Come 2 My House

NPG Records

He had my poster on his wall.

Chaka Khan was Prince’s long-term friend and musical influence. In 1984 she famously re-recorded his 1979 hit I Feel For You for her own album of the same name. That album went Platinum and the title track won Prince a Grammy for Best R&B Song and it became the 5th highest selling single of 1985. Prince had given her his blessing to re-record it to help reboot her ailing career, yet they did not actually meet until fourteen years later.

In 1998, Prince’s co-produced Come 2 My House to again help relaunch her in the US, and wrote ten of the album’s thirteen songs. The project was complete from start to finish within just two weeks in sessions at Paisley Park Studios. On it she covers Prince’s song Don’t Talk 2 Strangers as well as the 1974 track Hair by Larry Graham, who was likewise receiving Prince’s help to revive his career and co-produce Graham’s album named GCS2000. Prince’s work on the project is credited under his then name Prince love symbol.

Prince and Khan often performed I Feel For You together during the Newpower Festival tour, on which she joined Prince as his support act in promotion of their trio of albums, Come 2 My House, Prince’s own studio album Newpower Soul and Graham’s GCS2000, through NPG Records.

Data

Production

Chaka Khan and The Artist Formally Known As Prince

Label

NPG Records

Distribution

NPG Records

Cover/Design

Steve Parke

Released

22 years, 8 months ago on 21 July 1998

Running Time

59:51

US Chart Peak

UK Chart Peak

Orig. Formats

Tracklist

Come 2 My House (4:45) ¹
Intro (0:31) ¹
This Crazy Life Of Mine (2:33) ¹
Betcha Eye [feat. Brother Jules] (4:30) ¹
Spoon (3:49)
Pop My Clutch [feat. Queen Latifah] (4:47) ¹
Journey 2 The Centre Of Your ♥ [feat. Prince] (4:15) ²
Eye'll Never B Another Fool [feat. Prince] (4:12) ¹
Democrazy [feat. Prince and Larry Graham] (6:07) ¹
Eye Remember U (4:16) ¹
Reconsider (U Better) (4:23) ¹
Don't Talk 2 Strangers
Girl 6(1996)
(3:15) ²
Hair [feat. Prince] (5:45) ³
The Drama [feat. Prince] (6:35)

¹ Co-written by Prince and Chaka Khan.
² Written by Prince.
³ Written by Larry Graham.

Supporting tour

Jam of the Year

1997/8

Love 4 One Another Charities Tour (USA & Canada)
35 shows from 7 January to 29 June, 1997
Jam Of The Year (USA & Canada)
65 shows from 12 July 1997 to 22 January 1998
Newpower Soul Tour (Europe)
17 shows from 30 April to 28 August, 1998
Newpower Festival (USA & Europe)
15 shows from 23 September to 28 December, 1998

Come 2 My House – review

Like Prince’s collaboration with Larry Graham for GCS 2000, Chaka Khan’s Come 2 My House was also the product of studio time given in kind to lend his key musical influences a helping hand. Khan’s voice soars right from the opening title track. Prince’s production gives the album its smooth and glossy texture – his tell-tale flare is most evident on Pop My Clutch, Eye Remember U and Democrazy. Prince plays much of the instruments throughout and his writing contribution extends to ten of the album’s thirteen tracks. Of these, the tops are Betcha Eye, Eye’ll Never B Another Fool and Khan’s cover of Journey 2 The Centre Of Your Heart – one of Prince’s outtakes from his epic Emancipation sessions. Khan also covers Don’t Talk 2 Strangers (Prince’s original is previously released on The Vault). Khan’s Spoon is delightful and reminiscent of TLC. Hair, penned by Larry Graham, carries his typical theatricality, setting up the album to close with Kirky J’s production the dreamy The Drama.