chief music critic, called the album "a sprawling, wildly diffuse statement on love, sin, sex and salvation that ranks with his best work", as well as "perhaps his most complex and, dare we say, mature exploration" of those themes. In The New York Times, Jon Pareles believed Graffiti Bridge would perhaps give Prince a success on both commercial and artistic terms, although he lamented some of the lyrics: "Verbally, he's no deep thinker; when he's not singing about sex, his messages tend to be benevolent and banal." Robert Christgau was less impressed in his consumer guide for The Village Voice. He applauded the guest artists, particularly the Time, and some of Prince's own half of songs, but said most of them were "overly subtle if not rehashed or just weak: title track, generational anthem, and lead single all reprise familiar themes, and the ballads fall short of the exquisite vocalese that can make his slow ones sing." At the end of 1990, Graffiti Bridge was voted the tenth best album of the year in the Pazz & Jop, a nationwide poll of American critics, published by The Village Voice. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Graffiti Bridge an "often very good" album whose best songs were those performed by Prince, with the exception of the Time's "Release It" and Tevin Campbell's "Round and Round". Michaelangelo Matos was more critical in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), finding the record "interesting primarily for its guest stars" and "for the fact that it now sounds as dated as the new jack swing it apes". Track listing All songs written by Prince, except track 3, co-written with Levi Seacer, Jr., track 7, co-written with George Clinton, and track 9, co-written with Levi Seacer, Jr. and Morris Day. Personnel Prince – lead and backing vocals and various instruments Morris Day – drums (2, 17), lead vocals (3, 11), co-lead vocals (9, 13) Joseph "Amp" Fiddler – additional keyboards and backing vocals (7) Boni Boyer – organ and background vocals (16) Levi Seacer, Jr. – bass and backing vocals (16) Sheila E. – drums and background vocals (16) Candy Dulfer – saxophone (3, 9, 13) Eric Leeds – saxophone (7) Atlanta Bliss – trumpet (7) Tevin Campbell – lead vocals (6), backing vocals (16, 17) George Clinton – co-lead vocals (7) Elisa Fiorillo – co-lead vocals (9) (credited as Elisa) Mavis