Xpectation is the twenty-sixth studio album by Prince, only available for download on his website, NPG Music Club. The album was made available for MP3 download on January 1, 2003 and all the songs are instrumentals. The album was originally intended to be called Xenophobia, and NPG Music Club had previously advertised the album as one of the "4 CDs" club members would receive in the mail during 2002 for their paid $100 subscription fee. However, after mailing the first of the promised discs in March/April 2002 (the One Nite Alone... piano set), the club decided that they would technically fulfill the club's promise by giving paying club members the One Nite Alone... Live! 3-CD set, which was simultaneously released to retail. The original title track for the instrumental album ("Xenophobia") was never released in a studio version, but a live rendition is one of the highlights of One Nite Alone... Live!. The downloadable album was renamed Xpectation after one of the other tracks. All nine of the tracks start with "X", using Prince's trademark of abbreviating song titles and lyrics with letters, numbers or symbols. The album is one of Prince's most sophisticated jazz compositions, far outstripping the musical depth of the various incarnations of the Madhouse project. This is largely because the album was mostly composed in conjunction with one of his best band configurations - the core of the "One Night Alone" group, including Candy Dulfer (sax), John Blackwell (drums) and Rhonda Smith (bass). The band is also joined by classical violinist Vanessa-Mae. Xpectation is the twenty-sixth studio album by Prince, only available for download on his website, NPG Music Club. The album was made available for MP3 download on January 1, 2003 and all the songs are instrumentals. The album was originally intended to be called Xenophobia, and NPG Music Club had previously advertised the album as one of the "4 CDs" club members would receive in the mail during 2002 for their paid $100 subscription fee. However, after mailing the first of the promised discs in March/April 2002 (the One Nite Alone... piano set), the club decided that they would technically fulfill the club's promise by giving paying club members the One Nite Alone... Live! 3-CD set, which was simultaneously released to retail. The original title track for the instrumental album ("Xenophobia") was never released in a studio version, but a live rendition is one of the highlights of One Nite Alone... Live!. The downloadable album was renamed Xpectation after one of the other tracks. All nine of the tracks start with "X", using Prince's trademark of abbreviating song titles and lyrics with letters, numbers or symbols. The album is one of Prince's most sophisticated jazz compositions, far outstripping the musical depth of the various incarnations of the Madhouse project. This is largely because the album was mostly composed in conjunction with one of his best band configurations - the core of the "One Night Alone" group, including Candy Dulfer (sax), John Blackwell (drums) and Rhonda Smith (bass). The band is also joined by classical violinist Vanessa-Mae. false 2026-01-10 01:38:19 2003 2003-01-01 2003-01-01 41 Contemporary Jazz Cool Jazz Funk Jazz Jazz Fusion Jazz-Funk Rock Soul Jazz 111308 2110710 81ab98f7-6b99-43a0-9113-c5f22cc06284 070d193a-845c-479f-980e-bef15710653e 9866e4ea-e135-35a8-8062-b533f1ba63b1 /media/data/media5/Music/Prince/Xpectation/folder.jpg Prince Prince 1 1 02:03 1 2 03:33 1 3 05:53 1 4 04:01 1 5 03:05 1 6 04:12 1 7 06:10 1 8 03:34 1 9 08:23 Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, he was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona and wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, and hip hop. He often played most or all instruments on his recordings.Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at age nineteen, releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the innovative albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his backup band the Revolution, and was the soundtrack to his film acting debut of the same name. Purple Rain continued critical success for Prince and was a major commercial success, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200. Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as his magnum opus. In the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. in 1993, he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol (known to fans as the "Love Symbol"), and was often referred to as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or TAFKAP) and simply the Artist.The Artist signed with Arista Records in 1998 and began referring to himself by Prince again in 2000. He achieved six US top ten albums over the following decade. In April 2016, aged 57, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Prince had a prolific output, releasing 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased projects left in a vault at his home after his death, including completed albums and over 50 music videos. He released songs under multiple pseudonyms during his life, as well as writing songs that were made popular by other musicians, such as "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Manic Monday". Estimates of the complete number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim. Prince sold over 150 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. His awards included the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.