When Prince released The Rainbow Children back in 2001, it sounded like a breath of fresh air. Musically, it was a complete turnaround from the stale, bland sounding Rave Un2/In2 and lyrically, it had Prince fans dissecting the words to either prove that they were/weren't offensive according to which side of the fence you stood regarding TRC's implications. It was a joy to have that controversy and fascination as well as a new, fresh sound.
And it also started a new era in Prince's career which seemed to focus on natural, organic music rather than over-produced 'meant for the masses' fodder.

We ended up with;

The Rainbow Children
One Nite Alone
One Nite Alone Live
Xpectation & C-Note
NEWS

And it was NEWS that kind of put a full-stop on the end of that particular era in his career.

It was the absolute opposite of Purple Rain with regards to the 'product'. An album that boldly carried Prince's name, but contained easily his most challenging music to date. It didn't hide behind a pseudonym or an internet-only release; it was boldy standing on record shelves for people to pick up and be disappointed with, or discover as a stealthy, slow-burning work of brilliance under his own name.

A year later and Musicology is released! Prince creating an album for the masses. A collection of songs that are commercial, lively, singalongable, danceable and the nearest in years to the type of albums he was releasing in the 80s. For the casual record buyer who's last Prince purchase had been Batman or Diamonds & Pearls, Musicology seemed to be his 'comeback' album.

And then 3121 took it even further with Prince creating songs that sounded almost like a retrospective show-off gallery of what he could do. Minimal funk? Check out Black Sweat. Power Ballad á la The Beautiful Ones? Check out The Dance. The title track recalled his mid 90s output, Lolita conjured up the ghosts of the early 80s funk and Love was almost the perfect illustration of Prince + Synthesiser = Ecstasy.

Planet Earth then threw some guitar into the mix and also stuck the middle-finger up to the record industry in perhaps Prince's most effective FU to date.
Distributing your album for free through a national newspaper? Releasing an album to promote the concert and not the other way around?
It seemed like Prince really didn't care about selling Planet Earth anywhere at all. He wanted to get the music out there for sure, but only seemed to want to offer it to the masses in the UK in order to promote his concerts. For the first time in maybe any major artist's career, the album took second place.

So Prince has released his last three albums with other intentions.
Musicology was to bring himself back to the masses.
3121 was showing us what he could do.
Planet Earth showed the world that you don't have to release a record through a record company in order for people to hear it.

I feel that the last three albums were about Prince approaching 50 and wanting to have perhaps a final stab at showing off to the public his skills and his legacy in both recorded music and as a live act. The Musicology Tour and Earth Tour showed off his live talents and, considering the last three albums were intended for mass distribution, they're fine albums as they stand.

And now the 21 Nights project has come along and to me, it just feels like a holding operation. A way of giving people something to remind us that he's still around, but not giving any clues as to where he's going next. It's a look back at something that's past and that's something he doesn't normally do - he's always one for looking forward and for living in the present (or so he says).

NEWS ended his early 00s chapter with his most perverse release to date which took the 'Prince-Non Commercial' era to the extreme. I'm purely speculating, but I'd put money on 21 Nights being the end of this current chapter of albums, all three of which seemed to be about bringing his music to the masses once more as a deliberate act.

I think next year, we'll see Prince going in yet another direction. Hell, I'd even put money on it.

I agree that it feels like a "holding operation"

I have no expectations as to what's to follow.

we got the hype, the tour, the book & music (i got tshirts & incense) & yes, imo it marks the final curtain 4 the earth project.
BUT i'd put money on another album already waiting in the wings

Very interesting and excellent points you've made. It also seems to me that this era has been rather "crafty"...meaning he seemed to be having fun being involved with making things such as helping to organize a restaurant, creating a perfume and now a scrapbook/coffee table book. I agree with the book possibly marking the end of a musical chapter, and I'm greatly interested in what direction he'll take next!!!

Once a project has been completed and released...It is the end of that piece of work.
I don't know how to respond about Prince's decisions about releasing a new album every year, or a book project like, "Prince in Hawaii" or "21 Nights."
Prince as a poet and musician will never reach a capped off level, where inspiration says to him..."My work is done here." How Prince works with inspiration, and what he shares with the people is just continuing on this journey, walking beside a musician that we love.