Exclusive! Just Dance; Prince’s Grammy After-Jam With Whitney Houston

( We did get a review! This was sent in to us!)
 
o whatta nite!

We’d been hoping the rumors were true about a potential 77 afterjam Sunday nite. We got the word last minute: it’s on!

As guests like Tyler Perry, Herbie Hancock and Jennifer Gordon (you’ll know who she is real soon, trust us) mingled in the kitchen, we heard a few strums of an acoustic guitar around the corner in the ballroom. How cool is this — a surprise acoustic set with Prince on guitar, Shelby J and Liv Warfield on vocals and tambourine and Frederic Yonnet on harmonica. They opened with “North Carolina,” Shelby J.’s theme song. Inside track on this song is that Prince and Shelby are really taking their time about creating classic material before recording Shelby’s debut CD. They’ve dabbled in the studio but after fleshing the tunes out in a live setting, the songs take on a life of their own. Expect big things from this project. The quartet stopped briefly to congratulate a newcomer to the party, Whitney Houston, on her triumphant return to the stage the previous night during the pre-Grammy Bash at the Beverly Hilton.

After a few down-home jams, Prince — still strumming and singing —  led the procession downstairs to where the rest of the band was already set up in the basement.

Without dropping a beat the crew kicked into “Ol Skool Company” , a new song from the fourthcoming MPLSound CD This is gonna be 2009’s “Days of Wild”, people. Seriously, it’s treacherous.
Let’s pray Yonnet stays with this bunch because his virtuosity on the harmonica gives this band a mature sound that is somewhat lacking when Renato Neto isn’t present. Sidenote: Marva King, we were told, is no longer with the band. She is bowing out to pursue solo endeavors. Liv Warfield gave her all and then some on the song “When Will We be Paid.” Sounding like a younger version of Mavis Staples in her heyday (think Wattstax), this sister is a more than able replacement. Other highlights from the night included Anthony Hamilton lending his soul to the brew…at one point saying “Prince’s karaoke night is the hardest. Me and Cee-lo still having nightmares ’bout the last time we were here.” We love us some Ant…brother you can’t do no wrong! 

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” (the Aretha Franklin arrangement, not Simon and Garfunkel although they wrote it) really got the crowd teary-eyed. Another point that should be mentioned is that hearing Prince rip through classic cover instrumentals like “Stratus” or “Frankenstein” is always gonna be a treat because they take on an otherworldliness that can only happen when dipped in purple. Boy must have gotten some new pedals or something because there were sounds coming from that guitar that sometimes turned into color. Sounds crazy but true.

 

The room filled up with faces familiar and not, groovin’ to  Crimson & Clover“, “I’m Going Down” “Long Train Running” and “Kiss” Dance joint of the night tho was “Hollywood Swinging.” They just couldn’t stop that sucka, no matter how hard they tried. Everyone — the servers, DJ Rashida , the security, even the housekeepers — YES everybody was dancing!  Nobody outdanced The Twinz’ mother tho, who, dressed in white, was auditioning for her daughters’ vacated spot.

It seemed like one big family, everyone chill,  having fun regardless of background, age, gender, race, social status. None of that mattered. It felt a lot like any Prince concert — music is the bond that unites us all. Being in a room of totally satisfied people cannot b overstated. It’s utter bliss. Try it sometime. Invite your favorite people over and put on some of your favorite music and just dance. Don’t even think about it, just dance. Like Holly Robinson, Sanaa Lathan, Chris Tucker, Bria Valente, and her handsome and gracious father, Tyler and Whitney did…just dance.

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Wow.  Sounds amazing.  Only thing missing is me….and 5,000 of my friends!   Thanks to the no-name reporter who sent this in.-DR.FB

Comments

comments

15 Comments
  • Best News Website in World
    Posted at 14:37h, 06 April

    … [Trackback]

    […] Informations on that Topic: drfunkenberry.com/2009/02/10/exclusive-just-dance-princes-grammy-after-jam-with-whitney-houston/ […]

  • Nonsense
    Posted at 22:48h, 12 February

    I wanna hear “Ol Skool Company”. I cannot wait for the 3 albums to drop.

  • paradise7
    Posted at 17:27h, 11 February

    “Music is the bond that unites us all…” The “No-Name Reporter” couldn’t have said it better! When’s the purple crazy glue gonna b delivered to the masses??

  • BiPolar
    Posted at 05:32h, 11 February

    As Liz Lemon would say, “I want to go to there” 🙂

  • Hello
    Posted at 05:06h, 11 February

    Errr….how about an audio/visual instead of these self serving reports?

  • Mirri
    Posted at 03:55h, 11 February

    WOOOW great nite indeed..I would love to have a job as Prince’s maid 😉

    Can’t wait to hear Shelby’s material -she’s dynamite !

    Peace and purple <3

  • CJBabyDaddy
    Posted at 20:44h, 10 February

    Yeah, but tell us what we really wanna know: Was RD there?

  • ChiTown-Jill
    Posted at 19:37h, 10 February

    Sounds like another “wish I were there”, nite!!! Thanks goes out 2 the “no-name report” (and Dr. F!) 4 posting this!!!

  • Prince e The Time ai Grammy Awards Afterparty « Prince@Music.Niga
    Posted at 15:57h, 10 February

    […] Sul sito del L.A. Times è riportata la notizia di un afterparty organizzato da Prince, dopo la premiazione dei Grammy, e che è durato sino alle prime ore del mattino. Il Principe si è esibito dal vivo accompagnato da Shelby J, Liv Warfield e l’armonica di Frederic Yonnet. L’onore di aprire le danze a Shelby J che ha cantato “North Carolina”. Tra le canzoni proposte anche un nuovo brano “Ol Skool Company” che dovrebbe far parte del suo nuovo disco “MPLSound”. Un report completo della serata lo trovate su drfunkenberry.com […]

  • lotusflower3121
    Posted at 15:47h, 10 February

    thease partys sound cool would love to get a invite
    also im supper excited to hear shelbys cd allthough im sure we will be waiting a while (next year maybe) but come on p its time bring on mplsound and the lotusflow3r

  • Sbacon1999
    Posted at 13:25h, 10 February

    Wooh that sounds like fun. I’m purple with envy! Thanks for all the details.

  • justmemuchlove
    Posted at 12:33h, 10 February

    @ Chris.. I was just sayin’ hahaha.

  • ChrisG
    Posted at 11:41h, 10 February

    Who do I need to talk to to get a job at that house?!?!?! I’ll wash windows, take out the trash, clean up the dog funk even! LOL!!! Daaaaaaang, sounds like he’s in a great creative groove.. can’t wait to hear the new albumS! 🙂

  • justmemuchlove
    Posted at 10:19h, 10 February

    “….because there were sounds coming from that guitar that sometimes turned in2 color. ….”

    “…..Everyone — the servers, DJ Rashida , the security, even the housekeepers — YES everybody was dancing! Nobody outdanced The Twinz’ mother tho, who, dressed in white, was auditioning for her daughters’ vacated spot. ….”

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    I like that 🙂 . It’s so good to hear everyone had a great time

  • LexAve456
    Posted at 09:50h, 10 February

    Wow, that sounded like a hot party. I wish I could attend one of these cause I’ll get on a plane in a minute just to see Prince play!

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