The ever-unpredictable
Prince seemingly grew even more mercurial after he started releasing albums on his own label. Free from record company restraints since the mid-'90s, he put out such outré items as the two-disc tour de force
Emancipation; the jazzy, Jehovah's Witness-themed concept album
The Rainbow Children; and then the most unexpected of them all,
N-E-W-S. The name stands for North, East, South, and West -- the four track titles -- and each is an instrumental exactly 14 minutes long. Without a hook or chorus in sight,
Prince leads his loyal accompanists through a mostly mellow program that melds low-key fusion, smooth jazz, and slow-jam R&B for 56 minutes of mood music. If you're expecting another
1999 or
Purple Rain, you'd best look elsewhere, but if you're willing to give up your preconceptions, you can lose yourself in
N-E-W-S. ~ Rovi Staff