Publication: San Antonio Express-News [US]
Date: December 25, 1996
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Title: "The Artist Currently Known As Prolific: The Former Prince Indulges Himself On 'Emancipation'"
Reviewed By: Robert Johnson

The Artist ended his 18-year relationship with Warner Bros. Records this summer not with a lame, contract-fulfillment collection of odds and ends, but with a stunning burst. Made in a one-week blowout with the New Power Generation, "Chaos and Disorder" ranks as one of the year's best albums.

Now, before the year is even out, the prolific one is back with a new label (NPG is distributed by EMI-Capitol) and a Big Statement. Comprising 36 songs on three CDs, "Emancipation" drives home the Artist's point that Warner Bros. wasn't letting him get all the music that was inside of him out to the people.

The results are impressive, but suggest that there's something to be said for spontaneity and concentration. The sheer size of "Emancipation" dilutes its impact, which might have approached "Chaos and Disorder" had the Artist concentrated on its killer funk/soul grooves. Instead, this smacks of an artist unwilling to throw an idea away.

For anyone else, this would result in a self-indulgent, bloated piece of work. But this is the Minnesota Mozart we're talking about--even his most offhand ideas are worth hearing.

Unlike "Chaos and Disorder" and the equally exciting "The Gold Experience" (1995), "Emancipation" veers away from guitar rock to keyboard-and-drums-dominated hip-hop/funk grooves. The Artist executes them with a guest list ranging from the New Power Generation and the NPG Hornz to rapper Scrap D and Kate Bush. There's even a guest tap-dancer (Savion Glover on "Joint 2 Joint") and backing vocals from the Artist's wife, Mayte.

The Artist also tosses in an odd variety of covers--The Chi-Lites "Betcha By Golly Wow!," Joan Osborne's "One of Us," the Delfonics' "La La La Means I Love You" and Bonnie Raittıs hit "I Can't Make You Love Me."

"Emancipation" is filled with musings on sex and spirituality, with occasional social commentary, reference to his new domesticity and nods to online culture ("Emale" and "My Computer"). It comes across as a get-it-out-of-my-system effort that the Artist had to make before he could move on.

Whether his audience can keep up is another matter. We may still be digging out from this one when the next batch appears. But thatıs our problem, not his. (Three and a half stars)