An Icon In The Credits

PRINCE’S CAREER HAD MILESTONES IN EVERY DIRECTION. He released a slew of world-altering singles, from the smoldering “Little Red Corvette” to the lighters-up title track to Purple Rain.

- Maura Johnston

His live performances were the stuff of legend, whether they were unbridled jam sessions that stretched into the wee hours or stripped-down showcases where he put the sturdy bones of his songwriting on display. He challenged assumptions about race and gender identity with matter-of-fact statements and knowing asides, as well as massive grooves. Through it all, he exhibited an innate confidence that helped him excel on the business side of making music.

That last part is key to Originals, a collection of tracks Prince wrote for other artists that’s been exhumed from the vault of recordings he kept at his home base, Paisley Park. That vault was drilled open shortly after Prince’s death in 2016; earlier this year the first album culled from its treasures, the live album Piano & a Microphone 1983, was released. It showcased Prince, already a star but on the cusp of ascending to full-on ’80s auteur status, accompanied only by a piano, playing sketches of songs that included the seeds of what would eventually become “Purple Rain.”