Music icon Prince today announces not one, but two, brand new studio albums to be released globally via Warner Bros. Records. The much-anticipated albums are ‘ART OFFICIAL AGE’ and ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’, set to release on September 30th 2014 in the US.
‘ART OFFICIAL AGE’ is a solo album and ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’ is by Prince’s new band 3RDEYEGIRL. Both albums, which are sold separately, are now available for pre-order via digital retailers and from . Early buyers will be able to unlock ‘instant grat’ tracks from each record.
The album releases will also be marked by a series of very special events taking place globally, to be confirmed shortly. 2014 has been one of the most exciting years yet for the prodigious musical talent. Together with 3RDEYEGIRL, he rocked UK and European audiences into a frenzy with his sell-out ‘Hit & Run’ tours, generating some of the most significant critical acclaim of his career so far.
In April, NPG Music Publishing was launched, marking the first time Prince’s vast publishing catalog has been independently controlled and administered in over twenty years. All of this in addition to headlining and curating the Essence Festival on July 4th in New Orleans and a much talked about appearance on hit TV show ‘New Girl’. 2014 has underlined that Prince continues to innovate and surprise, thrilling his fans and welcoming a whole new audience in the process.
The brand new studio albums mark a historic return to warner bros. Records, Prince’s original label home. The renewed partnership came after the announcement that warner bros.
Records returned to Prince the master recordings of his pioneering ’80s albums, including Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain and Sign ‘O’ the Times. “Prince is one of just a handful of visionary artists who have truly reshaped and redefined modern music and culture,” said warner bros. Records Chairman & CEO Cameron Strang.
“For the past 35 years, he has never stopped evolving, challenging himself, reinventing his sound, and pushing boundaries. In true Prince fashion, he has just given us not one, but two extraordinary albums that express the incredible range and depth of his talent. All of us at WBR are immensely proud to be working with Prince to bring this brilliant new music to his legions of fans around the world, and needless to say we are thrilled to be working in partnership with him again.
“In releasing two albums on the same day fans get the chance to savor the many different aspects of Prince’s musical talents with ‘ART OFFICIAL AGE’ and ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’ offering two very distinct listening experiences. ‘ART OFFICIAL AGE’ is a classic Prince album, produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and Joshua Welton (@joshuaworld). Sonically the record is a contemporary concoction of soul, R&B and funk.
The melodies are immediate and prominent as ever and Prince’s vocals are rich and solid, taking full advantage of his vocal range with decidedly, seductive lyrics. ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’ is a classic band record, with 3RDEYEGIRL which include Prince, Donna Grantis (guitar), Hannah Ford Welton (drums) and Ida Nielsen (bass). Recorded live and in analog the album is an electrifying funk-rock statement.
Many of the tracks from ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’ were performed live on the ‘Hit & Run’ tours of the UK earlier this year – incendiary performances in a series of historic venues – which led The Guardian to declare “These are performances by one of the greatest funk-rock bands ever. ” The group was showered in 5-star reviews from all major reviewing media.
More live dates will be confirmed shortly.
The track-listings for ‘ART OFFICIAL AGE and ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’ are as follows:
ART OFFICIAL AGE
ART OFFICIAL CAGE
CLOUDS
BREAKDOWN
THE GOLD STANDARD
U KNOW BREAKFAST CAN WAIT
THIS COULD BE US
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
affirmation I & II
WAY BACK HOME
FUNKNROLL
TIME
affirmation III
PLECTRUMELECTRUM
WOW
PRETZEL
BODY
LOGIC
