Prince - Chaos and Disorder (1996/2018)

Leave it to the artist formerly known as Prince to end his 18-year relationship with Warner Bros. Records by handing over a somewhat ragtag collection of tracks initially "intended 4 private use only." Who else would cast aside the elaborate wrappings of his previous release, The Gold Experience, in favor of a crude photo collage apparently cobbled together in one afternoon with the aid of a home computer and a color Xerox machine? And who else would assure that said album was actually a pretty good checklist of many of the things this frequent genius does best? Even when lyrics appear deliberately puerile ("Dinner With Delores"), Prince is often able to salvage the song with a cranked-up guitar (he plays a lot on these 11 cuts) or a catchy chorus. "I Like It There" is a metal-pop lust-anthem that's both slight and undeniable, the way "Raspberry Beret" was. ("More than I love my hair!" he exclaims in thrall to, presumably, wife Mayte.) "The Same December" takes a similar musical tack to extol the Book of Revelation theology that fueled past classics like "The Cross"; in a nod toward a more earthly deity, the vocal phrasing at song's end ("Uh, you only know what you know") is one of Prince's subtlest Hendrix tributes. Chaos ends with a big, lovely tease. Nearly orchestral guitars fanfare "Had U," which turns out to be less than a minute and a half long. Prince delivers a kiss-off note that, over this truly promising gorgeousness, turns out to be the most articulate and moving thing on the record. It's a frustrating ending, but one that trips you up. How mad, after all, can you get at someone who can summon those sounds, if only to drop them off in a cul de sac? This kind of nonclosure signals that Prince knows just how tossed-away, but listenable, Chaos and Disorder is. --Rickey Wright