N.E.W.S. is the twenty-seventh studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

, containing four tracks of 14 minutes duration each. Recorded at Prince's Paisley Park Studios over a single day, the album was initially available through Prince's NPG Music Club

NPG Music Club

NPG Music Club was an official website of Prince. Prince won a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the site in 2006. The site was launched at Studio 54 nightclub.Membership was either $7.77 for Basic Monthly access or $100 for a premium annual membership...

 website

Website

A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

 on May 26, 2003 before becoming widely commercially available on July 22. The album can be seen as a modern incarnation of Madhouse

Madhouse (band)

Madhouse is a jazz-fusion band from Minneapolis that was created by Prince. Two Madhouse albums were officially released in 1987.-History:...

, but this time as a Prince release. Original Madhouse member Eric Leeds

Eric Leeds

Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...

 lends his talents, as well as The New Power Generation members John Blackwell

John Blackwell

John Blackwell may refer to:* John Blackwell , Welsh poet* John Blackwell , drummer in the New Power Generation* John Blackwell , deputy governor of Colonial Pennsylvania...

, Rhonda Smith and Renato Neto. The album is reportedly the lowest-selling Prince album released to date, with just 30,000 copies sold, but it did become a top ten hit on the Billboard Internet sales chart, and garnered a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance".

Band members

• Prince
  Prince (musician)
  Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
  
   – electric guitar, Fender Rhodes, digital keyboards and percussion
• Eric Leeds
  Eric Leeds
  Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...
  
   – tenor and baritone saxophone
• John Blackwell
  John Blackwell (musician)
  John Blackwell is a contemporary R&B, funk, jazz, fusion, and pop drummer, best known for his work with Prince.-Career:...
  
   – drums
• Renato Neto – piano and synthesizers
• Rhonda Smith – electric and acoustic bass