The Rainbow Children
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The A.V. Club | (unfavorable) [2] |
| Billboard | (favorable) [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (C+) [4] |
| Jam! | (favorable) [5] |
| New York | (favorable) [6] |
| New York Press | (favorable) [7] |
| Q | [6] |
| Rolling Stone |  [8] |
| Slant | [9] |
The Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released in 2001. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year. It is the first album released outside of the NPG Music Club to be released under the name of Prince again, as he had reverted back to his previous stage name from his symbolic moniker a year earlier.
This concept album illustrates common Prince themes of spirituality and human sexuality, as well as love and racism, through the fictitious story of a social movement toward a Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired utopian society. The album seems to allude to his recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, but Egyptian monotheism and New Age concepts such as the Akashic records are used as metaphors as well. Jazzier than any of his previous efforts, fan reaction was divided when this album was released. Some fans saw the album as a musical and spiritual evolution for Prince.[10]
Musically, The Rainbow Children marked a shift towards a more "organic" sound for Prince. Unlike its predecessors, the album featured live drums, and made ample use of horns. Many songs were performed live during Prince's 2002 One Nite Alone...Tour, which became an instant success with fans and critics alike.
The Rainbow Children was released through the independent distributor, Redline Entertainment, and has sold 158,000 copies in U.S. stores as of summer 2007.[11]
The album also had a dedicated promotional website that offered the tracks "She Loves Me 4 Me" and "Mellow" as free MP3 downloads.
Track listing
- "Rainbow Children" – 10:03
- "Muse 2 the Pharaoh" – 4:21
- "Digital Garden" – 4:07
- "The Work, pt. 1" – 4:28
- "Everywhere" – 2:55
- "The Sensual Everafter" – 2:58
- "Mellow" – 4:24
- "1+1+1 is 3" – 5:17
- "Deconstruction" – 2:00
- "Wedding Feast" – 0:54
- "She Loves Me 4 Me" – 2:49
- "Family Name" – 8:17
- "The Everlasting Now" – 8:18
- "Last December" – 7:58
- Untitled hidden track - 0:04
- Untitled hidden track - 0:04
- Untitled hidden track - 0:04
- Untitled hidden track - 0:04
- Untitled hidden track - 0:04
- Untitled hidden track - 0:08
- Untitled hidden track - 0:38
- Tracks 15-21 are all hidden tracks and are all silent with the exception of track 21, which gradually fades in to the repetition of the word "one" being sung repeatedly.
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: The Rainbow Children > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Phipps, Keith (20 November 2001). "The Rainbow Children". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Billboard review[dead link]
- ^ Weingarten, Marc (23 November 2001). "The Rainbow Children (2001)". EW.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009.
- ^ Ross, Mike (17 November 2001). "The Rainbow Children". Jam!. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ a b "The Rainbow Children - Prince > Critic Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ "Prince Transcends His Own Genius on Rainbow Children". New York Press. Manhattan Media. 22 January 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Berger, Arion (2 January 2002). "Prince: The Rainbow Children". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (21 November 2001). "Prince: The Rainbow Children". Slant. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ "The Rainbow Children". Prince Vault. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Christman, Ed, "Retail Track: Purple Brain", Billboard, August 4, 2007