Prince's pop life, song by song, in chronological order.
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The Belle of St. Mark
While “Glamorous” sounded tailor-made for Sheila’s particular talents (even if it wasn’t), “Belle” is well-crafted but faceless, embodying the essentialist cynicism of the publishing imprint Prince used for his female side projects: “Girlsongs.”
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Sugar Walls
“Sugar Walls” isn’t just risqué for Sheena Easton; it’s risqué even for Prince, delving with near-gynecological intimacy into the mechanics of female arousal.
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Roundup: Ice Cream Castle, 1984
Can you believe that the last time we had a proper album roundup it was for 1999, way back in March of 2020? On second thought, don’t answer that. I know my snail’s pace as a writer is a recurring theme in these updates, and at this point, I’m not even apologizing for it; you
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Ice Cream Castles (Old and Ignant)
The Time (or at least two of them) temper their trademark funk into a more laid-back form.