us a much needed kick in the ass that is missing from today’s contemporary music world. In today’s world of Katy Perry pop, I find his timing to be divine, and this album to be the next logical step from Popular. What Were You Hoping For sounds like the work of a young garage band anxious to hit the stage and blow you away, but with the expert touch of an accomplished musician and a soul man’s aesthetic. We have to keep in mind that Van is in his early forties, and has been around behind the scenes much longer than some may realize. I wonder if some of these tracks had been released in the mid 90’s would they fit right in with the raw and open, somewhat experimental sound of the Alternative era. Yet being released in this day and age, it is of greater value for it’s uncommonly experimental overtone. I love the fact that the album ends on a dark note, kind of reminds me of the closing track to Free Your Mind and Your ass Will Follow, how it ends off on an eerie yet thoughtful message. I love the shades of psychedelic throughout the album, reminds me of when Prince’s music would take you on a trip, the music was at times a true journey for the listener. This is an artist that is challenging himself to establish his own style, and while I find it to be an excellent hybrid of styles that our familiar to me, I have a feeling he is just getting started, and I hope that each future released will be just as challenging, yet just as focused. Just think if this was the standard of today’s black music scene, we wouldn’t think it to be different or challenging, yet, we appreciate it even more so for its heart and bravery in the face of today’s contemporary cookie cutter music scene. What Were You Hoping for and the last album by Shabazz Palaces are definitely two of my favorites this year.