Prince - Art Official Age

One of two new Prince albums for 2014

Prince revitalized — "...his most energetic, focused and engaged effort in years." — PopMatters

"If you're looking for a freaky good time, Art Official is your ticket.... An exquisite Prince R&B album." — Los Angeles Times

As an original whole, Art Official Age is Prince's most complete, most consistent and most contemporary album in a minute, writes Exclaim. Art Official Age is one of two albums from Prince released on the same day — this one solo and PlectrumElectrum with his long-gestating female band 3rdEyeGirl. Self-produced, containing funk, R&B, and soul influences, Art Official Age is Prince sounding not just relevant, but renewed, says the Chicago Tribune.

All of this is solid news for The Purple One; indeed throughout his five-decade musical career he's emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock 'n' roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk and rock. The result has been 10 platinum albums and 30 Top 40 singles. With each album he's released, Prince has shown remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures and genres.

On Art Official Age the melodies are immediate and prominent as ever and Prince's vocals are rich and solid, taking full advantage of his vocal range with decidedly seductive lyrics.

Time points out the Prince renaissance; ever since The Purple One started using Twitter via the account of his current all-female backing trio, 3rdEyeGirl, last August, he's been writing, performing and operating as a public figure with renewed vitality: Guest spots for other artists such as Janelle Monaé, a hilarious appearance on TV's "New Girl" — "The final piece is new music, and he's finally delivered with two new full-lengths dropping in tandem: there's Art Official Age, a solo record, and PlectrumElectrum, released as Prince & 3rdEyeGirl.

"In keeping with his larger resurgence, some of the best music Prince has recorded in years is spread across the two records. Even the failures contained within are interesting, which is more than one can say about Planet Earth or 20Ten."Art Official Age is built around a loosely applied narrative — Prince has been placed into suspended animation and has been revived 45 years in the future. "It's light, crisp, expertly sung and consistently fun; it finds Prince engaging in a dialogue with contemporary pop music he hasn't managed in a long time." — Time, Sept. 30, 2014