| 20Ten | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 10, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | Early–mid 2006; 2009–early 2010[1] | |||
| Studio | Paisley Park,Chanhassen, Minnesota, US | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:18 | |||
| Label | NPG | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
| ||||
20Ten is the 35thstudio album by American recording artistPrince. It was released on July 10, 2010, byNPG Records as a freecovermount with theDaily Mirror andDaily Record in the UK and Ireland,[2] andHet Nieuwsblad andDe Gentenaar in Belgium.[3] It was also released on July 22, 2010, withRolling Stone magazine in Germany,[4] andCourrier International in France.[5]
The album was produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince atPaisley Park Studios inChanhassen, Minnesota.[6][7] It is his thirty-third studio album released in the UK.[8]20Ten contains musical elements offunk,pop,rock, andsoul music.[9] Some titles of the tracks from the album were revealed as clues in Prince's song "Cause and Effect" which was released to radio earlier in 2010.[10]
Prince revealed the name of the album when receiving alifetime achievement award at the 2010BET Awards in June 2010.[7] He stated to theDaily Mirror that he chose the title because, "I just think it's a year that really matters. These are very trying times."[11] He considered the album a personal diary of the year.[12]
Over 2.5 million copies were distributed byTrinity Mirror, the publisher of theDaily Mirror andDaily Record. Prince was featured in the publications, to which he granted his first interview in a British newspaper in over 10 years.[2] The issue of theMirror cost 65 pence; the album was not available as adigital download or in retail stores.[13] Prince stated to theMirror that this method of releasing the album was "the best way to go... no charts, no internet piracy and no stress,"[14] although the album is easily available for illegal download viapeer-to-peer networks.[15] The publisher released that sales of theDaily Mirror increased by 334,000, and sales ofThe Daily Record increased by 45,000 copies on the day it included the album.[16]
Prince released his albumPlanet Earth in July 2007 under a similar arrangement with the British newspaperThe Mail on Sunday. No plans for a U.S. release have even been announced.[7]
On October 8, 2010, Prince told French radio stationEurope 1 that he was reportedly planning on releasing an updated edition of the album called20Ten Deluxe.[17]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [18] |
| MusicOMH | [19] |
| NME | 4/10[20] |
20Ten received mixed reviews from most music critics. ColumnistTony Parsons reviewed the album for theDaily Mirror, the newspaper marketing the album.[21] He wrote that it was "as good as [Prince's] all-time classics likePurple Rain and1999 " and that it's "his best record sinceSign o' the Times 23 years ago."[22] Joachim Hentschel, writing for the German edition ofRolling Stone, viewed the album as Prince's best effort since 1992's theLove Symbol Album.[23] Jason Draper ofNME gave20Ten a 4/10 rating, stating that while it "has its moments", the album was "no way" his best in 23 years, but likely his best in four years.[20]MusicOMH writer Luke Winkie gave it 2 out of 5 stars and described it as "one of the slightest albums the man has ever recorded; fluffy, anti-climatic, and utterly boring".[19]Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllmusic gave the album 2½ out of 5 stars and wrote that its songs feature "enough of a shape to be attractive from a distance, not enough to withstand closer scrutiny... hooks don’t sink in, funk jams are stuck in low gear, sensuality only simmers, the rhythms are somewhat stiff, and Prince’s deliberate mining of the past only highlights how he’s stripped the freakiness out of his entire persona".[18]
All tracks are written byPrince[6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Compassion" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Beginning Endlessly" | 5:27 |
| 3. | "Future Soul Song" | 5:08 |
| 4. | "Sticky Like Glue" | 4:46 |
| 5. | "Act of God" | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Lavaux" | 3:03 |
| 7. | "Walk in Sand" | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Sea of Everything" | 3:49 |
| 9. | "Everybody Loves Me" | 4:08 |
| 77. | "Laydown" (hidden track) | 3:07 |
Notes:
| Country | Date | Format | Publication | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | July 10, 2010[24] | CDcovermount | Daily Mirror | NPG |
| Scotland | Daily Record | |||
| Belgium | Het Nieuwsblad | |||
| France[25] | July 22, 2010 | Courrier International | ||
| Germany[26] | Rolling Stone |
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