Product Description

3 CD Set Features: Lotusflow3r/MPL Sound/Elixer: Bria Valentine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5865 in Music

Customer Reviews

The Axe is back - Some Structure and Plenty of Enjoy
Three albums at once?? Well he has done it before, more than once. So is it stretching it too thin? Well I would say not. I'll admit I have not heard the Bria Valente effort but as for the rest ....

The first album is 'Lotusflow3r' and has a 'real' rhythm section comprising of old hands including the drummer Michael Bland. There is definitely a rock feel to many of these tracks and yes Prince gives his guitar a good going over. Standouts include the last 4 tracks, especially '$' (keep your feet still if you can) and 'Dreamer', probably the most Hendrix he has ever been, though I maintain Carlos Santana is Prince's main guitar influence. The cover of 'Crimson and Clover' has a cheeky reference to 'Wild Thing' by the Troggs and it works. In fact there is little not to like, '77 Beverly Place' sounds like something out of an Italian film, a bit bizarre maybe but I think it's a refresher, bit like a warm towel before enjoying the dessert. A real good effort this and would work very well as an album in its own right.

MPLSound brings back the Linn Drum machine and features more of Prince's 'traditional' sound, albeit updated. This does not work quite so well, it's a bit overlong in places, especially early on but the tunes are solid at worse and cracking at times. My favourites are probably 'U're gonna C me', an update of his 'One Night Alone' album track with some lovely string quartet which makes it the better version, 'Here' a dreamy mid-tempo effort that floats effortlessly and 'Ol' Skool', a 7 minute plus effort with some wicked lyrics about the state of the world, especially the US. The album finishges with 'No More Candy for U', which has a great rift and sounds like something from the Dirty Mind/Controversy period with stabbing keyboard and funky bass slaps, lovely !!!

So plenty of 'experts' saying this lot is missing this or does not have that. I really thing some people make up their mind before they hear these things, even the self proclaimed 'life long' Prince fans. Well huhh to you cause you seem to expect something that is not going to happen. If Prince gives an 80's lick you complain he is not modern enough. If he does something different you say he is weird and if he tries being modern (whatever that means) he is simply copying cos he is out of ideas. Get a life and enjoy this cos its worth it OK !!!!

The Very Best of Prince
This album could have been subtitled 'The Very Best of Prince' as he has picked every diverse musical sound that has graced his albums over the last 30 years and put all the best elements into 3 new albums here.
There is plenty of 80's style pop/funk on the MPLSound album, also a bit of the psychodelic on Lotusflow3r reminding us of his mid 80's psychodelic phase.
Lotusflow3r is also quite a guitar album with many tracks sitting happily alongside Purple Rain or Sign O' The Times.
He doesn't always unleash full guitar solos on records but he does here, particularly letting his 'Jimi Hendrix' out on 'Dreamer'.
In the late 90's with the Emancipation album he changed styles once again to a modern R'n'B sound. This he has bought to life again here on the 3rd disc Elixir sung by Bria Valente.
There are even tracks on Lotusflow3r that remind us of his early 2000's jazz and instrumental albums.
I have personally enjoyed all of his albums over the last few years but this one certainly stands out above the rest. For me this is his best album since 2001's The Rainbow Children.

The second coming
Ive been a fan for 25 years and i can honestly say the new Lotus and MPL sound cd is the best he has put out since Lovesexy. These albums far out class even Diamonds & Pearls and the symbol album and the very mediocre and irritating 'Most beautiful girl in the world', one of his biggest hits, where i feel he started to lose it. 'Come' in the midnineties had its moments but i generally was'nt impressed by 90's Prince other than 'I Hate U which was a great track. I am into the more edgier Prince - i love his early beats - the Linn drum machine in all its glory - the voice manipulation- the screeches- the moans and the sighs to me they are Prince's trademark, i also have a love for his guitar playing and although we heard moments on his previous album Planet Earth, on Lotus Flower we have it bigtime. 'Wall of Berlin' has'nt been off my stereo- that tune has a serious geeeettttaaahhh workout....i thought i had gone to heaven. The same for the song Dreamer. '77 Beverley Park sounds like it should be the soundtrack for an Italian gangster movie and 'Love Like Jazz' could have been put on the middle of the Parade album in 1986.
MPL sound has beats that will rip your face off - we have claps that remind us of the intro to Sign o the Times - we have jiggs that remind us of the track "Delirious" we also hear 'Shockadelica' voice manipulation.. its a vast collection of old school purple beats and i am loving it. What do people expect...you are never going to get a "Doves Cry or a Purple Rain again. I personally think the album tracks and b-sides far outweighed his singles anyway..My favourite Prince albums are Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign o the Times so this will give you a heads up on the style of Prince i love. The R'N'B and Rap stuff he was spewing out just does'nt do it for me. After listening to Planet Earth , Lotus Flower & MPL Sound i can honestly say this is the Second Coming and its just what i need at this time of my life...when i hear them old school prurple sounds it takes me back to a time when i had no responsibilities, i was young and having fun..this man is like medicine for my soul. Thanks Prince for repaying all the faith i put in you and rewarding my patience. I thought you was gone for good. The purple one is truly back