Prince played nearly every instrument on this album which is a stunning, audacious amalgam of raw, spare, new wave funk, R&B, and pop. The music is haracterized by intricate keyboards, clean guitar and limber falsetto. The themes of sexual freedom, unity, heartbreak and pacifism still feel relevant. Prince questioned the definition of black music, his androgynous image and explicit lyrics challenged ideas of black masculinity and the sound set the style for much of the urban soul and funk of the early 1980s.
File under: Funk, New Wave/Label: Warner Bros Records/Release Year: 1980