The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale

Background and release

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was Prince's first release with Warner Bros. Records since his eighteenth studio album, Chaos and Disorder (1996). His previous three albums, Emancipation (1996), Crystal Ball (1998), and The Truth (1998), were all released independently by NPG Records.

Promotion

Unlike his previous studio albums, Prince did not embark on a concert series or tour and did very little to promote the album. The lack of a proper tour would continue until the release of his twenty-fifth studio album, One Nite Alone... (2002). Prince's next tour wouldn't be until late 2000, when he began the Hit n Run Tour.

Singles

"Extraordinary" was released as the album's only and lead single on August 10, 1999, two weeks before the album's scheduled release. The song was released as a CD single and sent to mainstream radio on the same day; the CD single included the album version of the single. The single, however, did not manage to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his sixth consecutive single to do so.

Three promotional singles were also released from The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale. The first promotional single, "The Rest of My Life", was released in Japan in 1999 as a promotional CD single, and included "Extraordinary" as the CD's second track. "5 Women" was the second promo single, also released as a CD single, but exclusively in Germany. The third and final promotional single, "It's About That Walk", was also released in Germany.

Critical reception

After its release, The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In a fairly positive review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "an unassuming, jazzy little record that's damn near irresistible." Erlewine suggested that the tracks were comparable to the material found on Graffiti Bridge (1990). Entertainment Weekly's Marc Weingarten appreciated the album, stating that it "sounds more committed than a lot of his indie releases"; however, Weingarten noted that Prince fans would enjoy the album more.

In a mixed review, Mark Zeltner of PopMatters enjoyed songs "Extraordinary" and "It's About That Walk", but criticized the record's "lack of a cohesive musical theme", also calling the track listing "a series of songs that were forgotten or discarded long ago by their creator." A reviewer from Mojo was more mixed with the album, calling it "pleasing though predictable". Keith Phipps, writing for The A.V. Club, was disappointed by the album, blaming Warner Bros. for the "none-too-generous selection of material". Similarly, a critic from NME found the songs to be "mediocre", also nothing that Warner Bros. takes "revenge on their erstwhile slave".

Commercial performance

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was moderately unsuccessful after its release, peaking at the lower positions of most record charts. In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at position eighty-five on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number forty-seven, becoming his highest charting album since Emancipation (1996). The album was somewhat successful in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number sixteen. Elsewhere, the album was unsuccessful. In France and Germany, it peaked at positions sixty-four and forty-four, respectively.

Track listing

All songs written and produced by Prince.