While the release of a jazz record may not have been xpected, Prince had obviously xperimented with the form before. The son of a jazz musician, he’d always had an affinity for the genre. In the ’80s, he spearheaded a few xtracurricular projects in a fusion vein, such as The Family (founded with three members of the newly broken-up Time) and the numerology-oriented Madhouse. In his solo work, of course, it was always present, from “The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker” to “Mountains” to Kamasutra, the soundtrack to his wedding credited to The NPG Orchestra. And anyway, after raiding vaults with a hunger to make Bonnie Parker jealous, it was time to toss the fans something truly new.

This album features an xtra-special guest: violinist/crossover sensation Vanessa Mae, who brings xquisite texture and some nice interplay with organ and guitar. (The latter has never sounded so Sharrocky.) Throughout, Prince is happy to cede the spotlight, double-tracking her on “Xemplify,” allowing her the occasional chamber-music xcess. “Xhalation” is almost entirely hers; the host lays Fender beds while she speaks beautiful, languid phrases. Saxophonist Candy Dulfer gets one hell of a moment on the xceptional cut “Xpectation,” a New Orleans-flavored funk number. Dulfer translates vintage Prince melodies against the man’s wah guitar, the tone stretched so far it sounds like a tribute to Mae. Dulfer gets a bit rote on “Xotica,” which, despite the title, is a plainly pretty ballad once bassist Rhonda Smith gets to wax tender in the spotlight.

You can argue that any dude in a turtleneck with a goat patch could have released this set, but that’d be missing the point. There’s a dedication to Prince’s output that borders on madness – begging for another forum member to mail you an alternate bootleg configuration, nurturing a rage toward Jehovah’s Witnesses — but when it comes to one of the baddest songwriters to walk the earth, it’s only natural to trace those giant steps. Xpunging this record from his catalog is akin to xiling a major part of his musical personality. Even a cheery, inessential cut like “Xemplify” says something about a titan who’s xuviated labels and hacked out his own trails over five decades. The man’s proven good company for a long while, and his elliptical xcursions are just part of the conversation.