C-Note by Prince
C-Note is a live album by Prince and The New Power Generation released in 2004 (though all five tracks had been released as separate mp3 files earlier in 2003). Its genre is jazz, with five tracks taken from soundchecks during the One Nite Alone... Tour. Four of the five tracks are named after the location they were recorded in. The album's title is an acronym, taken from the first letters of the five tracks: "Copenhagen", "Nagoya", "Osaka", "Tokyo", and "Empty Room". The entire album was recorded live from the audio console by Prince's concert sound engineer Scottie Baldwin. The first four tracks are instrumentals, although the fourth features Prince repeating "Tokyo". The fifth track is a live rendition of "Empty Room" (recorded October 25, 2002 in Copenhagen), though the song was written ca. August 4, 1985, when it was first recorded. The song is reported to have been written and recorded for Susannah Melvoin after relationship difficulty. The album is highly experimental and reminiscent of the Madhouse project. It was sold in digital format only on Prince's NPG Music Club. C-Note is jazz-oriented along with quiet storm, jazz-fusion, jazz-funk, and smooth jazz. It is also atmospheric and new age-themed.
Mary J. Blige’s 15th studio album arrived at a moment when the R&B diva was embracing her legacy as a new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Thirty years after she released her 1994 masterpiece <i>My Life</i>—when it felt as if she were singing for her life—she had survived all the drama and made it to her place in the sunshine as a certified legend with nothing left to prove. And Blige is in a state of appreciation on <i>Gratitude</i>, which feels like a much-deserved victory lap. The celebratory vibe is set on “Breathing”, on which she’s inhaling “fresh air, good news”. It’s a throwback bop featuring Fabolous, part of a guest-rapper roster including Jadakiss (“Need You More”), Fat Joe (“God’s Child”) and A$AP Ferg (“I Got Plans”). While the nostalgic feels are real, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul isn’t resting on her crown. At 53, Mary is still here to rock the party—and keep it raw about relationships (see “Don’t Fuck Up”)—in her thigh-high boots.
