Prince turns a brilliant sonic triple play: 3 albums in 1 day

Enlarge Prince's LOtusFLOW3R is one of three albums His Royal Badness is releasing today. The others are MPLSoUND and Elixer.

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY

Prince likes defying conventions, and this time he's doing it with a 3-D sonic assault. He strikes out in several creative directions on a trio of new albums — the rock-guitar-fueled LOtUSFLOW3R (* * * ½ out of four), electronic-infused MPLSoUND (* * *) and pop-flavored Elixer, featuring protégé Bria Valente (* *).

The albums are available today as free downloads to fans who pay the $77 annual membership fee for his new LotusFlow3r.com website, marking Prince's official return to cyberspace since shutting down his pioneering NPG Music Club in 2006. The three discs will be sold exclusively at Target starting Sunday in an $11.98 bundle.

This isn't the first time the major-label-averse artist has bypassed traditional retail. He gave away 2007's Planet Earth as an insert in the U.K. national newspaper The Mail. Ticket buyers for 2004's Musicology tour got copies of that album with their purchase.

The new records are a bargain both in terms of the nearly three hours of listening time and audio treasures. LOtUSFLOW3R is loaded with rip-roaring guitar riffs and booty-agitating grooves as he explores love, politics and love's politics. Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful is an orgiastic funk workout, while the hypnotic Colonized Mind and anthemic Dreamer share his worldviews.

MPLSoUND finds Prince revisiting the synth vibe of the '80s with his outsize ego intact on tracks like (There'll Never B) Another Like Me and Ol' Skool Company, which reunites some of his Minneapolis cohorts. The sly Valentina, bouncy Q-Tip-assisted Chocolate Box and wicked No More Candy 4 U also stand out.

Prince has toned down his music's Dirty Mind raunchiness since becoming a Jehovah's Witness in 2001. Still, the pop-lite Elixer, showcasing Valente's sensual yet indistinct vocals, could have really used a whiff of Prince's old Do Me Baby spice. Though there are a few tantalizing moments, the overall effect is more tepid than torrid — even with Prince producing and playing guitar.

Taken together, the three albums confirm that the eccentric genius still has his creative passion. And even if everything he tries doesn't hit a high note, it's still a pleasure to hear the Purple One work out.