In his time, Prince was an artist so prolific that it'd put even the hottest mixtape rappers to shame, having released 39 studio albums throughout his lengthy career. When Prince passed away back in April, 2016, there were rumors that he still had plenty of music remaining in the vault, and it was likely that we'd be hearing some of it.
Prince's estate has been making good on that promise, as they've announced a brand new Prince album, Piano & A Microphone 1983, in commemoration of what would have been his 60th birthday.
While there have been releases from Prince since his death, the greatest hits album 4Ever as well as a deluxe edition of Purple Rain, this project will be unlike the others and will contain never before heard recordings.
According to The Boombox, the new album will consist of recordings taken from the very beginning of Prince's career. The project will stand at nine tracks of material that would later be featured on other albums, "Purple Rain" for instance, but will be raw recordings of Prince creating classic tracks with his piano and his microphone.
"This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince's career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016," said Troy Carter, the Prince Estate's entertainment adviser. "The estate is excited to be able to give fans a glimpse of his evolution and show how his career ultimately came full circle with just him and his piano."
The album will also never before seen images of Prince, and liner notes written by Prince's engineer, Don Batts. Piano & A Microphone 1983 will be released September 21st.