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Prince Estate Confirms Horn Overdubs on Timeless Track 'Calabama'

The estate denied any AI use and said it will face pressure to publish clearer records of edits to future Vault releases.

Overview

  • The estate acknowledged that the Timeless version of “Calabama” includes newly recorded horn parts placed over an existing synth fill and said no other Timeless tracks received overdubs.
  • The credited players on the added parts are trombonist Greg Boyer, saxophonist Adrian Crutchfield, and trumpeter Lynn Grissett, and those musicians are named in the album packaging.
  • Trombonist Greg Boyer publicly noted his contribution this year, and Charles Spicer Jr., a co-principal of Prince Legacy LLC, issued an apology after earlier saying no edits had been made.
  • NPG Records and the Prince management team explicitly denied any AI was used on Timeless and said it will provide more details about the release process going forward.
  • Fans and commentators have pressed the estate over whether archival material should be released exactly as stored or finished by collaborators, a debate that could shape how future Vault projects are documented and released.