HOT FLASH: The Purple One is back....

HOT FLASH: The Purple One is back. The new Prince release, due out March 23 on Paisley Park Records, will be a double-album set, titled “Sign of the Times.” The first single is the title cut, which will be in the stores later this month. The package features 16 songs, including “If I Were Your Girlfriend,” “Strange Relationships,” “Adore,” “The Cross” and “Starfish and Coffee.” Insiders who have heard excerpts from the records say they feature a wide variety of musical styles, though predominately the signature-funk music Prince made popular several years ago. With the Revolution disbanded, Prince has returned to playing virtually all the music on the albums, except for horn charts and some timbales work by Sheila E. All of the songs are Prince originals, though at least one song is apparently a recent live recording. It is also expected that Prince will follow the two-record set with a concert tour later this summer.