Prince - Sign O’ The Times

Released in 1987, this was Prince’s 9th studio album and is ranked #93 on the Rolling Stone list. 

Prince is among the most famous artists (in my perception) where I only seem to know know one or two of his biggest songs. None of them are on this album, at first glance. Another blemish on my musical history knowledge. Ah, well, we’ve already established that wasn’t worth a damn before this project. Let’s correct it now.

The title track is a total oxymoron track from the start, with a beat made for strutting down the street to and dark lyrics about the lamentable way things are going in the world. Predictably for me, “Slow Love” was super enjoyable, and shows off what Prince can do with his voice that I frankly wasn’t aware of from the big hits I was previously familiar with.

This album is some funky stuff. I mean that in the best way. And Prince has a way of really inhabiting every single song with his enthusiasm and personality that some artists lack - even the mid-album songs seem to get his full attention and energy. The album is solid and cohesive, but (at the risk of falling prey to confirmation bias) I had trouble pinpointing a candidate for a single. 

This review from Pitchfork puts it well:

Choosing a single high point from Prince’s glorious run in the ’80s is impossible, but Sign o’ the Times surely stands as his most complex and varied statement.

This album is certainly varied, a bit all over the place musically, but none of it feels forced. 

New Jams

• “Sign O’ The Times”

• “Slow Love”

• “The Cross”

• “Adore”

Originally part of Why Music Curation is More Important Than Ever.