Representatives for Prince’s estate have responded to claims the new Timeless album contains instrumental “overdubs”.
Last month, officials released the posthumous compilation album, comprising nine studio recordings and one live recording.
After the project was unveiled, some dedicated fans queried whether anything had been changed or edited within the song Calabama, which the Purple Rain hitmaker originally recorded in 2003.
But on Friday, a spokesperson for NPG Records and the Prince Management Team issued a statement via Instagram in which they confirmed instrumentals were added to the bridge of Calabama, where the artist’s vocal calls out twice for “horns”.
“Consistent with Prince’s songwriting and production approach on numerous previous recordings, a group of horn players were assembled to overdub Prince’s synthesizer track with the intended horn line, and this version was released on Timeless,” they explained. “All of Prince’s original recorded parts remain intact, with trombone, saxophone, and trumpet added by Greg Boyer, Adrian Crutchfield, and Lynn Grissett. These musicians had close ties to Prince and were credited on the album packaging, despite some claims to the contrary.”
The representative went on to insist that “no overdubs” were used on any other recording for Timeless and emphasised “no AI was used on any Prince music”.
To conclude, they asked Prince fans for their continued support.
“We understand not everyone will agree on every decision made regarding Prince music and business matters yet your passion, knowledge, and thoughtful questions are appreciated,” they added. “While it is fair to ask probing questions and assert your sentiments and perspectives on matters related to Prince, it is best done with kindness and respect along with Prince’s well-known values of ‘Love For One Another.'”
Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, died at the age of 57 of an accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2016.
