Publication: St. Paul Pioneer Press [US]
Date: February 11, 1997
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Title: "Prolific ex-Prince working on next album, ‘Truth’"
Written By: Jim Walsh

During his interview with the artist formerly known as Prince on VH1 last weekend, Chris Rock asked, "When you were at Warner Bros., you took a lot of flack for putting out too many albums. Do you ever feel that if you were an artist in another time period, that you'd be more appreciated? I mean, Mozart or Beethoven probably put out the equivalent of an album every month." Midway through the question, the former Prince nodded his head as if it wasn't the first time he'd considered the notion, then answered:"Aretha Franklin, every three months, had a new album. James Brown, every three months had a new single and album. Yeah, if I had been in that time period..."

He never finished the thought, but in other recent interviews, the former Prince has said his goal is to "have the biggest section in the record store -- the most titles" and to "write a song a day for the rest of my life." In November, the week before the release of the Chanhassen-based musician's three-hour, 36-song epic "Emancipation," the former Prince told the Pioneer Press that the "Emancipation" project had proven to be hugely satisfying. So much so that for the first time in his life after making a record, he felt he could take a vacation.

Vacation over.

Late last week, Paisley Park sent out a test-pressing CD of two new songs to a select group of friends, journalists and deejays. Included in the package was a card commemorating Valentine's Day, which marks the one-year anniversary of the former Prince's wedding to his former dancer/back-up singer, Mayte Garcia-Nelson. (Word is that the couple will celebrate with a series of concerts in Honolulu over the weekend).

The two new tracks are "The Truth" and "Don't Play Me." And while the compositions are typically marvelous, the (pending?) release isn't exactly stop-the-presses news, since the prolific musician obviously doesn't suffer from writer's block.

But one thing makes these songs different, and therefore newsworthy: Both are stripped-down acoustic numbers peppered with ambient noise. A notation on the back of the CD's handcrafted jewel box reads, "From the 4thcoming acoustic recording `The Truth."'

One of the most oft-repeated criticisms of "Emancipation" was that, although it exhibited a new depth of lyrical spirituality, it didn't break much new musical ground, and many of the tracks were haunted by echoes of Prince's commercial heyday. But if these two fresh, decidedly noncommercial recordings are any indication, the former Prince is about to deliver the acoustic masterpiece that his fans have long been clamoring for.

The only question is: Where will it turn up? "Emancipation" was released on the former Prince's New Power Generation Records, and distributed by the EMI-Capitol Records Music Group. Both artist and label have stressed that in terms of marketing, "Emancipation" is a two-year project, and that sales depend on the Fecund One's ability to rein in his muse to concentrate on promoting the project at hand, such as his two latest singles, "Somebody's Somebody" and "The Holy River."

Therefore, to avoid competing with his own albums, the logical outlet for "The Truth" is the on again/off again 1-800-New-Funk mail order service, which currently sells "Kamasutra," a full-length ballet composed with Mayte, and an official bootleg of the January 11 concert at the Roseland Ballroom in New York.

Also scheduled to drop via mail order in the near future is "Crystal Ball," a three-CD set of previously bootlegged material.

Most music superstars release one album every two years. Not the former Prince. Some critics have referred to such activity as his "creative diarrhea." But while it may be difficult for the mainstream music industry to keep track of, his method (write, record, release) is not unlike, if you will, that of a daily newspaper columnist.

Once upon a time, the former Prince wanted to buck the major label system. Now he's doing it -- and that's "The Truth."