Prince

Sometimes looking back is the best way to jump forward. "Kick the old-school joint," Prince tells himself in the one-man-band title track of this return to royal form, a fresh, focused hybrid of Dirty Mind's hard-rubber bounce and the encyclopedic moods of Sign 'o' the Times. When he goes into the classic slow grind of "Call My Name," you feel purple all over -- again.

Next: R.E.M.

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