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LotusFlow3r Prince album
NPG Records
albumPrince wants nothing to do with record labels.
The studio sessions for LotusFlow3r began at Paisley Park Studios back in November 2004, when Prince laid down From The Lotus and its Back 2 The Lotus… companion, and Colonized Mind, Love Like Jazz and Wall Of Berlin, all performed with a live band – reuniting NPG members Michael Bland and Sonny Thompson in the same sessions in which the trio also recorded the titletrack for 3121.
Between 2004 and when the album was eventually released in 2009, LotusFlow3r passed through several configurations, seeing much of the material recorded for it during these intervening years removed from the project to form their own albums, which became 3121 and Planet Earth. Only two songs originating from these sessions ended up on LotusFlow3r – Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful and 4ever. Prince’s then protege Támar Davis therefore appears on these tracks.
It was Prince’s summer 2008 sessions that actually completed LotusFlow3r, recording $, Boom, Crimson And Clover and Dreamer which took place LA, where Prince temporarily relocated throughout 2008. These sessions took place at Sunset Sound, his first use of the iconic studio since the 1990s. This is with the exception of one, an instrumental recorded at Prince’s nine-bedroom Beverly Hills rented home and studio 77 Beverly Park Lane, which gives the track its name.
Four songs premiering the new album LotusFlow3r were aired on 18 December 2008 on punk radio station Indie 103. The songs were broadcast on Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) show Jonesy’s Jukebox and were Crimson And Clover, Colonized Mind, Wall Of Berlin and 4ever. At this point a commercial release had not been finalised, and Crimson And Glover was considered for lead single. This plan changed upon securing the Target deal.
At that time Prince was mulling ways to promote LotusFlow3r and wanted a unconventional method with which to release it, settling on a exclusivity arrangement with US chain store Target. When LotusFlow3r was ultimately released it was bundled as the lead album of a triple CD set accompanied with yet another solo Prince album, MPLSound, as well as the debut record for his new protegee Bria Valente, titled Elixer. The number 3 thusly features in the main album’s title. The two Prince albums are very distinguishable and are by no means comparable to the other. LotusFlow3r features a live band which gives it a raw sound, whereas MPLSound is an entirely electro-funk solo project.
Due to the US only availability of the physical release, to avoid the wrath of international fans, the three albums were initially available digitally from 24 March 2009 as WAV downloads hosted on Prince’s specially created subscription website lotusflow3r.com. The physical format of LotusFlow3r in its three disc package entered stores on 29 March. Impressed at the footfall of 30 million customers through its doors weekly, LotusFlow3r was retailed through an arrangement granting exclusive rights to the US store chain Target to sell it, and at the bargain price of just $11.98. Consequently, the physical set was not available to markets outside the US.
To promote it, Prince performed songs from the new albums on three consecutive appearances on Jey Leno’s The Tonight Show, March 25th (performing Ol’ Skool Company), the 26th (Dreamer) and lastly on 27 March 2009 (15 minute live set staged in the studio parking lot which performed Crimson And Clover). This was followed on 28th with a public show staged at LA’s 7,000 capacity Nokia Theatre, plus two further performances at its adjoining clubs The Conga Room and Club Nokia – all played that same night. Not only did each show perform differently themed setlists, Prince was backed by completely different members from his band’s lineup, it was quite an incredible feat. The 22nd saw yet another promotional performance, this time for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which aired on 23 April with a live rendition of Crimson And Clover. LotusFlow3r was neither supported with a tour nor any commercial singles.
Despite its limited circulation, these TV appearances helped LotusFlow3r retail 168,000 units and the set debuted in the Billboard 200 on 18 April at number 2 – a mere 3,000 units shy of the top position (Keith Urban’s Defying Gravity). The set topped the R&B album chart. Total sales of LotusFlow3r racked up 543,700 units, although because of the exclusivity arrangement the package was not eligible for RIAA certification. The track Dreamer received a Grammy nomination for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance of 2009 although was unsuccessful: the award went to Bruce Springsteen instead.
The CD release of LotusFlow3r contains Prince’s gorgeous cover of Crimson And Clover, written by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1968. Prince recorded his version of track in August 2008 incorporating also a verse from the 1965 hit Wild Thing. The track was omitted in the digital version of the album when swapped with The Morning After an outtake of the 3121 sessions. The Morning After was not included in the CD configuration, and Crimson And Clover was likewise omitted from the digital release. Dreamer, performed by Prince backed with the then current iteration of that band, pays homage to Jimi Hendrix despite in 1985 Prince’s eagerness to brush away all comparison with him in his music.
France vinyl release
On 7 September 2009, both Lotusflow3r and MPLSound were released in France through Because Music, imprint of Virgin Records. The albums were issued packaged as a double‑LP gatefold limited release complete with foldout double-sided poster comprising the artwork of both albums. Shortly after the release, Prince played two shows at the Grand Palais in Paris, on 11 October. His appearances in the country helped the vinyl edition peak at number 3 on the French album chart.
Cover Story
In 2005, Prince tasked Sam Jennings to create the cover for the early version of the LotusFlow3r album and was given a photo Afshin Shahidi shot in 2004 of Prince stood in a hallway backstage at Philadelphia during the Musicology Tour, using a fish-eye camera lens. Jennings embellished this into a full artwork intended for the album, with Prince superimposed onto a blue Fender Stratocaster guitar against a background of vivid colours. In 2009, as the album’s concept further progressed the album’s final artwork overseen by Anthony Malzone, in which features only Prince’s nose, mouth and chin from Shahidi’s original picture. Jennings’ original artwork was reproduced as a 6-foot tall mural. Entitled Influence Wall, in 2007 the mural was mounted on the corridor wall leading to Studio A at Paisley Park.
Performers
- Vocals/Guitar
- Prince
- Drums
- Michael Bland From The Lotus, Colonized Mind, Love Like Jazz, Wall Of Berlin and Back 2 The Lotus
- Cora Coleman-Dunham Boom, The Morning After, 4ever, $ and Dreamer
- Keyboards
- Morris Hayes Boom, The Morning After and Colonized Mind
- Bass Guitar
- Sonny Thompson From The Lotus, Colonized Mind, Love Like Jazz, Wall Of Berlin and Back 2 The Lotus
- Joshua Dunham Boom, The Morning Afterm 4ever and Dreamer
- Trombone
- Greg Boyer Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful and $
- Saxophone
- Mike Phillips Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful and $
- Maceo Parker Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful and $
- Trumpet
- Lee Hogans Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful and $
- Ray Monterio Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful
Data
- Producer
- Prince
- Label
- NPG Records
- Distribution
- NPG Records
- Cover/Design
- Anthony Malzone
- Released
- 17 years ago on 24 March 2009
- Running Time
- 48:40
- US Chart Peak
- 2 (with MPLSound)
- US R&B Peak
- 1 (with MPLSound)
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Prince Album
- #33
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
Physical editions
- From The Lotus... (2:46)
- Boom (3:19)
- Crimson And Clover (3:52) 1
- 4ever [feat. Shelby J, Marva King, Bria Valente and Támar Davis] (3:47)
- Colonized Mind [feat. Shelby J, Marva King, Bria Valente and Támar Davis] (4:48)
- Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful (3:52)
- Love Like Jazz (3:49)
- 77 Beverly Park (3:04)
- Wall Of Berlin (4:16)
- $ (3:57)
- Dreamer (5:30)
- ...Back 2 The Lotus (5:34)
- Running Time
- 48 min, 40 sec
Digital (lotusflow3r.com)
- From The Lotus... (2:47)
- Boom (3:19)
- The Morning After [feat. Támar Davis] (2:06)
- 4ever [feat. Shelby j, Marva King, Bria Valente and Támar Davis] (3:48)
- Colonized Mind [feat. Shelby j, Marva King, Bria Valente and Támar Davis] (4:48)
- Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful (3:53)
- Love Like Jazz (3:50)
- 77 Beverly Park (3:04)
- Wall Of Berlin (4:17)
- $ (3:57)
- Dreamer (5:31)
- ...Back 2 The Lotus (5:35)
- Running Time
- 46 min, 54 sec
1 Written by Tommy James and Peter Lucia Jr.
Singles from LotusFlow3r
LotusFlow3r produced no singles.
LotusFlow3r album review
Kicking off with a delicious instrumental LotusFlow3r launches with a sonic Boom. From the outset flows Prince’s sheer musicianship, with the soaring From The Lotus… the sense of effortless accomplishment grips.LotusFlow3r possibly as close to Prince’s Jimi Hendrix tribute album as you’ll ever get. There are many radio-friendly tunes here, short too: 4ever, Wall Of Berlin and The Morning After to name but a few. The collection is packed with sublime guitar licks – Boom is just one of a list of truly fantastic examples. The instrumentals are a sheer delight. Yet Crimson And Clover and Colonized Mind push things even higher, striking that mark of quality often taken for granted with Prince but this is no ordinary Prince record. Get it the French vinyl if you can for real audio satisfaction. The standouts are the funky $ and glorious Dreamer (where has this one been all our lives?).
LotusFlow3r shows Prince looser as ever, and at his usual, funky and raw genius best. Razor sharp lyrics and the much awaited return to biting self-indulgent guitar are in abundance. Wasted by its bargain bin straight to discount store – not – near you, should you live beyond the US. LotusFlow3r shows Prince at his truly excellent, utterly original and still reigning purple best, so why not the full commercial worldwide release?
LotusFlow3r is rated 4.5 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
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