Emancipation

"Like all great artists, Prince had an unbelievable work ethic and three discs of Emancipation backs this up. The three-disc, thirty-six track, three-hour opus is a chore in parts as many of the `jams' blend into one when trying to recall them. Prince dubbed it his more important album at the time as he proclaimed that he was free and his music was free. For the length of the album and the time you need to invest in a full sitting, there are some gems in the rough. The Love We Make is a beautiful, reflective, piano-led ballad which centres on a loss to drug abuse. The anguish in Prince's voice is heartbreaking; the only love there is, is the love we make sings Prince as the final refrain plays out over bluesy guitar licks ... If you're a firm worshipper at the Purple House, you'll love hearing these records again, and owning them".

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"Emancipation doesn't have the bristling, colorful eclecticism of Sign 'o' the Times nor does it have the wildness of early one-man projects like 1999 or Dirty Mind, but with its gentle ballads and complex jams, it signals that Prince has evolved into middle-age gracefully. It's a mature effort, to be certain, but in this case that doesn't mean that it's an album bankrupt of ideas -- it means that Prince's craft continues to grow".

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