Album of the Day

As skilled as Prince's was as a producer, he didn't need studio gimmickry to dazzle listeners, a fact made abundantly clear on PIANO & A MICROPHONE 1983. Released by the Prince Estate in partnership with Warner Bros. Records, the new 9-track collection features a previously unreleased cassette recording made at the performer's Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, MN, just before he achieved international stardom. The private rehearsal provides a rare, intimate glimpse into Prince's creative process as he worked through songs including “Purple Rain,” “Strange Relationship,” “International Lover” and a cover of Joni Mitchell's “A Case Of You.” Among the standouts on PIANO & A MICROPHONE 1983 is a rare recording of the 19th-century spiritual “Mary Don't You Weep,” which was recently used during the end credits of Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.