Here's what I posted on the Org to give u a better sense of what I'm talking about...It's not about Prince making a song as epic as say "Something In The Water" or as throat-grabbing as "When Doves Cry...' It's about dude finally being comfortable with being "Prince" again....

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My brief thoughts on AOA....

Having finally gotten a copy of it, this is indeed the best "Prince" album I've heard in more than 15 years.....

Why the quotes? Because for years, while the man has given us small doses of that weird, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and unpredictable "Prince," it's always taken a backseat to Prince going back to the musical roots of his youth (basically doing the same type of old school R&B/James Brown/70s R&B nods that Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen have done with old school folk and rock....)..."Musicology," which was a good track, represents where I'm getting at. And there was nothing wrong with that direction...It's quite natural, really...

What AOA displays is a man who seems to be in love again with being weirdo, left field-with-a-nod-to-the-mainstream Prince....

Again, there are some heads who may not like the fact that Prince is taking in some modern sounds and infusing it with his Prince-ness....But that's what makes AOA his most cohesive album in ages (as others have mentioned)...No, not every song hits the spot...At times "Gold Standard" seems to go on a little too long....And I have no idea why "Breakfast Can Wait" made this album. Again, it's "OK Prince"...but it seems out of place here and it's taking up space.....

But the standout moments soar....I've heard complaints about this album having too many mid tempo/slow cuts...I'm going to chalk this up to musical cultural differences given as how as a kid from the South Side of Chicago Prince "slow jams" were always a staple, if u catch my drift....

There are some songs on this album that take u back to a time when Prince was clever, weird, sexy AND cool...."Way Back Home" is DOPE...."What It Feels Like" is on repeat...And "AOA" is just a fun record....

If YOUR problem with this record is that it embraces too many "urban" trends, then that's on you....I haven't heard Prince this refreshed in ages...The very synthy, futuristic sound takes me to a 1999 vibe (again, someone else mentioned this)...This is not saying it's on the same level as 1999....But the feel of the album is in that vein....There is nothing on the level of say "Little Red Corvette"...But it doesn't have to be....What AOA does is presents Prince to a younger crowd while giving old heads a taste of why they fell in love with dude in the first place...

If you are a "Prince" fan u will dig this...If you want him to bring back his mid '80s Revolution era, genre-jumping, Wendy & Lisa era, this album may not be for u....

I for one like THIS Prince...He's having fun again....

GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....