An Open Letter to His Royal Badness: 10 Things Prince Could Resolve for 2007

I am, in fact, one of your devotees. I'll admit it. at one point I owned every album you'd popularly released from For You till the Love Symbol album, then made the mistake of loaning them out. While in the process of rebuilding (albeit, unfortunately, too slowly,) I came across a website that wanted submissions for Celebrities' possible New Years' Resolutions. It would be remiss of me to forget about you, one of my musical deities:

1. Move back to Minneapolis.

When you were in Los Angeles, it was the Purple Mansion; Then you moved back to Minneapolis and built a Big White one. But VEGAS? The fact remains that, like it or not, you were born and bred in the Midwest. Where else but in God country would you be so lovingly welcomed? While I'll concede that your current deal with Rio Casino (at $125 per head two nights a week, thankyouvrymuch,) is an incredibly lucrative deal, the move also smacks of early retirement. We're not ready for you to fade into the Vegas glitz. Go back to the cold.

2. Record the Hendrix cover album

Near the end of your "TAFCAP" era, you mentioned coming back as Prince to record a Jimi Hendrix cover album. Well, Prince, you're back, and I have yet to hear the album. Please. For the sake of all of your friends (and we are legion,) cut the record.

3. Cut Rosie Gaines a fabulous album.

Sales for her Welcome to My World LP haven't exactly been spectacular, and with your re-found popularity, you could easily find the money and the muscle to bring her back into the limelight.

4. Stop hanging out with Larry Graham.

When Larry Graham became a Jehovah's witness, he started talking to you about converting. Suddenly your references to Biblical themes became all-out sermons, your sex appeal has been relegated to chic-ism, and your fanbase is allowed to get fat and lazy. This, I think, could easily be remedied by sending Larry Graham a fond farewell- and then a restraining order.

5. Finish the musical!

In Crystal Ball, one of the liner notes mentioned that your song "She Gave Her Angels" had been originally slated for a musical about your then-wife Mayte Garcia. Fine, you and Mayte are no longer on speaking terms; but if Billy Joel can have a hit Broadway show with recycled material, Elton John can make a hit musical with Tim Rice, and Phil Collins can make music for Disney, then you can blow them away.

6. Make peace with the beat-mixers.

Unfortunately, every artist must eventually realize that time moves on. People are beat mixing. They are sampling other people's originally recorded material and putting into their own work. And considering tat you were willing to sell the rights to "I could Never Take the Place of Your Man" to a washed-out ex- New Kid on the Block, you have little room to argue. Besides, you and Kanye West could make a great album together.

7. Do a clean version of Sexy MF

This is just because I'd love to see how you'd change the title "You pretty mother-father. . ." No, no, no.

8. Do a gospel tour with former band members.

Considering that Vanity's in Tennessee preaching and Sheila E.'s found some church to play (and, of course, with your aforementioned link to Larry Graham,) you could easily raise quite a bit of money for whatever religious organization you like.

9. Take care about who you sell rights to.

I understand the value of selling intellectual property as well as anyone; but Dru Hill's and Mariah Carey's version of "The Beautiful Ones" was a crime! There are many more, (Jordan Knight, TLC, et al.), but I'm sure that you get the point

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10. Book a tour with Ani DiFranco, Alicia Keys, and Sinnead O'Connor

I once heard a bootleg of Ani's version of "When You Were Mine" with Maceo Parker playing sax. It was fantastic! And considering that Sinnead O'Connor and Alicia Keys have both had considerable success with your songs, it might be a nice idea. You could call it. "The Star and his Wise Women"

Take these suggestions at your liesure. Thanks for the music.

Yours,

David Harewood