Albums to watch

Welcome 2 America

Prince

Welcome 2 America

Latest posthumous album from the legendary artist who died in 2016 was recorded in 2010 with the New Power Generation features eleven originals

ADM rating[?]

7.1

Label
Sony Music
UK Release date
30/07/2021
US Release date
30/07/2021
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    If nothing else, this record is evidence that Prince’s one-of-a-kind genius never really dimmed, even if he sometimes lost sight of how to focus it, or — perhaps more importantly to the quick-take internet area that Prince detested so much — how to package it
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  2. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Prince’s stock as a recording artist was low in 2010, so it makes weird sense for this work to appear in 2021, getting the posthumous attention it deserves
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  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    There's strength in Welcome 2 America's commitment to the idea of the Classic Prince Album. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    It's a wonderful experience to hear 'new' Prince music that finds him in rare form once again — it just feels wrong knowing that he probably wouldn't want us to
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  5. 8.0 |   NME

    The first full album of unheard material from the late icon's legendary vault tackles race and injustice through joyful funk
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  6. 8.0 |   Albumism

    For whatever reason Prince decided to shelve it, the album is a satisfying and inspiring collection of songs that deserves its moment in the sun
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  7. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    With stronger songs and sharper messages than much of the music he released during his final years, the album should have come out when he was alive
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  8. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    There are better versions of most of the songs on Welcome 2 America in his catalog already, but if you’re salivating for new Prince music and are open to whatever his vault has to offer, you could do much worse than this
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  9. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    If you can put aside any queasy feelings about Prince’s estate being ravaged without his permission, this posthumous release is a fine reminder of just how good Prince could be
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  10. 7.0 |   Uncut

    A rather good LP of socially conscious R&B. Print edition only

  11. 6.8 |   Spectrum Culture

    Though weighed down by some of the lyrical and sonic preoccupations that hindered some of Prince’s later work, this archival release represents some of the stronger material of his final years
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  12. 6.2 |   Pitchfork

    Recorded in 2010, Prince’s first posthumous album of all unreleased material is a state-of-the-union concept record in which he bluntly broadcasts his opinions on taxes, technology, drugs, religion, and the music industry
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  13. 6.0 |   All Music

    Welcome 2 America is still a latter-day Prince album, so it's filled with vaguely baffling turns of phrase, slick jazz-funk, and covers of 21st century Soul Asylum songs. In other words, it's not a buried gem or a return to form but a snapshot of an excellent musician having a pretty good run in the studio
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  14. 6.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    It’s hard to shake the feeling that Welcome 2 America is anything other than a minor footnote attached to a far superior body of work
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  15. 6.0 |   The Independent

    The vault, it seems, really does contain diamonds and pearls
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  16. 6.0 |   The FT

    This unheard album was made in 2010, taken from the late singer’s vault of unreleased works
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