Prince’s reputation as a legendary pop artist rests on more than his theatrical persona and spectacular live performances. His musical innovation and creative playfulness consistently produced albums that demanded listener attention, as he continuously reimagined and challenged existing musical conventions. The artist’s albums functioned as cohesive experiences, with individual tracks complementing one another through carefully constructed arrangements that maintained momentum and vitality throughout.
The recently released collection “Timeless” fails to capture any of that distinctive energy. Comprised of unreleased material spanning from 1977 to 2016 and arranged chronologically, the album feels hastily assembled and lacks any discernible vision or purpose. The compilation suffers from a pervasive flatness that undermines even its strongest moments, offering listeners little reason to understand why these particular recordings were selected for release.
Among the collection’s standout tracks are two rock-oriented selections: a 2007 guitar-driven piece titled “The Guilty Ones” and an early 1980s rendition of “Tick Tick Bang” that predates its later synth-enhanced version. However, even these superior moments require active listener engagement to register, as much of the album’s content seems to dissolve upon casual listening. The inclusion of a live performance from Prince’s final tour appears disconnected from the surrounding material rather than contributing to a larger artistic statement.
Rather than illuminating Prince’s artistic evolution or presenting intriguing alternative directions his work might have taken, “Timeless” struggles to justify its own existence. The collection would fail to convince any skeptic of Prince’s legendary status.
Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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