From Metro Today a free daily in Toronto, rated * * * * 1/2 out of 5

"Well it's tricker to shake the legendary Prince status from a man that one might think:

It seems that Prince and his former alter ego The Artist have found a way to work together that won't commercially compromise his identity or the raunchy pop art the performer is known for. It all comes together on Prince's latest release, the Rainbow Children.

When Rainbow glides into the title track, its clear that this album will be layered with improvisational jazz beats in a way that only Prince could master.

While the artist still loves to work his voice into an effeminate high-pitched frenzy, Prince also embraces a fuller vocal range, allowing himself to slip down into deeper and bolder remains on this album.

It wouldn't be a true Prince effort if it didn't contain the artist's obsession with God and the Devil - and on rainbow, his spiritual quest is as potent as ever on Muse to the Pharaoh.

However, there is a sense that Prince has shed some of his abstract artist shtick with optimistic tracks Everywhere and 1+1+1 is 3, a track that rejuvenates the artist's Purple Rain vibes. It seems Princes darkest days have brightened.

Of course, the artist's mysterious passages slither in and out of this disc, like on the Sensual Everafter - an instrumental piece powerfully accelerated by Prince's sensual lead guitar riffs - and on deconstruction, where the dark beast returns in a hazy, unequivocally haunting mix.

Rainbow is soothingly soulful, experimental and electrically rich but what really sets this 14-track album apart from the purple god's past works is the erratic jazz and moody blues beats that place Rainbow into a world of its own."