Publication: Chicago Sun Times [US]
Date: July 21, 1996
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Title: "Last Effort More Princely Than Most Label Swan Songs"
Reviewed By: Staff

When most artists sign off from a record label, they turn in a live album, some outtakes or a greatest-hits collection. Of course, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince is not like most artists.

"Chaos and Disorder", the record that terminates Prince's 18 year relationship with Warner Bros. Records, is a triumphant return to the layered, guitar-driven funk that blasted Prince out of Minneapolis. There's never a dull moment on C&D which rages from the fuzzbending title track through the bawdy blues shuffle of Zannalee. Prince blends a 1999 dance groove with 1996 hip-hop in Dig U Better Dead, before fading out into Had U, a sedated update of 1978's For U.

Conversely, the album's first single, D w/D, recalls Prince's best pop efforts, such as Raspberry Beret & Manic Monday. Recorded earlier this year in Miami Beach, with finishing touches at Paisley Park in Minneapolis, the projest's most ambitious track is I Rock Therefore I Am, a six minute collage of funk, rock & Jamaican toasting (rapping), featuring guests Steppa Ranks & Scrap D. Framed by the four piece NPG, Prince's production unites the diverse musical elements into a cohesive dance statement.

Don't misconstru C&D as prince's salute to Waner Bros. Rather, the 11 songs are a searing tribute to Jimi Hendrix, James Brown & Sly Stone, the cornerstones of Prince's kingdom. The back to the future result is Prince's best effort since 1984's Purple Rain.