Releases...2001
|
Prince |
Associates |
| Prince - The Rainbow Children | |||
Producer: Prince
Highest Pop Chart Position: |
Notes | ||
| Prince would have
had a great deal of difficulty releasing this album under a Warner Bros.
contract … they may have rejected it or (at the very least) ordered him
to make changes. Now Prince is a "free from any contractual
obligations" man, there are no limits - insofar as having to
compromise on his artistic creativity or bow down to commercial pressures
for the sake of shifting units, repaying an advance and pleasing the
men-in-suits. Now Prince has only to please himself and his faithful
followers. This is no ordinary album.. Prince is no ordinary artist. This album will not be a commercial success... partly due to Prince not having the backing of a major label with muscle to hype and promote it and partly due to it's subject matter which might be off-putting for some. Commerciality isn't the be all and end all for P these days. Some may interpret TRC as another name for TJW (The Jehovah’s Witnesses), the conceptual messages delivered in the songs are indeed highly spiritual as well as being political and celebratory at the same time. Lyrics designed to make you think and to stimulate debate... Musically, TRC’s a mix of Nu-skool soul, jazz, funk, gospel and Broadway musical with newcomers to Prince's band Najee and the excellent John Blackwell firmly making their mark. New girl group Milenia and Kip’s vocals are also a revelation. Prince plays tribute to his musical heroes and followers, Miles Davis (The Rainbow Children), Carlos Santana (segue), Andreas Vollenweider (Digital Garden), James Brown (The Work), D’Angelo (Muse 2 The Pharaoh), Stevie Wonder (Everywhere), Gilbert & Sullivan!?! (The Wedding Feast). Overall… a daring album that deserves classic status. The spiritual essence of Lovesexy… this time hardcore and uncensored. Standout Tracks: The Rainbow Children, Muse 2 The Pharaoh, Everywhere, 1+1+1 is 3, She Loves Me 4 Me, The Everlasting Now, Last December Experience Rating: Musically masterful. Lyrically challenging. Excellent. (9/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: The Work Pt. 1 | |||
| Prince - The Very Best Of... | |||
Producer: Prince
Highest Pop Chart Position: |
Notes | ||
| Old friends for sale anyone...? Oddly enough Warners failed to call this compilation SLAVE, opting instead for a bog standard, uninspired packaging and track listing to represent a period that inspired Prince to change his name. This deserves a kicking yet while things have moved on apace musically, Prince's sheer verve and audacity still shines. Prince has always and forever will be a genius.... the rest stinks. Standout Tracks: Take your pick! Experience Rating: For peeps who don't understand (or are ignorant of) the politics behind this release and completists only. (whatever/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: | |||
| The Artist - Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic | |||
Producer:
Highest Pop Chart Position: |
Notes | ||
| Well here it is... nearly a
year and a half after the original Rave was released comes the remixed
version (at this moment in time only released to Premium members of the
newly formed NPG Music Club). Was it worth the wait... well almost. The remixed/extended versions (apart from "Man 'O' War") are thankfully an improvement over the originals, the only beef being the exclusion of "Strange But True" - one of the standouts of the original album. But this is made up by the inclusion of the haunting alternate take of "Beautiful Strange". This album sounds more consistent and therefore more satisfying, benefiting from not having any silly commercials or annoying gaps before that extra "hidden track". Standout Tracks: , Hot Wit U (Nasty Girl remix), The Sun, The Moon And Stars. I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore, Beautiful Strange. Experience Rating: Still could've been fantastic (8/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: The Greatest Romance Ever Sold [UK chart position No.65 Feb. 2000] | |||
| Sheila E & The E Train - Heaven | |||
Producers:
Sheila E, Mano Hanes, Peter Michael Escovedo.
|
Notes | ||
Hot
on the heels of her last release Writes Of Passage in
1999, Sheila E and her band The E Train are back with another dose of smooth
jazz entitled Heaven on the Concord Records jazz label. |
|||
| Single Releases: None | |||
| Dr Fink - Ultrasound | |||
Producers:
Dr Fink
|
Notes | ||
Dr.
Fink - keyboard wizard with The Revolution returns from the
musical wilderness with his 2nd solo outing (his 1st was a Beatles covers
compilation for EMI which we wont go into). The Dr. along with his
"nurse"/wife Andra wrote/co-wrote all of the material here. All instruments
(which are synthesized) and drum programming is by Dr. Fink, guitar by
Dave Barry. The album is a mix of half vocal tracks, half
instrumentals. |
|||
| Single Releases: | |||
| Fonky Bald Heads - Fonky Bald Heads | |||
Producers:
FBH Productions
|
Notes | ||
| Band of MPLS
musicians formed by NPG drummer/percussionist Kirk Johnson. Lyrics
and raps by Dave (DVS) Schwartz and vocals by Kip Blackshire. This
is a strange and somewhat uneasy combination of rap/rock/R&B which in
some cases can work. But here the diluted raps of Eminem wannabe DVS
often misses the mark and lets the whole team down. Kip's soulful vocals offers some salvation, but alas not enough to save the day. Standout Tracks: Fonky Like A, Passin Your Name Experience Rating: DVS - You've gotta find yo own style man.. (4/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: None | |||
| Jill Jones/Chris Bruce - Two | |||
Producers:
Jill Jones, Chris Bruce
|
Notes | ||
| After far too long
an absence (contractual and personal problems prevented her for putting
out a release sooner), Jill Jones is back. But be warned... this is
not the same JJ we last heard back in 1987. Her looks, sound and
style has undergone a complete makeover, though her unique voice still
remains. Jill (along with collaborator/multi-instrumentalist/friend Chris Bruce) has presented her fans with an indie release which (she would be the first to argue) is more true to where she's coming from musically (ala. PJ Harvey, Tori Amos), than the Paisley Park production of '87. This is an album of acoustic/folk/rock songs - completely devoid of the funk element that Prince would've thrown into the mix. You'll either love or hate this album. Old JJ fans expecting to find the funk here will be sorely disappointed. Those wishing to find the true Jill Jones will persevere with this set and be enchanted by her engagingly hypnotic voice, her left-of-center songwriting, and (after several listens) will ultimately be rewarded. Standout Tracks: Station, The Mission, Sleepy Daydream, Gorgeous Wonder, Kanga Roo Experience Rating: This is the new Jill Jones... take it or leave it (8/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: Station | |||
| Monte Moir - This Side Of Paradise | |||
Producers:
Monte Moir
|
Notes | ||
| Keyboard player for The Time
and talented songwriter/producer in his own right, Monte steps out from
the shadows and releases his long overdue solo album. This man has written
quality tunes for the likes of Janet Jackson ("The Pleasure
Principle"), DeJa (formerly Aurra), St. Paul and UK act Dante amongst
others, so it was interesting for this reviewer to hear the voice behind
the composer. Musically the album has a very gentle laid back, west-coast smooth jazz/country feel. Vocally, Monte’s voice sounds quite similar to Paul Simon’s minus the confidence in vocal delivery ("All Right By Me" is a dead ringer for "Gracelands"), thus making some of the album well crafted compositions sound a bit samey, flat and quite monotonous. Nevertheless, there are two or three musical gems to be found here. Standout Tracks: I'm The One Who Loves You, On Your Way Home, All Right By Me, Experience Rating: Not a bad first effort. Ideal as background musak for dinner parties... (6/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: None | |||
| Sons Of Almighty - The Great Tribulation | |||
Producers: Sons Of Almighty
|
Notes | ||
| Add three 1st generation ex-NPG members (Sonny T, Michael B, Tommy
Barbarella) to members of disbanded MPLS funk band Greazy Meal - the
result... Sons Of Almighty. A collection of gospel inspired funk/rock songs led by the soulful voice of Julius Collins who wrote all the songs (along with Michael B and Sonny T on various tracks). The album has that live sound so favored by much of the product coming out today from MPLS's vibrant live music scene. Go see this band play one Sunday at the Fine Line Cafe and you wouldn't notice any difference in the sound to the songs on the CD. This is funky gospel music, not heavy-handed or in your face, but very spiritual. Standout Tracks: Nothing For You, Save Me, Sons Of Almighty, Beautiful Experience Rating: Fans of the old Greazy Meal would appreciate this more... (6/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: None | |||
| Various Artists - If I Was Prince | |||
Producers:
Various
|
Notes | ||
| 10 Artists on the current (UK?)
underground Dance/Electronica scene offer up their own personal and
unique tributes/interpretations of the Purple One's music. 7 Hurtz's excellent, tongue-in-cheek version of "Sexy Dancer" is the only track here that stays faithful in spirit to the original. The rest alter and abuse the source of inspiration to varying degrees ranging from just about bearable to down right plain disrespectful. Interesting idea. Full marks to the artists for choosing tracks not normally covered. But this is basically a one track album.... sorry guys. Standout Tracks: Sexy Dancer Experience Rating: Thank God they're not Prince (2/10) |
|||
| Single Releases: None | |||
