Emancipation (1996)
Disc One
1. Jam of the Year
2. Right Back Here in My Arms
3. Somebody's Somebody
4. Get Yo Groove On
5. Courtin' Time
6. Betcha By Golly Wow
7. We Gets Up
8. White Mansion
9. Damned if I Do
10.I Can't Make U Love Me
11.Mr. Happy
12.In This Bed I Scream
Disc Two
1. Sex in the Summer
2. One Kiss at a Time
3. Soul Sanctuary
4. Emale
5. Curious Child
6. Dreamin' About You
7. Joint 2 Joint
8. The Holy River
9. Let's Have a Baby
10.Saviour
11.The Plan
12.Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife
Disc Three
1. Slave
2. New World
3. The Human Body
4. Face Down
5. La, La, La Means I Love U
6. Style
7. Sleep Around
8. Da, Da, Da
9. My Computer
10.One of Us
11.The Love We Make
12.Emancipation
After diving into this massive triple-CD collection, my first thought was to bump it up an extra half-star just for sheer volume. Then, later, I found myself wanting to dock a half-star for that very same reason. Confusing? Absolutely. How do you even begin to review a brand-new triple album packed with all new songs?
Each disc clocks in at exactly one hour (more on that oddity later), so you’re staring at a full 180 minutes of music. That’s roughly the equivalent of five traditional albums back in the vinyl days. Has any artist ever produced music at this breakneck pace? And remember, this wasn’t a one-off for Prince. No, throughout his career, he churned out double, triple, quadruple—and sometimes even bonus—discs every single year. It’s enough to make your head spin. While this sounds like a dream come true for superfans, when you’re actually confronted with this mountain of material, you almost wish you hadn’t wished for it. Ask anyone who’s won the lottery—they’ll tell you there’s such a thing as too much money. The rest of us probably won’t believe it until (and if) we experience it. In music, Prince proves that “too much” definitely exists.
So, what about the music itself? It’s great. Simple enough. Surprisingly, it’s a bit more restrained than some of his recent albums. This was the first record he made entirely free of his Warner Brothers contract. Sure, he’d already started playing with identity as that “unpronounceable symbol” on his last couple of releases, but now he had full creative control. With a title like Emancipation and 36 songs to boot, you’d expect some grandiose opus spanning every Prince style imaginable. Instead, it’s mostly a collection of low-key R&B numbers. There’s a dash of dance, a pinch of pop, some gospel, even a sprinkle of rap—but all mostly on the mellow side. This isn’t an album that sets your soul ablaze; it’s more like a warm fire on a cold day.
As good as the songs are, 36 tracks are simply a bit too much. I can’t even make it through the whole thing in one sitting. My personal limit is one disc at a time—and at a full 60 minutes, even that feels like a stretch. Not surprisingly, the tracks near the end of each disc tend to fade from memory. By then, I’m just worn out.
Here’s another minor gripe: in true Prince fashion, he made each disc exactly 60 minutes long. It’s an impressive feat, no doubt—but a bit unnecessary. Several songs feel padded, as if stretched just to hit that exact time. It’s not a dealbreaker, but if he’d shaved off 10-15 minutes from the total 180, the album might’ve been tighter and more enjoyable.
Another first here: Prince covers other artists’ material. Four covers, to be exact, and all pretty unexpected choices. He tackles the Stylistics, the Delfonics, Bonnie Raitt, and Joan Osborne. Don’t be shocked when each one turns out brilliant. Take Osborne’s One of Us—a song barely a year old when Prince took it on. His version actually sounds better than the original. On the Delfonics’ La, La, La Means I Love You, Prince even manages to sound more Delfonics-y than the Delfonics themselves. You almost wish he’d do more covers, given how well he nails them. But, well, let’s be honest—he’s got way too much original material to bother with that. This album makes that crystal clear.
Should this have been trimmed down to a double album? Honestly, no. There’s simply too much excellent music here to cut. The downside is, just like having too much money, you tend to take some of these songs for granted. That’s a bit of a letdown, but it’s the lesser of two evils.
Yes, it turns out you can have too much good stuff.
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