Lovesexy
Released
In ’88, Prince’s naked cover pose on Lovesexy made it controversial. Since then, many fans have marked Lovesexy as the last Prince album in the lineage of his 1980s genius streak, which is its own controversy. “Alphabet St.” features a funky guitar jangle (an answer to George Michael’s “Faith”?) and rapping by backup dancer Cat Glover, Prince’s first real wrangling with hip-hop. The heart of the album lies in its spiritual center (“Anna Stesia,” “I Wish U Heaven”), which is the main reason why he recorded and released Lovesexy instead of the down-and-dirty Black Album it replaced.