| Xpectation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | Early 2001[1] | |||
| Studio | Paisley Park, Chanhassen, Minnesota | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:53 | |||
| Label | NPG | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [3] |
Xpectation (subtitled "New Directions in Music By Prince") is the twenty-sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on January 1, 2003, by NPG Records. It is the first instrumental album released under Prince's own name.[4] Previously unannounced, it was released as an MP3 download on New Year's Day, 2003 to members of the NPG Music Club with no formal artwork, only two weeks after the commercial release of his previous album, One Nite Alone... Live!.[5]
In 2004, Xpectation was released through the NPG Music Club's Musicology Download Store.[6] The artwork by Sam Jennings[7] was officially released in September 2015, when a digital lossless version was made available through music streaming service Tidal.[5]
- ^ Walmsley, Craig (November 24, 2015). "The Top 10 Prince Albums You've Never Heard Of". Medium.com.
- ^ Shoup, Brad (June 25, 2014). "Prince albums from Worst To Best: 8: XPectation (2003)". Stereogum.
- ^ "Prince: every album rated – and ranked". The Guardian. April 22, 2016. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022.
- ^ Giles, Jeff (January 8, 2018). "Prince Goes Instrumental with 'Xpectation': 365 Prince Songs in a Year". Diffuser.FM.
- ^ a b "Prince Discography Annotated: Xpectation". PrinceEstate.com.
- ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (April 27, 2016). "6 Great and Totally Underrated Prince Albums". Inverse.com.
- ^ "Xpectation Artwork". Samjennings.com.