Prince’s Welcome 2 America Album to Release on July 30th

The first major album from the vaults late musical superstar Prince is scheduled to be released on July 30th. The album is called Welcome 2 America. This was aan album originally was recorded in 2010, but never commercially released. Welcome 2 America is scheduled to be released on July 30th, but the title track is now available via digital streaming services. The album is available through order at the official Prince Store.

The project is being done in conjunction with the Prince State and Legacy Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. A press release describes the album as “a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division”

Welcome 2 America features some of Prince’s only studio collaborations with the bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and engineer Jason Agel, with additional contributions from New Power Generation singers Shelby J, Liv Warfield, and Elisa Fiorillo and keyboardist Morris Hayes, who Prince also recruited to co-produce the album.

The album includes 12 tracks and in additional to being available on digital streaming services, will also available on CD and LP formats.. There will also be a Deluxe Edition of Welcome 2 America that includes the CD, black vinyl versions, access to a hi-res digital download, and a blu-ray that also includes a never-before-released full concert video of Prince’s April 28, 2011 show at The Forum in Los Angeles. This was a part of the a Tour with the same name that took place following recording of the unreleased album. All of the vinyl editions will have music on three sides with a collectible etching on the fourth side. In addition, there will be two special color variant vinyl editions of the album with gold vinyl available exclusively from the official Prince store and clear vinyl from Target.

The Deluxe Edition of Welcome 2 America is presented in a luxe gold-foil package designed by GRAMMY-nominated artist Mathieu Bitton and GRAMMY-nominated creative director and Prince associate Trevor Guy, complete with a 12”x12” 32-page companion book and embossed vellum envelope containing exclusive Welcome 2 America era ephemera (photographic art print, 23”x36” poster, replica setlist, ticket, VIP invitation and backstage passes).

There will also be a companion collector single, fans have the opportunity to pre-order a numbered limited-edition gold-colored 7” vinyl exclusively from the official Prince Store. The 7” includes the studio version of “Welcome 2 America,” accompanied by a previously unreleased live version of the song recorded on May 14, 2011 at The Forum. The live version of “Welcome 2 America” is performed in a medley with the Prince composition “Dreamer,” first released on 2009’s Lotusflow3r, and demonstrates how the new material was an extension of his lifelong commitment to social justice.

The release of Welcome 2 America is said to build on a partnership between The Prince Estate and Sony Music Entertainment that started in August of 2018. At that time, Sony began globally distributing the works of Prince released from 1995-2010, broadening its scope in January 2021 when the deal was expanded to include U.S. distribution on twelve non-soundtrack catalog albums featuring iconic music recorded by the Artist between 1978-1996.

Below are the tracks for the Welcome 2 America and the concert included in the Deluxe set.

Prince – Welcome 2 America 

1. Welcome 2 America
2. Running Game (Son of a Slave Master)
3. Born 2 Die
4. 1000 Light Years From Here
5. Hot Summer
6. Stand Up and B Strong *
7. Check The Record
8. Same Page, Different Book
9. When She Comes
10. 1010 (Rin Tin Tin)
11. Yes
12. One Day We Will All B Free

* Soul Asylum cover

Deluxe Edition Live Concert

1. Joy In RepetitionJoy in Repetition
2. Brown Skin (India.Arie cover)
3. 17 Days
4. Shhh
5. Controversy
6. Theme From “Which Way Is Up” (Stargard cover)
7. What Have You Done For Me Lately (Janet Jackson cover)
8. Partyman
9. Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan cover)
10. Misty Blue (Eddy Arnold cover)
11. Let’s Go Crazy
12. Delirious
13. 1999
14. Little Red Corvette
15. Purple Rain
16. The Bird (The Time cover – Prince composition)
17. Jungle Love (The Time cover – Prince composition)
18. A Love Bizarre (Sheila E. cover – Prince composition)
19. Kiss
20. Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry cover)
21. Inglewood Swinging (cover of Kool & the Gang’s “Hollywood Swinging”)
22. Fantastic Voyage (Lakeside cover)
23. More Than This (Roxy Music cover)

The full lyrics and messaging to the title track can be found here here. The track can be found below: