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What are Prince's best vocal performances?

PASADENA, CA - JUNE 01:  Singer Prince performs onstage during the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on June 1, 2007 in Pasadena, California.  (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NCLR)
PASADENA, CA - JUNE 01: Singer Prince performs onstage during the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on June 1, 2007 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NCLR)Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NCLR

by Sean McPherson

July 19, 2018

Every week here at Purple Current, we beef up our library, hunt down credits, screen for curse words and enter songs into our databases. It is largely a joyful job because the music we're cataloging is incredible. As I was getting One Nite Alone: The Aftershow. . .It Ain't Over into the system, I marveled at Prince's voice.

Even after decades of performance, Prince's voice is an absolute beacon: triumphant and massive enough to fill an arena, intimate enough to feel like he's talking just to you. Prince was so multi-talented that it's easy to get granular and celebrate his best guitar solos, or his best duets. But, I want your help celebrating the talent that I think is most central to Prince's sound: his voice.

What is Prince's best vocal performance. . .and why? I know Prince was capable of octave spanning vocal aerobics, but sometimes he could sit on four notes for a whole track and still blow me away. So, let's not focus on his most aerobic or his most difficult vocal performance...just his best. We will share the top choices on the Purple Hour next Friday, July 27 at noon, Central.

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