20ten (2010)
From the crowded composition of Eye No we now turn to the opposite end of the scale. Sticky Like Glue is a slinky funk mover, low on ornamentation and high on economy. Like a cartoonist, Prince sketches with the minimum amount of strokes. The Linn drum pops like space dust while strands of guitar are teased in with surgical precision. The vocals – especially the rap – are befitting of a late-career freebie given away with a tabloid paper, but the lithe funk underneath could hold court on any of his early-80s classic albums. There’s a platinum instrumental inside Sticky Like Glue that is crying out to be let free.
