Publication: Boston Globe [US]
Date: November 20, 1996
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Title: "New Prince A Release Of Love"
Reviewed By: Michael Saunders

"Emancipation" is by far the best record of the '90s from the Artist Formerly Known as Prince and likely one of his best ever.

There, I've said it.

It's a surprising declaration considering that I've never been overwhelmed by Prince, whose career often seemed an effective combination of hype and talent that was more artful than art. His copious musical output over the last 18 years has been erratic at times; for every solid disc such as "Sign O' the Times," there's a clinker like "Lovesexy." But, at heart, the former Prince Roger Nelson is a songwriter, and songwriters across the ages have drawn inspiration from love, whether expressed as a rarefied emotional connection or a sweaty hormonal clinch. Few recent popsters have mined this territory as expertly as TAFKAP, who takes obvious delights in his pose as a coquettish little love god.

For a time it seemed Prince had pranced forever into that Michael Jacksonian state where brilliant pop stars go when their charming eccentricities take bizarre turns. Prince seemed to be well along that route when he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, when he appeared on national television with seatless pants that made his fragile fanny look like the eyes of a startled cat, or when he perfomed with the word "slave" written across his cheek.

With this disc, that pose is history, cast aside for this more mature and fully developed expression. "Emancipation" is a three-disc set that celebrates three critical events in his life: his marriage to Mayte Garcia, his introduction to fatherhood and his release from Warner Bros. Records. Only he knows which was the most influential. The music is funk-laced pop that wanders effortlessly from rock to R&B and back, often within the same song. The obvious craft extends to the song sequences of each hourlong disc, which balances ballads and dance tracks with the same energy, ebb and flow of a live set.

"Emancipation" isn't loaded with the pretense of a concept album, but its 36 songs form a loose timeline of a life, most likely that of the man who wrote the music. There's the infatuation of the first disc ("Courtin' Time," "I Can't Make You Love Me," "In This Bed I Scream"), followed by fulfillment and exploration on the second disc ("Sex in the Summer," "Let's Have a Baby," "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife"), capped by the disorder and resolution of the third disc ("Slave," "New World, "Face Down," "The Love We Make," "Emancipation").

Spiritual tracks are sprinkled throughout the set, possibly as a buffer to the raw sensuality of some cuts. It's a mix that parallels TAFKAP's own transformation in the late '80s. Some songs immediately stand out, especially ones where he flexes his considerable talents to compel feet to move. "Slave" is an angry funk track punctuated by cannon-shot percussion breaks that might lift TAFKAP back onto the R&Bcharts. "Da, Da, Da" is a pure hip-hop track featuring guest rapping from Scrap D. "Get Yo Groove On" is a soul rave-up that is equal parts fun and funk. "Joint 2 Joint" is a complex dance cut arranged in four distinct sections - one highlights the sound of tap-dancer Savion Glover - that merge for a resounding coda.

There are peeks into the personal life of the reclusive pop icon, who completed the disc at his sprawling studio complex in a Minneapolis suburb. "Sex in the Summer," a pumping, head-bobbing funk cut, features the recorded fetal heartbeat of the Little Prince - or Princess. He goes against form and covers other performers' material: a silky version of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me"; Joan Osborne's "One of Us" with a jeep beat; the Stylistics' "Betcha By Golly, Wow"; and the Delfonics' "La-La Means I Love You," sung reverentially with few changes.

"My Computer" is a timely reflection of a person who burrows in the electronic comfort zone of his computer, looking for someone to talk to "to make believe it's a better world, a better life ..." Kate Bush does a guest vocal that floats above the layers of overdubbed tracks.

Any one disc could stand alone as a discrete album, which is likely to comfort anyone worried about dropping $25 on a self-indulgent filler-fest. Fans will probably argue among themselves about which is the strongest disc in this set.