Prince
Welcome 2 America
SMG
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A lot has been said about Prince and his prolific songwriting nature. Even way back when Purple Rain was ruling the charts in 1984, rumors swirled that Prince had a vault filled with countless unreleased albums, enough for him to release one each year for the next century.
Whether those claims were boastful hype or accurate assessments, in the years since his untimely passing in 2016, Prince’s Estate has done a masterful job at archiving and compiling deluxe editions of some of his landmark albums filled with unreleased songs from the era, reissues of a handful of hard-to-find albums, along with one album of original demos of tracks he wrote for his menagerie of artists (2019’s Originals), plus an intimate piano and vocal album (2018’s Piano & A Microphone 1983).
As enjoyable as these releases are, and they no doubt point to his prolific tendencies, there wasn’t a lot of “new” music or rather offerings from those mythical albums recorded back in the day that, for one reason or another, were shelved.
That all changed with this week’s release of Welcome 2 America, a fully-fledged and focused collection of songs recorded (and slated for release) back in 2010 with his reinvented and reinvigorated New Power Generation. Providing a potential power punch to coincide with Prince’s “Welcome 2” tours of the US, Europe, Canada, and Australia over the ensuing two years, the album leaves you wondering why Prince decided to shelve it and why it’s taken so long to see the light of day.
Sometimes with Prince, the answer as to why lies in the music. Much of the additional tracks that accompany his posthumous reissues give context to the main album, but on their own can often feel undercooked or unworthy of that major album release. Of course, it’s Prince, so there are more than many exceptions to the rule.
But here with Welcome 2 America, Prince has an album that is just as strong—if not more potent and more cohesive—than those he released in the last years of his life. So, the question of why remains? And maybe that’s part of the purple mystique we as fans have come to accept. That’s the deal we made with genius.
With a nod to socially conscious masterpieces of the past, the title track draws from the bubbling soul/funk vibe of Sly, Curtis, George, and Marvin, and is delivered in a decidedly Princely fashion. Taking us to school, Prince acts as both teacher and preacher as his spoken word observations about the country’s plight and its promises and failings are countered against the beautiful harmonies of Liv Warfield, Shelby J., and Elisa Fiorillo.
Like many of the lyrics on tracks like “Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master)” with its critique of the music business and “1000 Light Years From Here” with its assessment of the promise of the American dream, the content is sharp and pointed. An assessment of our collective cultural values and shortcomings, “Welcome To America” tackles corruption, misinformation, systemic racism, and our own biases as he quips, “Truth is a new minority,” and “Land of the free, home of the brave / Oops, I mean / Land of the free, home of the slave / Get down on your knees.”
The smooth funk packed with a message for your mind rolls on with the vibing “Born 2 Die” and the P-Funk-infused “Same Page, Different Book” that questions the righteousness of world religions and the division it breeds when “we’re on the same page but a different book / So much more in common if you’d only look.”
The album is balanced with a collection of songs that steer on the more sensual side, brimming with funk and seduction. From the boiling funk stew of “Check The Record,” the ‘70s pop-rock inspired “Hot Summer” with its sweet bouncing vibe and the seductive celebration of female ecstasy in the candle-lit “When She Comes”—this being the original version to Hit’n’Run Phase 2’s more instructional reworking.
The album is rounded out with a collection of rock-funk in the shape of the questioning of the times, “1010 (Rin Tin Tin), the reassessment of what you think you know in “One Day We Will All B Free” and the revival reworking of Soul Asylum’s “Stand Up And Be Strong”—a surprising cover choice indeed.
Prince comes full circle with “Yes,” a Sly And The Family Stone influenced track that draws a direct lineage from “Dance To The Music.” This is Prince presenting his utopia of unity, love, celebration, and salvation. It’s an idea he’s been evolving since Dirty Mind’s “Uptown.” And here, it feels less rebellious and more joyously inclusive.
In a time when the country feels divided, uncertain, distrustful of authority, and wondering about the recognition of the value and equality afforded to every one of its citizens, Welcome 2 America sounds painfully current. Many reviews have gone to great lengths to talk about how prescient Prince is with the recording. But in reality, it’s a blight against how much hasn’t changed in the decade since it was intended for release.
Still, as Prince reflects and holds a mirror up to society, he’s doing so with a sense of hope and optimism that things can get better. There’s no great solution here, but the questions Welcome 2 America asks can have us looking in the right direction.
What isn’t in question is whether Welcome 2 America should be heard. For whatever reason Prince decided to shelve it, the album is a satisfying and inspiring collection of songs that deserves its moment in the sun. It’s a focused and funky Prince, and if there are indeed other fully completed albums still in the vault with this much cohesive direction, they will all be welcomed.
Notable Tracks: “1000 Light Years From Here” | “Check The Record” | “Running Game (Son Of A Slave Owner)” | “Welcome 2 America”
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