Prince - Sign O' the Times

The best Prince album. Not by far; 1999 and Purple Rain both come pretty close, but Sign O' the Times brings together the definitive Prince moves and puts them into a double LP. Opening with the sparse, intensely-sung title track, it leaps from social commentary to joyful pop to religion, stories, love songs, sex songs, lusty club bangers and more over the course of its 16 songs. All of it is done with Prince's gift for effortless funk and pop music, which from here on out becomes significantly more erratic. Here, every song is a highlight, whether its the joyful burst of "Play in the Sunshine," the fluffy silliness of "Starfish and Coffee," the guitar explosion "The Cross," or the gender-bending "If I Was Your Girlfriend." Even the closing slow jam "Adore" is the best iteration of Prince's samey-sounding slow jams.