Prince Album of the Day (Day 7): Come (1994)

Standout tracks: Come, Loose!, Race, Letitgo

If I've done my math right (and I may not have, considering), this was the last album Prince released for Warner Brothers under the name Prince. They released The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale under the name Prince without his permission several years later, but that's another story. Bunch of jerks, as we've already covered.

This is one spectacular album, kids. It kicks off strong with the sexy, funky, 11 minute title track, and it means just what you think it does. There's sex all over this record, particularly in the last track, Orgasm, which is basically a bunch of looped feedbacky guitar noise and Vanity making orgasm noises while Prince whispers in his sexy voice for her to come. And she does, over and over. We'll assume she's faking it, even though his whispers had me pretty close once or twice.

The second track, Space, is solid R&B, and that is followed by Pheromone, more funkiness you can definitely shake a leg (or bedspring) to. From there, we go into Loose!, which is as close to techno music as Prince has attempted. This tune kind of reminds me of early Ministry, not guitar-heavy at all, just in the beat.

Race is a great funk number with a great beat, and that is followed by Dark, a capable ballad, but nothing terribly special. Solo is a mostly solo vocal track which frankly doesn't do much for me, as well as the earlier Papa, which is a strange, violent piece that doesn't quite fit with the fun on the rest of the album.

Letitgo is the penultimate track, just before Vanity comes, and it may be my favorite cut on the whole album. A slower funk number, it harkens to the early days of his career, with a great hook and some nice instrumentation, including a killer keyboard solo.

Track this album down and buy it. If you like Prince, this one will be a nice addition to your collection. Just don't put it on when your mom comes over.

Rating: 4 1/2 tissues (out of 5)