On this lovely Monday morning we’re listening to “Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do” from 1999’s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. Prince did some solid work on that album and this song is no exception. The issue that I have – and I think a lot of Prince fans have – with this album is that it sounds too much like the other music at that time and not nearly enough like Prince. Like he was trying to fit in. The album was “overseen” by Clive Davis, which seems unheard of to me for a Prince album. I’m not 100% sure what the term “overseen” means, but that’s the word used on princevault.com and I assume it means he had a hitmaking record company exec step in to give advice on what he would do. Seems like he was trying to reclaim his spot on the mountaintop after a few rocky years in obscurity. The album featured multiple appearances by other popular artists like Chuck D, Sheryl Crow, Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Ani DiFranco. The results were a solid album, but something that doesn’t sound like Prince.
“Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do” is a pleasant downtempo song that repeats the refrain, “Wherever u go, whatever u do, please remember that I’ll always be there for you.” A lovely sentiment, but much like a lot of the album, the song sounds too generic for Prince. The signature musicianship, personality, and all-around skill of Prince are lacking. Watered down. If it were anyone else I’d say, “This is a nice song,” and not really give it another thought. Coming from Prince, it’s a disappointment.
Sorry to start the week on a bit of a down note, but I feel like I’ve heard this song dozens of times from lesser artists. Prince is better than this song.
mookiefantana 