Non-Urban Music Prince - All 'Planet Earth' information here. (Updated with Militant's Review!!)

[Casey]

Hey guys, for all that are interested, and I know there's a fair few, I will be keeping this thread updated with all the information on Prince's upcoming album, 'Planet Earth' to be released July 24th via SonyBMG/Columbia.

--------Summary--------

~ Album is called 'Planet Earth'
~ Will be released July 24th on Sony BMG/Columbia
~ features contributions from Revolution members Wendy & Lisa
~ first single 'Guitar' sent to radio today. Exclusive premiere deal was given to Verizon Wireless customers.

-------------------------

18th June edit - read through the thread to see the one-sheet!

EDIT - this is the cover.

Insiders have hinted that there will be some sort of lenticular artwork, you know like when you move it around and it moves, like the Diamonds and Pearls cover, sort of.

This is Sony BMG's press release:

Music Icon Prince Returns to Columbia Records with His New Album, 'Planet Earth,' In-Stores Tuesday, July 24

Columbia Records is proud to work once again with Prince in the release of "Planet Earth" -- the latest full-length studio collection from the multi-platinum Grammy-winning artist -- available in North America on Tuesday, July 24, the culmination of a worldwide launch beginning July 16.

"Guitar," the first single from "Planet Earth," will be serviced to all radio formats on June 11. Prince's long-term musical proteges, Wendy & Lisa, are among the musicians appearing on "Planet Earth."

Prince has recently announced the first dates of his upcoming World Tour, beginning August 1 at the O2 Arena in London, where the first of 15 concert dates sold-out in record time. Six additional dates have been added and will go on-sale next week.

"'Planet Earth' is a fantastic album and promises to be a musical milestone for Prince," said Rob Stringer. "The Columbia label is thrilled to be working with an iconic artist like Prince in this exciting stage of his amazing career."

"Guitar," the first single from Prince's upcoming new album, "Planet Earth," will be available free, for a limited promotional period, exclusively from Verizon Wireless.

John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon, noted, "When Prince, who has consistently been on the cutting edge of music, harnesses innovative technology to deliver his fresh new music, that's a tremendous opportunity for music lovers across the country. At Verizon, we are committed to delivering hot multimedia services to the public in a way that's powerful, direct and relevant." Columbia Records

CONTACT: Yvette Noel-Schure, Columbia Records, Media, +1-212-833-4483,
Yvette.Noel-Schure@sonybmg.com

Tracklist is thought to be as follows:


1. Planet Earth
2. Guitar
3. Somewhere Here On Earth
4. The One U Wanna C
5. Future Baby Mama
6. Mr. Goodnight
7. All The Midnights In The World
8. Chelsea Rodgers
9. Lion Of Judah
10. Revelation


This tracklist appeared first on a German online store.

This tracklist is supported slightly by the following statement on www.3121.com

3121 Spy Report: Chelsea Rodgers

Our spies were out-and-about 2day enjoying a beautiful sunny Saturday in Beverly Hills when they spotted the one-and-only Chelsea Rodgers in the middle of a photo shoot in the park. Chelsea rocked her signature earth boots and we couldn't help but stop an stare. Supercute.

No one knows who exactly "Chelsea Rodgers" might be. Guess we'll soon find out....

Here is the Verizon Wireless commercial for 'Guitar':

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAwcPPGv8Nw[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Casey]

Apparently this pretty young thang right here is Chelsea Rodgers...but what's the connection? Note, she is wearing a Prince shirt - it has the "3121" logo on it.

 

[stefanwzyga]

Cheers for the info:thumb: That guitar song is real nice.

 

[Casey]

no probs stefan. just updated the original post with the new cover.

 

[Bornstruggler]

thanks for the info! cant wait!!

 

[GhettoStar]

Heres hoping there is a Revolution come back in tha future! And damn that girl is fine!

 

[Casey]

Here's the one-sheet!!

 

[GhettoStar]

PURPLE REIGN BABY!



Dude know he got a hairy ass chest man hahaha

 

[Casey]

NEW SONG NEW SONG NEW SONG NEW SONG NEW SONG!!!!!!!

Radio in Chicago (I think) just played "Future Baby Mama" - I got a radio rip, it's shitty but I tried to clean it up a bit.

Song is FIRRREEE!!!!!! It reminds me of "Do Me Baby"!!!!

http://rapidshare.com/files/3974765..._Mama__Radio_Rip__Militant_Remaster_.mp3.html

 

[Rahim]

Apparently this pretty young thang right here is Chelsea Rodgers...but what's the connection? Note, she is wearing a Prince shirt - it has the "3121" logo on it.

oh yeah she fine....album cover looks good too

 

[Casey]

There's a good quality version of "Future Baby Mama" on www.3121.com now - so forget the link I posted.

 

[Bornstruggler]

http://www.cede.ch/fr/music-cd/frames/frameset.cfm?aobj=646466 here you can listen to a snippet of somewhere here on earth

 

[Bornstruggler]

sound dope!!

 

[Bobby Sands]

Damn that Chelsea Rodgers is hot.

I read in the paper the other day that this album is going to be given away with the Daily Mail newspaper or something.Whats that about?

 

[Casey]

Review coming soon.

 

[TheCat]

Hi Militant! its been a long time, (tho thats my BAD)

whats your thoughts on the album so far?


Got my copy today


Chelse Rodgers is the SHIT!!! love it..

am quite worried about the rest of the tracks though, esp the tittle track.

its only first listen it may grow on me like 3121. i still put Musicology better of the last three.

 

[Cooper]

I like this one better than musicology.

I Like The one u wanna C & chelsea rogers

 

[stefanwzyga]

My fav track is Lion of judah.

 

[Casey]

Well, personally so far, for me it's 3121 > Planet Earth > Musicology. I think this may actually become my favorite of the three, over time. The only reason 3121 has the edge is because of the electro-funk of "Love" and "Black Sweat" from that album.

1. Planet Earth

A very epic track that some may find hard to digest. It's not massively accessible but the melodies soar and the guitar solo is on point. I'm not massively keen on the melodic breakdown, I find that this track begins to meander a bit towards the end.


2. Guitar
I do like this track. It's fun, uptempo and accessible. It's not breaking any new ground, and could be accused of being "Prince-by-numbers" but overall it's not a bad song.


3. Somewhere Here On Earth
Fucking brilliant. I'm not even usually a massive fan of Prince's jazzy slow ballads - but this track ticks all the boxes for me. This is without a doubt the best ballad he has done in years, it shits all over 3121's "Satisfied", and Musicology's "On The Couch". I really dig this slow jam. It has a ethereal quality to it. This is one of my most played tunes at the moment.

4. The One U Wanna C
This reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on exactly what. The bouncy quality is classic Revolution, Wendy & Lisa's vibe is all over this song. As well as their backing vox, obviously. It's definately a throwback to the 80's sound. Wendy & Lisa's adlibs bring a smile to my face. It's so great to hear them on a Prince track again. I really hope the rumors are true and Wendy joins Prince at either or both of the 2 London shows I will be attending. (and the aftershow )

This tune is fun and pop. For some reason I can see this working well in a movie. I really like this track.

5. Future Baby Mama
Whoa. Another classic Prince track. Prince just killed off all the contemporary RnB I've heard in the last 2 years with this track. Beautiful. Sorta reminds me of "Eye Hate U" from The Gold Experience with lashes of "Do Me Baby" from Controversy. The melody on this track is fucking awesome, the bass is groovin', the drums sound like Prince is using the legendary Linn LM1 drum machine that he was reknowned for using in the 80's. This is probably my most played track on the album so far, with "Somewhere Here On Earth" coming in a close second.

6. Mr. Goodnight.
I have been slightly ambivalent out this track so far but it's really growing on me. This is just a smooth groover. I really like the bells on this track. Some people don't like it when Prince raps or does spoken word type stuff, but I'm not one of those people. I think he has a cool vocal tone that fits perfectly to the groove. Lyrically I felt this track was slightly random.

7. All The Midnights In The World
My least favorite track on the album. There something slightly twee about it and I'm not really digging this one. At least it's short. It sounds like something that should be in a musical.

8. Chelsea Rodgers
"A model....used to be a role model."
Yes, this track rocks. A classic disco-funk groove with a lead vocal by Shelby J - it's rare that Prince allows someone else to take a lead vocal on one of his tracks. This is the second single, and it's going to sound SICKKKKKK at the live gigs, you just know it. It's one of those grooves. I'm going to one of the shows with a good friend of mine who is a DJ at BBC Radio 1 and he wrote the first revew of this album - this is his favorite track and he has been playing it on his show.

9. Lion of Judah.
The opening chord is reminiscent of "Purple Rain" and the opening melody reminds me of "Money Don't Matter 2Nite". I really dig this track. The guitar work on this track is awesome, I hear Wendy & Lisa on this one as well. The chorus soars, the lyrics are cool and this track thunders. Really dig it.

10. Resolution
I really like the guitar work on this track, another track with a big W&L influence, I think. The anti-war lyrics are quite poignant, and the melodic bridge veers slightly into Christian rock territory unfortunately, but the solo makes up for that. A very good album closer I think.

Overall I give this album 7.5/10.

Good work P! Can't wait to see ya live in exactly one week, and then again a week after that!!!

 

[Casey]

BTW the full lyrics are available at www.3121.com/planetearth

in a PDF file.