Thursday, August 15, 2019

Future Soul Song vs. An Occasional Dream


Song:  Future Soul Song
Album:  20Ten
Year:  2010

So I am learning that Prince has sooooooooooooo many slow jams!  This one comes courtesy of his 20Ten album, which, although it was included in some European newspapers and the German edition of Rolling Stone, was never released domestically during his lifetime.  The drum machine seems to be doing a variation of The Beautiful Ones while the lead and backing vocals soar and intertwine quite nicely.  It's pleasant to listen to though otherwise unremarkable.

There's some Jehovah's Witness doctrine being referred to in the lyrics, but it's relatively benign and perhaps applicable to most religions.  It's subtle and likely won't add or detract to your enjoyment regardless of your views.

Verdict:  3/5 stars

Would I sing it at karaoke?  A bit too slow for my karaoke tastes.




Song:  An Occasional Dream
Album:  David Bowie (Space Oddity)
Year:  1969

Given my familiarity with this album, I entered into this one already knowing it pretty well.  It's a quiet, folksy single and a companion piece to the earlier "Letter to Hermione".  Bowie's lost love and muse Hermione Farthingale has been the inspiration, in whole or in part, to several of his earlier songs; in addition to the two mentioned here, she is "the girl with  the mousy hair" in Life on Mars?

Like Prince's offering, this is a simple and beautiful track, though far more acoustic and folk-oriented than Prince's soul, electronic-based offering.  It offers the listener the melancholy experience of remembering tender moments through the lens of lost love.

Verdict:  4/5 stars

Would  I sing it at karaoke?  Also a bit too slow for my karaoke tastes.

Winner:  An Occasional Dream

Running Score:  Bowie 20, Prince 10

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