Prince

Prince's 1979 self-titled LP lays the framework for his uncompromising style of pop-R&B. Its opening salvo, “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” is an extended synth-funk jam, with falsetto-sung lyrics that are blatant in their sexuality while toying with gender fluidity. “When We’re Dancing Close and Slow” and “Still Waiting" are like seedlings for his later slow-jam perfection. And in its original form here, "I Feel for You” (which Chaka Khan would make a hit in 1984) has a subdued, on-the-corner groove that's deceptively big and live-sounding, considering Prince played and recorded all these instruments himself.