To honor the one-year anniversary of his death, a surprise new Prince EP will premiere this Friday, available exclusively in the US.
The six-song collection, called Deliverance, includes "new, undiscovered studio recordings" cut between 2006 and 2008. Recording engineer Ian Boxill co-wrote all the songs with Prince, and ultimately finished the tracks after his death on April 21 last year.
"I believe Deliverance is a timely release with everything going on in the world today, and in light of the one-year anniversary of his passing," Boxill said in a press release. "I hope when people hear Prince singing these songs it will bring comfort to many."
In addition to the title track, Prince's new EP features a "four-movement melody," called "Man Opera," which includes the songs "I Am," "Touch Me," "Sunrise Sunset" and "No One Else." Deliverance closes with an extended version of "I Am."
"Prince once told me that he would go to bed every night thinking of ways to bypass major labels and get his music directly to the public," Boxill said. "When considering how to release this important work, we decided to go independent because that's what Prince would have wanted."
Prince's title track, "Deliverance," was released earlier today on Rogue Music Alliance (RMA), and offers a bluesy, gospel-leaning sound, complete with a bone-chilling choir and grizzly guitar solo--signature Prince. "Because time's so hard to deal with, now understand, your deliverance is at hand," Prince sings on the massive chorus. Listen to the first taste of Deliverance, below.
St. Paul's KSTP now reports that Paisley Park and Prince's estate are joining forces on a federal lawsuit against Boxill, which claims the five unpublished recordings amount to a value of greater than $75,000.
The lawsuit states Boxill "is now trying to exploit one or more songs for his personal gain at the expense of the Prince Estate," ultimately arguing the tracks he's threatening to release this Friday are rightfully theirs.
Boxill allegedly signed an agreement with Prince, saying he "would not use any recordings or property in any way whatsoever," and "he would return any such recordings or property to Prince immediately upon request."
The Deliverance co-producer reportedly refuses to return the masters or recordings, and will continue with previous plans to release Prince's surprise EP later this week.
Deliverance Tracklist
01. Deliverance
02. I Am
03. Touch Me
04. Sunrise Sunset
05. No One Else
06. I Am (Extended)
