LotusFlow3r

NPG Records

Prince wants nothing to do with record labels.

LotusFlow3r was recorded at Paisley Park Studios and at 77 Beverley Park, Hollywood, from which one of the songs takes its name. Four of its tracks were previewed on 18 December 2008 on radio station Indie 103 (Crimson And Clover, Colonized Mind, Wall of Berlin and 4ever). At that time Prince has been looking for ways to promote LotusFlow3r and wanted a non-conventional method by which to release it. When LotusFlow3r was ultimately released it was the lead album for a triple CD set, that contained another Prince album MPLSound as well as Bria Valentie’s Elixer and released exclusively through the US store chain Target for $11.98. Thus the number 3 appears in the main album’s title.

Despite the limited circulation of LotusFlow3r the set sold 168,000 units in its first week and reached number 2 on Billboard’s album charts – just 3,000 copies shy of the number 1 holder.

The three albums were also available digitally, from 24 March 2009 as downloads from a specially dedicated subscription website lotusflow3r.com. The physical CD format of LotusFlow3r and its two companion albums followed on 29 March and were only available within the USA and went on to sell 543,700 copies in total. The CD version contains the cover Crimson And Clover¹ by Tommy James and the Shondells, which was excluded from the download version of the album – replaced by The Morning After (2:06), the track not available in the CD version.

Cover Story

In 2005, Prince asked 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. Jennings embellished this into a full mural, but in 2009 as the concept further progressed the album’s final artwork features only Prince’s face from Shahidi’s original photo.

LotusFlow3r original cover, photo by Afshin Shahidi, Illustration by Sam Jennings — Original photo by Afshin Shahidi \ Illustration by Sam Jennings

Performers

Vocals/Guitar: Prince
Drums: Michael Bland; Cora C. Dunham ^{Boom, The Morning Afterm 4ever and Dreamer}
Keyboards: Morris Hayes
Bass Guitar: Sonny Thompson; Joshua Dunham ^{Boom, The Morning Afterm 4ever and Dreamer}
Trombone: Greg Boyer
Saxophone: Mike Phillips
Trumpet: Lee Hogans
Vocals: Shelby Johnson; Marva King

Data

Producer

Prince

Label

NPG Records

Distribution

NPG Records

Cover/Design

Anthony Malzone

Released

11 years, 9 months ago on 24 March 2009

Running Time

48:40

US Chart Peak

2 (with MPLSound)

UK Chart Peak

Not charted

Prince Album

#33

Orig. Formats

Tracklist

From The Lotus... (2:46)
Boom (3:19)
Crimson And Clover (3:52) ¹
4ever (3:47)
Colonized Mind (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)

¹ Written by Tommy James and Peter Lucia Jr. Track available only in CD version of album; omitted from lotusflow3r.com download version.

Singles from LotusFlow3r

LotusFlow3r produced no singles.

LotusFlow3r – review

Kicking off with a dreamy instrumental LotusFlow3r really does start with a bang with the sonic Boom, laden with guitar it sets the stage for the remainder of the album. Accomplished and slightly on the good side of heavy, this is as close to Prince’s Jimi Hendrix tribute album as you’re going to get. There are many radio-friendly tunes here, short too: 4ever, Wall of Berlin and The Morning After to name but a few. Crimson And Clover and Colonized Mind leave the usual mark of supreme quality, yet the songs that stand out from the rest is the funky $ and the fantastic Dreamer (where has this one been all our lives?) the track is colossal and just begs to be played live. LotusFlow3r does not disappoint and Prince gives us his usual, head-bopping fair. Sharp lyrics and a much awaited return to self-indulgent guitar, truly excellent, utterly original. Prince is still reigning supreme.