September 29, 2014: ARTOFFICIALAGE

The thirty-seventh studio album by Prince was released in the UK by NPG Records under a renewed license with Warner Bros. Records, marking their second collaboration since 1995's The Gold Experience.

Prince simultaneously released the album Plectrumelectrum, recorded with his touring band 3rdeyegirl.

Art Official Age debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 51,000 copies in its first week. In its second week, the album dropped to number 22, selling 15,000 copies, totaling 66,000 copies.

Art Official Age received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, the album has an average score of 70, based on 24 reviews. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune described it as "a more substantial and stranger album" than Plectrumelectrum. Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times called it "an exquisite Prince R&B album," while Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described it as "a slick, seductive electro funk sci-fi concept album." Kitty Empire praised Prince's digital production in The Observer, calling it "a far better album than you'd dare hope from the latterday Prince." Kenneth Partridge of Billboard stated that Prince is "funnier, sexier, and more self-aware than he's been in ages," and that the album is his most creative since the 1990s.

In a less favorable review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that Art Official Age is a "full-fledged R&B album" reminiscent of Prince's work with the New Power Generation, but some "modernization feels a bit ham-fisted." Q magazine criticized it as "an overlong, pan-generic concept album," while Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that the songs lack memorable melodies despite their "musicianly ingenuity." Pareles also noted that the album abandons the concept set by its initial songs and interludes, which feature Prince "waking up from suspended animation 45 years from now." Robert Christgau highlighted "Breakfast Can Wait" and "FunknRoll" in his Cuepoint review, humorously noting, "our greatest composer-performer of romantic nu-funk erotica wakes up 40 years later wishing he was Janelle Monáe."

CD

Art Official Cage (3:41)

Clouds (4:34)

Breakdown (4:04)

The Gold Standard (5:53)

U Know (3:56)

Breakfast Can Wait (3:54)

This Could Be Us (5:11)

What It Feels Like (3:53)

Affirmation I & II (0:40)

Way Back Home (3:05)

Funknroll (4:07)

Time (6:49)

Affirmation III (3:27)

LP

Side A:

A1 Art Official Cage (3:41)

A2 Clouds (4:34)

A3 Breakdown (4:04)

Side B:

B1 The Gold Standard (5:53)

B2 U Know (3:56)

B3 Breakfast Can Wait (3:54)

Side C:

C1 This Could Be Us (5:11)

C2 What It Feels Like (3:53)

C3 Affirmation I & II (0:40)

C4 Way Back Home (3:05)

Side D:

D1 Funknroll (4:07)

D2 Time (6:49)

D3 Affirmation III (3:27)