to the rowdy, collaborative jamming of his after-shows. The discs are arranged by intensity: from the intimate, heart-to-heart balladry of One Nite Alone. It remains one of the few archival documents of his sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes maddeningly mercurial, but always adventurous live experience, and the most complete picture of how he put together his shows. Taken on the whole, the box set is proof of his astounding skill as a performer, the depth of his catalog even in its shallow end, and the consistency that he brought to his concerts, night in and night out. A reissued box set recorded during this time, composed of the 2002 album One Nite Alone…, the two-part One Nite Alone… Live!, One Nite Alone, The Aftershow: It Ain’t Over, and the Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas DVD, aims to rectify that. Even in the wake of his death, in 2016, this period was remembered as controversial or underwhelming. On top of all that, the albums he released were panned or disregarded. Between 20, he lost his father, got divorced, remarried in secret, found religion, and defended Napster in his war against a tyrannical music industry infrastructure. That said, it's an enjoyable listen, and it's perfect background music for a candlelit dinner or any intimate interaction of your choosing.At the turn of the millennium, the party seemed to be over for Prince. It's likely not an even an album Prince himself cared much for, since only "Avalanche" was ever performed live he didn't even revisit it for his final 'Piano And A Microphone' tour, which would have maybe gave the album a chance to be revisited and reassessed. Still, Prince's playing is lovely, tasteful and serves each song perfectly. The piano playing on the record isn't outstanding, serving to forward the melody of the songs rather than show off Prince's chops as if his keyboard work was on the same level as his guitar playing. It's one of his best deep cuts and one that reads as profoundly relevant in today's climate.
Prince's falsetto has never sounded more phantasmal, giving it a snake like sound that works for the sting carried for the lyrics. The best song, however, is "Avalance," which veers thematically from the rest of the album by being the most politically charged song Prince had written since maybe "Sign O' The Times," taking direct aim at America's whitewashing of Abraham Lincoln and other intellectual injustices that still plague the African American community even today. There's also the sarcasting spurn "Pearls Before Swine," and the lovely instrumental "Arboretum," which closes the record. The rest of the record is a bit more light thematically, with Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of U" (a song that had been in his live repertoire on and off throughout his career) being a real highlight, a truly tender and sincere rendition with one of Prince's best vocals. Sandwiched between the title song and "Here On Earth" (which contains lyrics about a "young woman running for her very life, trying to get away from the one who loves her," this makes up arguably the creepiest three song arc of any Prince record. The second song, "U're Gonna C Me," is even quieter but also even more sinister, the longing presented in its lyrics bordering on obsessive or even stalkerish. with a sort of menacing quality he rarely displayed.
"The undulating acrobat ready to do your bidding saysĭo you like fast? Or do you like it slow?"" The opening title track is remarkably eerie, with its stabbing chords and Prince's carnal baritone reciting passages such as: As with most of Prince's more obscure works, however, there are several hidden gems that make it a real sleeper and a very pleasant listen. It's not hard to understand why at first: with its bland cover and stunning lack of any song that made it into Prince's live repertoire on any sort of basis, it's like child's play to think the album offers nothing special. And yet, even in comparison to some of his other 'lost years' records, it still remains one of the easiest to overlook in his catalog, if not the easiest. Review Summary: A pleasant and underrated listen with a unique sound.Īs an album, "One Nite Alone" sounds like it should rank among one of Prince's most interesting - a stripped down, mostly 'piano and voice' affair, unlike any other one in his category.