Graffiti Bridge

Prince jumped into the '90s with <i>Graffiti Bridge</i>, an ambitious film/soundtrack project modelled after the multimedia triumph of <i>Purple Rain</i>. The bright, driving and gospel-inflected double LP pushed his ‘80s experimentation to new heights. Its guests alone show how far he’d come as a collaborator—he’s joined by Tevin Campbell (“Round and Round”), Mavis Staples (“Melody Cool”) and musicians who later coalesced as The New Power Generation (“Thieves in the Temple”). And while the film was a box office flop, the soundtrack is a commanding reminder of Prince’s powers of seduction—which have never seemed more coy, urgent or mystical than they do here.