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Yes, Prince was one of the biggest stars in popular music back in popular music back in 1984. With the project, "Purple Rain", both the film and classic soundtrack, he was able to go completely mainstream. Everything about the project was phenomenal: the fashion, the sound, the style, and most importantly, the music. But, the following year, Prince just had to push the envelope. The album, "Purple Rain" was still on the charts, selling millions of copies; but everyone wanted a sequel. Everyone who enjoyed "Purple Rain" and were expecting a sequel got "Around The World in a Day". When I first listened to this album, I asked myself if Prince had a bad acid trip. The trippy album art was equivalent to The Beatles' 1967 recording, "Sgt. Pepper's", the production was more glossy, and his sound was just completely different. It just wasn't raw and edgy anymore. The title track, "Around The World in a Day" is a middle-eastern like song with him doing a quirky meditation. "Paisley Park", which is named after his recording studio, is a psychedelic-utopian track with Prince doing a lot of strange, yet emotional imagery. "Condition Of The Heart" is probably one of Prince's best ballads. The song starts with a brief, symphonic sound bite and then it goes into an infectious piano line, with him singing some touching lyrics about a girl that is in love. "Rasberry Beret" is one of those songs everyone should at least recognize on this album. It's one of those commercial-sounding campfire songs with everything you would love in a pop song, and the special part about it is that he mixes some Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds influences with his sound and creates a brilliant piece of art. He also sings some funny, yet weird imagery in the song. It's just the climax of the album. "Tambourine" is a drum-inspired, funk jam. "America" is a quirky political cut with him talking about America's negative issues. The song sounds a lot like a James Brown tune, with its pounding drum machine patterns and wailing guitars sounds. "Pop Life" is another political cut, but this one is a little more introspective. To me, it's a song about how negative poverty really is, as he covers and talks about everything from drugs to fashion. "The Ladder" sounds like a gospel tune with Prince talking about how to reach heaven. Wendy and Lisa shares most of the vocals with Prince, over a lighthearted beat. The last track, "Temptation" is probably the strangest song on the album. He has a steaming, hot conversation with God, that just makes this whole cut notorious. Overall, the album, Around The World in a Day" was an experiment. With this album, he took the riskest challenge in mixing his sound to the 1960's pyschedelia sound. No one in the 1980's had ever heard an album so creative and unique, that just showed an influential artist doing something different. It was a backlash to many fans who loved the stunning "Purple Rain" album, but it was a tremendous effort. It is definitely worth a listen (especially if you have a good pair of quality headphones). B+

Good review...