Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [US]
Date: November 19, 1996
Section:
Page Number(s):
Length:
Title: Post-Gazette Review
Reviewed By: Tony Norman

Prince (The Artist)
"Emancipation" (NPG)
***1/2

I think I know why recent Prince records have ranged in quality from not-quite-inspired to downright embarrassing: The Artist Formerly Known as Prince has been hoarding his best songs for when he'd be released from his multi-record deal with Warner Brothers.

"Emancipation", a three-disc party on The Artist's NPG label, is an exhilarating ride through the pop and post-pop landscapes.

Displaying a canny knack for infectious tunes, The Artist has put together his most credible stab at chart-topping supremacy in a decade.

The dark flakiness of his last big-label release, "Chaos and Disorder", has been displaced by up-tempo rockers that speak to popular culture's deepest concerns--and not all of them are libidinous.

Energetic covers of pop classics like "La, La, La Means I Love You", "Betcha by Golly Wow!" and "I Can't Make You Love Me" nicely reconnect him to the pop mainstream, placing him at the forefront of black music's recovery of romantic idealism.

Adventurous numbers like "The Human Body" and "Face Down", which are actually little more than extended tape loops, keep The Artist's baby toe in the waters of what's coming next.

Still, 36 songs is a little too much for all but the most dedicated fan to wade through in one sitting. The Artist could've very easily pared this to one CD and given the world an undeniable classic.

But that's why he left Warner, isn't it? He wants to do things his way. Well, more power to him.