One more Prince post: former band members from The Revolution, New Power Generation and 3RDEYEGIRL released a version of ‘The Cross’ from Sign o’ the Times album

A message of hope, amidst a pandemic and the struggle to make Black Lives Matter across the world

Within the past hour, Prince’s official Twitter account posted a cover of Prince’s “The Cross” song, performed by musicians from his former bands “The Revolution”, New Power Generation (NPG), and 3RDEYEGIRL.

Bandmates that span all four decades of Prince's performance and recording career got together virtually for an all-star rendition of "The Cross," which they released today "as a message of hope, love and peace." https://t.co/MuHPEnUuPG Credit: @ProductionsKaj

— Prince (@prince) June 7, 2020

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“The Cross” originally appeared in Prince’s Sign o’ the Times album — my favorite Prince album, by the way. Former Prince band member and current KAJ Productions head Kirk Johnson produced the new cover.

KAJ Productions released the following statement:

In the midst of widespread unrest gripping Minneapolis and America, and the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the performance is presented as a message of hope, love and peace. Prior to recording and producing the song, Johnson queried Prince’s fans via social media asking for song suggestions and the collective consensus was “The Cross.” Musicians then recorded parts individually within their homes, sending to Johnson who assembled the isolated parts into the unified performance. 

I dig the move by the team and the song to release, given Prince’s strong childhood roots in Minneapolis, which is also the city where George Floyd lost his life to police officers late last month.

The production is strong and the musicians are sharp. I’m impressed by how the team managed to pull off this level of quality with all the pandemic social distancing protocols in place. I’m sure Prince has given the head nod.

Video is embedded below …