New Power Soul Album Reviews

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AMG Review

Releasing two multi-disc sets may have been an audacious way to begin his career as an independent artist, but it did nothing to reestablish Prince as a commercial powerhouse. Perhaps that's the reason he released New Power Soul (credited to his backing band, New Power Generation, but it's a Prince album in all but name) a mere four months after his mammoth quadruple-disc Crystal Ball hit the stores -- it was time to release a concise, focused pop-funk record that proved he could still deliver. And it does, to a certain extent. New Power Soul is a tight, focused record, filled with energetic funk workouts and classy, seductive ballads. It's paced to entertain, just like one of his legendary concerts, and there's no shortage of well-crafted songs, although it cements Prince's evolution from groundbreaker to craftsman. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide