Prince cultivated a reputation as a powerhouse concert attraction in the early 1980s, but he spent decades avoiding the release of a live album. The closest he came to an official live document were home videos and the 1987 concert movie
Sign 'O' the Times, which was filmed just after he disbanded
the Revolution, the band that supported him during his phenomenal rise during the '80s. He didn't release a live album until 2002, when he effectively was in a bit of self-imposed exile from the pop mainstream. After the
Clive Davis-shepherded
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic failed to become Supernatural, Part 2,
Prince turned to the jazz/gospel fusion
The Rainbow Children, an album he effectively was promoting during the
One Nite Alone tour. While he didn't avoid secular material on this 2002 tour, take his warning of "For those of you expecting to get your 'Purple Rain' on, you're in the wrong house" to heart: this isn't the rock & roll
Revolution, it's the jazz-funk incarnation of
the New Power Generation, one who sprinkles in snippets of chestnuts between extended new jams. The band is certainly fine -- tight, lithe, and eager to follow the leader down his detours -- and their sound is invigorating, at least for a little while. The performances quickly become exhausting.
Prince treats his older, better tunes as inconveniences and he's so committed to his new direction, he doesn't bother meeting his audience at a halfway point.
These problems are lessened on
One Nite Aloneâ?¦The Aftershow, where
Prince intentionally pushes
New Power Generation -- along with guests
George Clinton and
Musiq Soulchild -- into carnal territory. Here, the older tunes are sometimes turned inside out -- the original structure to "Girls & Boys" is treated like a suggestion, "Alphabet Street" is hurried through at double time -- which makes it an interesting listen, even if the flashy professionalism of
NPG manages to be a bit exhausting. The band doesn't support
Prince on
One Nite Aloneâ?¦(Solo Piano and Voice by Prince), but the half-hour collection feels scattered and unfocused, as if
Prince was writing the songs as he was singing them. Comparing this to the archival release
Piano & A Microphone 1983 -- which contains a similar format, plus another cover of
Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" -- is instructive, as the earlier recording feels intimate and relaxed; this just feels disparate, as if
Prince was working through his ideas and demons in hopes of getting somewhere better. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
![Soft Parade [50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0603497851324_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Soft Parade [50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]")
![Sign 'O' the Times [Super Deluxe]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0603497847563_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Sign 'O' the Times [Super Deluxe]")
