Unreleased (1978)
On the face of it Donna is only a few vocal over-dubs removed from the kind of acoustic ditties that have wooed hearts and minds on beaches and in bedrooms since the first lovelorn teen picked up a guitar. A simple mix of vulnerability and showmanship. What sets it apart is hard to pinpoint but even in a blind taste test you would feel the touch of genius. The Prince ex machina. Light refracting through spider webs. It’s a demo lacking a studio-trickery exoskeleton and feeling more direct and intimate as a result, especially if your name is Donna.
