Prince is well known as a magnificent musician, prolific producer, masterful songwriter, and overall guitar god.
So, it’s no surprise that fans are bubbling over with excitement for the new Originals album released by the Prince Estate.
Listening to the album is like opening a long lost letter from an old friend.
The album is a collection of songs we’ve all heard before but never with Prince behind the microphone. The tracks were written, produced, and then generously gifted to other acts like Kenny Rogers, The Bangles, The Family, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, The Time, & Sheila E. during the creative peak of a 1980’s era Prince.
The writing credits were not clear at the time of their release because Prince wrote and produced the tracks under pseudonyms like Christopher, The Starr Company, or Joey Coco. He was teaming with so much creative energy that he left fingerprints of brilliance on projects from multiple music genres including country.
Prince used the pseudonym Joey Coco when “You’re My Love” was recorded and released by country star Kenny Rogers.
Hearing Prince’s voice on the track is magical. Rogers was a fan of Prince and wrote about the exchange on Facebook:
“Back in the Eighties, I had contacted [Prince] through a mutual friend to ask if he would write me a song. . . and he did,” Rogers wrote on Facebook. “When he sent the song to me, if I remember right, it was him playing all of the instruments on it and he had his background vocals on it. Unfortunately on the finished record, somehow my producer didn’t end up using the music or vocals (the song was re-cut). It was such an incredible thing that Prince took the time to do that for me. He was a brilliant guy and a gifted musician with a lot of feelings, and you could tell his feelings went far deeper than what was written on his face.”(Moss, Marissa R. “Hear the Song Prince Secretly Wrote for Kenny Rogers.” Rolling Stone. 21 April 2016.)
Originals album reviews have been positive overall while “100 MPH” and “Baby, You’re a Trip” are named as top favorites for most fans on our unofficial Instagram poll.
The ultimate eargasm is hearing Prince belt out a sultry falsetto on “Sex Shooter,” “Noon Rendezvous,” and “The Glamorous Life.” Many of the artists who recorded Prince tracks stayed true to his artistic vision, so the songs sound almost identical to the way Prince presented them. Take a listen to each clip for yourself below.
Also scroll through fan comments about Originals below and add your thoughts.
The Originals tracks and the artists who recorded them:
01 “Sex Shooter” (Apollonia 6)
02 “Jungle Love” (The Time)
03 “Manic Monday” (The Bangles)
04 “Noon Rendezvous” (Sheila E.)
05 “Make-Up” (Vanity 6)
06 “100 MPH” (Mazarati)
07 “You’re My Love” (Kenny Rogers)
08 “Holly Rock” (Sheila E.)
09 “Baby, You’re A Trip” (Jill Jones)
10 “The Glamorous Life” (Sheila E.)
11 “Gigolos Get Lonely Too” (The Time)
12 “Love… Thy Will Be Done” (Martika)
13 “Dear Michaelangelo” (Sheila E.)
14 “Wouldn’t You Love To Love Me?” (Taja Sevelle)
15 “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Sinéad O’Connor/The Family)
Originals started streaming exclusively on Tidal on June 7, 2019.
On June 21, 2019 the album was released on all the streaming platforms and released to retail stores.
1. SEX SHOOTER
2. JUNGLE LOVE
3. MANIC MONDAY
4. NOON RENDEZVOUS
5. MAKE-UP
6. 100 MPH
7. YOU'RE MY LOVE
8. HOLLY ROCK
9. BABY, YOU'RE A TRIP
10. THE GLAMOROUS LIFE
11. GIGOLOS GET LONELY TOO
12. LOVE... THY WILL BE DONE
13. DEAR MICHAELANGELO
14. WOULDN'T YOU LOVE TO LOVE ME?
15. NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
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