3121 Review

3121 (pronounced "thirty one, twenty one") is the title of Prince's latest album. The album, released March 21, 2006 in North America, is distributed through Universal Records.

The album's first single, "Te Amo Corazón", was released in America on December 13, 2005, and debuted at number twenty on the VH1 countdown; the second single, "Black Sweat", was released on February 2, 2006.

The album has the usual Prince feel, packed with punchy funk/rock hits including the Jimi Hendrix inspired "Fury", the club anthem "Black Sweat" and the upbeat psychedelic title track of "3121" which sees the return of Camille.

The title of the album was believed to be a reference to the address of Prince's rented Los Angeles mansion. A lawsuit filed against Prince by the landlord indicates an entirely different address. However, Prince has repeatedly referred to the property as "3121"; indeed, the album's liner notes indicate that it was "[r]ecorded at Paisley Park Studios and 3121."

The number also has relevance to the release dates of the album and debut single. "Te Amo Corazon" was released December 13, 2005 (or 12/13, which backwards is 3121). The album itself was released on March 21, 2006 (or 3/21, which is 3121 without the first 1). The second single from 3121 ("Black Sweat") runs for 3:12 minutes (which is 3121 without the last digit).

Ostensibly inspired by the 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Prince is including a limited number of "purple tickets" with the album. Anyone who finds a purple ticket in an album will supposedly be able to attend a private performance at Prince's house.

3121 debuted at number one on the U.S. album charts, becoming Prince's first number-one album since 1989's Batman.