Showing posts with label Prince. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prince. Show all posts

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Why I love� Prince


Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others -- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

Death, especially when compounded by shock, is a thing that forces wild reactions. There is no predicting how it will affect us, especially when its complicated by fame and art. At that point, mourning suddenly becomes communal, and you might find yourself crying in public, as I did when Iheard about Princes death. Its been one year. Imiss him still.

Prince was, for me, one of the most exciting sights Id laid eyes on. Have you ever taken the time to look at his face? It was stunning: those big, fawn-like eyes, seemingly dancing with mischief; that nose button-like in his youth andmore hawkish with age; that mouth, almost always quirked in asardonic, knowing smile. prince always appeared aware of how unique he was; he knew he was special and he loved it. His songwriting and performances were imbued with that quality: each song was a gift, his lyrics equal parts sexy, witty, moving, sly and outrageous. Prince was a gateway into a more fluid, more adult world, where men (and women!) wore whatever the h**l they wanted, and didnt apologise.

He was funny (his 2014 guest appearance on New Girl, sending up his own eccentric image, made me laugh so hard), principled about artists rights and discreetly generous to arange of causes, too.

Above all, though, its his voice I miss. Its range was vast: a thrilling falsetto came as naturally as a deep baritone. His music lit up my life. My favourite today is IfIWas Your Girlfriend, but that could changeat any time. Prince wouldnt mind. He was changeable, too, sometimes bad-tempered with interviewers, other times as sweet as pie. Its what made him so d**n compelling.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEJw_I46TcLIWidC5IfCPf0Be_FUA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=uof7WMi0OtST3wHvroHYBA&url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/22/why-i-love-prince-bim-adewunmi

Continue Reading ..

Friday, April 21, 2017

Prince"s posthumous "Deliverance" EP is great for about 3 minutes


Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others -- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

What a tease. "Deliverance," a six-track EP of previously unreleased Prince songs, surfaced a few days ago and then was quickly removed from several major digital music sites, including iTunes, after a lawsuit was filed in federal court by Prince"s estate. The tracks were assembled and released by one of the late singer"s former studio engineers, Ian Boxhill, apparently without the estate"s authorization. Boxhill co-wrote and co-produced the tracks, which were recorded in 2006-08, according to Rogue Music Alliance, a Washington-based record company.

The now-you-hear-it, now-you-don"t EP marks a new litigious chapter in what is sure to be a protracted struggle over Prince"s extensive musical archives. Despite releasing 39 studio albums in his lifetime and dozens of other projects, Prince left behind a trove of music at his Paisley Park studio. As evidenced by the outpouring of posthumous recordings that have extended the careers of artists ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Tupac Shukar sometimes for the worse the Prince archive seems ripe for exploring and exploiting.

MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR

Quality control is another matter entirely. The title song from "deliverance" is grade-a late-period prince, 3-plus-minutes of piano-organ interplay and sanctified backing vocals that impart an anthemic gospel feel. "Who got the blues?" Prince cries in the buildup to a fierce guitar solo. The song"s healing message "Because time"s so hard to deal with, now understand your deliverance is at hand" gains poignancy on the first anniversary of his death.

But the remainder of the EP isn"t quite as strong. It consists of five linked tracks, including two versions of "I Am," the grittiest and spunkiest of the bunch. The remaining songs/snippets flirt with camp ("Touch Me," "Sunrise Sunset") and vampy erotica ("No One Else").

The inconsistency should come as no surprise. Prince spent the last 20 years of his career releasing hit-and-miss recordings. But who, if anyone, will be charged with finding gems on par with a track like "Deliverance"? And will that music be released in a way that expands and enhances our understanding of how Prince spent his time in Paisley Park? Don"t count on it.

Greg Kot is a Tribune critic.

greg@gregkot.com

Twitter @gregkot

"Deliverance"

Prince

2 stars (out of four)

RELATED STORIES:

Prince"s Revolution celebrates his greatest era with Metro shows

Producer behind Prince "Deliverance" EP slapped with lawsuit

Doctor prescribed meds for Prince in another name

Paisley Park a lonesome kingdom without Prince

Prince probe focuses on doctors, black market drugs

In Prince estate case, blood relation may be unnecessary

Still no will, but work to settle Prince estate forges ahead

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/sc-prince-deliverance-ep-review-ent-0421-20170421-column.html

Continue Reading ..

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Gov. Dayton declares June 7 "Prince Day"


Chris Evans and Chiwetel Ejiofor Perform Prince"s "Diamonds and Pearls"

KARE 11 Staff , KARE7:52 PM. CDT June 07, 2016

Thousands across Minnesota and even more around the world celebrated what would have been the late superstar"s58thbirthday. (Photo: KARE 11)

MINNEAPOLIS - June 7 will now be known as "Prince Day" in Minnesota.

Thousands across Minnesota and even more around the world celebrated what would have been the late superstar"s 58th birthday.

Gov. Mark Dayton issued the Prince Day proclamation on Monday. Prince was born on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis.

On Tuesday, a purple Prince plaque was presented to Green Central Park Elementary School in Minneapolis, where Prince attended school.

Also to mark the celebration, 89.3 The Current played a countdown of the top 58 Prince songs.

Outside the gates of Paisley Park, dozens gathered to remember the late music icon and sing "Happy Birthday."

The Governor"s proclamation notes Prince"s many, many contributions not only in arts and culture but "his many acts of service to his fellow Minnesotans."

Other cities across the country made similar proclamations. Millions took to social media using #PrinceDaywhich was one of the top trending topics on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.kare11.com/news/gov-dayton-declares-june-7-prince-day/234337006

Continue Reading ..

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Live Recap: Prince"s Piano & A Microphone Tour, Atlanta"s Fox Theatre, 4/14/16


Prince William is Slowly Having His Hand Crushed (TMZ TV)

When Princes Atlanta date on his Piano & A Microphone Tourwhich, just like it sounds, features the singer playing solo at a purple baby grand, the first such tour of his lengthy careerwas postponed last week due to a bout with the flu, the rescheduled shows were announced surprisingly quickly. The Purple One hit the stage at the Fox Theatre just a week after he was initially supposed to, and from the look of it, hed made a full recovery.

Would we really expect any less, though? We all know Prince isnt fully humanthe man hasnt visibly aged in 30 years, so why should we be surprised that seven days after being ill, hes reaching mind-blowing high notes on A Case of U that artists half his age would struggle to hit? His 7 p.m. set was a short onejust 80 minutesbut that seemed to have more to do with the fact that the venue needed to turn over in time for his 10 p.m. set later that evening than with any sort of lingering flu symptoms. Prince made every second count, and perhaps most importantly, the crowd was grateful for any time at all. He still managed to cram two encores into those 80 minutes, and every time he reappeared onstage, the noise was deafening.

The encores werent the only times the singer left the stagehe got up periodically throughout the set, at one point leaving briefly to regroup before returning and explaining that Sometimes I forget how emotional these songs are. But every time those fingers hit the keys, thered be a rapturous moment of recognition from the crowd. The opportunity to hear these songs stripped down on the piano is a rare one, and that wasnt lost on the fans, some of whom shelled out as much as $1000 a seat to be there.

Prince fed off that energy, too, encouraging hand-claps and sing-alongs on Controversy and bringing the house lights up for Kiss to witness the entire theater attempting their best falsettos. His cover of David Bowies Heroes was moving, resulting in a hushed aweone of the few quiet moments of the set. Purple Rain fans didnt get to hear the famous title tracka fact some reminded him when he finished his last encore by joking I dont have any more hits left!but they were treated to stellar versions of favorites from that record like I Would Die 4 U, Baby Im a Star and The Beautiful Ones.

And, ultimately, Prince can do and play whatever he wants. Hes Prince, and hes here blessing us with his presence. Especially for a show that almost wasnt, every song feels like a gift.

Setlist: 1. Little Red Corvette / Dirty Mind 2. Linus & Lucy (Vince Guaraldi cover) 3. The Beautiful Ones 4. Nothing Compares 2 U 5. Joy in Repetition 6. Muse 2 the Pharaoh 7. U Got the Look 8. Pop Life 9. Elephants & Flowers 10. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 11. A Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover)

Encore 1: 12. I Feel For You 13. Controversy 14. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World 15. I Would Die 4 U 16. Baby Im a Star

Encore 2: 17. Heroes (David Bowie cover) 18. Diamonds and Pearls 19. Adore 20. The Beautiful Ones 21. How Come U Dont Call Me Anymore 22. Do Me, Baby 23. I Wanna Be Your Lover 24. Kiss

Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/04/live-recap-princes-piano-a-microphone-tour-atlanta.html

Continue Reading ..

Friday, March 4, 2016

Prince is a big fan of Steph Curry and he sat courtside for Warriors-Thunder


Prince Rocks Out during the Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show | NFL

Want to feel like you actually have something in common with Prince? He, like you, is a big fan of Steph Curry.

At a recent concert atOaklands Paramount Theatre, the musician/extraterrestrial said,What can you truly count on besides Steph Curry? And you can count on Steph Curry.

With Prince set to perform in Oakland again on Friday, this time at Oracle Arena, perhaps it should have been no surprise that he turned up at the venue a day early to check out the Warriors-Thunder game. Then again, its always a surprise to see Prince doing things that humans do.

Okay, most humans dont stroll onto an NBA court with a supermodel (in this case, Damaris Lewis) anda sparkly cane, but its close enough. Naturally, the crowd at Oracle Arena gave his Purpleness a standing ovation when he entered (also something most humans, even NBA players, dont experience).

Is that him in the bottom left of the Vine below, enjoying Curry putting a clown suit on Kevin Durant? The big hair says yes!

Of course, no discussion of Prince and basketball would be complete without a Chappelles Show reference or two.

Prince really does have game, enough to have played for his Minneapolis high school basketball team. Nice to see that the decades may have passed, but the fro remains.

Des writes for the Early Lead and the D.C. Sports Bog, scouring the Web to bring readers items of interest, both serious and amusing. He also covers fantasy football, as well as fitness topics for the MisFits.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNH1CUpOWwxh9el0Dpxl2aDeJIbIMQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779057526735&ei=ZXnZVuvoM8P43QHZnaAQ&url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/03/04/prince-is-a-big-fan-of-steph-curry-and-he-sat-courtside-for-warriors-thunder/

Continue Reading ..