TYDmusic.com: My Review-104

Prince - Dear Mr. Man: (Sony)

The man we once knew as a symbol has been blessing his devoted audience of fans for decades with his brand of electrical funk and soul. Ever since the mid 70s with his self produced debut set 'For You' (on Warner Brothers), his look, his style, his flair and his music just struck a cord with the public and it's been a love affair ever since.

Prince was never one to bow into demands and instructions where the industry was concerned, he has always done things his way controlling almost every aspect of the recording process and it was with that tenacity that allows him to do battle with his former label Warner Bros and win. He now owns the rights to most of his material from Warner and has since ventured out on his own with his own label (NPG records) and handling the distribution of the records through independent's.

Earlier this year saw the release of his latest endeavor 'Musicology'. Initially release through his website, the set has drawn a lot of comparison to his earlier work of the early 80s ('Controversy' and 'Purple Rain' comes to mind). He has revisited his musical past with renewed enthusiasm to bring forth a new mindset of his old material and has succeeded in every aspect.

All songs on the set are solid from the word get go and it was very hard not to choose all but there can only be one - the one that talks to you (so to speak), and I have to say that the track I've chosen really does that as it has it's moments. Dear Mr. Man tackles the issues of today's social independance and what can we do to correct the problems surrounding them. It's deep and thought probing scenarios are the norm of this maestro's ideals of the world and one can only relate to the positive message he's telling. A great song that only opens the mindset of one's prospective on events that shapes your life.

The album is now available in stores everywhere and is definitely worth your listening ear. Prince has always been the person to test the boundaries of the musical barrier and only his public can benefit from that. A TY-D Pick

Listen to Prince - 'Dear Mr. Man'

Sir TY

Melina - Help Me (No Label)

She's young, blond, drop dead gorgeous and got a set of pipes on her like you wouldn't believe and even though you do not know her name I think that it's about time you did get to know her (really). When I first came across this young lady's material one thing stood out to me that was very evident - she has a voice and the girl can sing a tune. So just who is this young talent of a singer....her name is Melina.

This talented young woman is not only a singer but a songwriter too as she writes her own material and plays several instruments as well (keyboards and guitar). Melina hails from New York. She did her schooling in Connecticut, at the UNIV. OF CONNECTICUT - classical voice, acting & dance and in Boston at the BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC - voice & dance. She's spent several of her young years horning her craft overseas in Europe before returning home to NY playing in venues like THE BITTER END, CB’s 313 Gallery, OPIA, and AU BAR.

She's not one to stay in one arena either as she's spreading the wealth by doing voice-overs, acting, commercials and other projects. She can be found singing on the movie soundtrack 'Renaissance Man' that starred Danny DeVito, the late Gregory Hines and Mark ‘Marky Mark’ Walberg - she sang lead vocals on soundtrack song 'United - Life in the Streets' as well as appearing on ‘Marky Mark’s LP. Also appeared in the music video 'Fabio Concato' and sang duet with ‘Fabio’ as well as back-up vocals

The song I'm review today is the lovely ballad called 'Help Me' taken from her 6 song EP. The song starts off with a soft keys intro leading up to Melina's angelic accapella vocals hovering over them. Once the introduction takes place and the songs base line comes in, her strong vocal presence kicks up a gear and delivers a solid performance on all fronts with the utmost vigor. One listen to this track and you'd swear you're listening to a young Lisa Stansfield.

Although she's not signed to a label I'm sure that they'll come knocking as she has potential by the bucket loads. What else can you say about a young talent that knows what she wants except that her future looks bright indeed. A TY-D Pick indeed and one not to be missed here.

Listen to Melina - 'Help Me'

Sir TY