N·E·W·S_(Prince_album)
N·E·W·S (Prince album)
2003 studio album by Prince
N·E·W·S is the twenty-seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on June 30, 2003, by NPG Records. The album is the second instrumental album released under Prince's own name, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each.[1] Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club website on June 30, 2003, before becoming widely commercially available on July 29. The album can be seen as a modern incarnation of Madhouse, but this time as a Prince release. Original Madhouse member Eric Leeds lends his talents, as well as The New Power Generation members John Blackwell, Rhonda Smith and Renato Neto.[2] The album was recorded improvisationally.[3]
The album is the lowest-selling Prince album released to date,[2] with just 30,000 copies sold,[4] but it did become a top-ten hit on the Billboard Internet sales chart, and garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.[5] The album artwork folded out into a ninja star. Produced by Prince, the album is credited as "Directed By Prince".
The track "West" was included on the 2018 compilation Anthology: 1995–2010.[6]