This week, remembering Prince and rediscovering Little Steven.    Little Steven Will Release First Solo Album in Almost Two Decades It’s really no surprise that Stevie Van Zandt hasn’t had time to release a solo album since 1999. The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist, singer, and songwriter has been a fixture in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and occasionally with the closely related band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. He’s been hosting his own radio show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage, since 2002; and of course there was the small matter of The Sopranos (1999-2008), where he played Tony Soprano’s consigliere, Silvio. But on May 19 he will release Soulfire, a solo record in name only. The album has the big, horn-heavy, power-chord sound of many of the groups Van Zandt has played with, or played on his show. A good example is the title track, just released. “Soulfire” was co-written by Van Zandt and Anders Bruus of The Breakers, a Danish garage rock band that Little Steven played on his radio show and then signed to his Wicked Cool record label.  The King Of Afrobeat Pays Tribute To A Jazz Messenger Tony Allen, the legendary Nigerian drummer who propelled Fela Kuti's musical excursions in the 70s and 80s, is about to release an EP called "A Tribute To Art Blakey." Blakey led the Jazz Messengers, the group that launched the careers of Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, and literally dozens of other jazz greats, and what makes this EP so cool is that Tony Allen is not trying to drum like Art Blakey; instead, he is bending some of the band's best-known and most elastic tunes to meet his own style. Listen to "Moanin'," which was such a big hit for Blakey back in 1958 that his album was hurriedly re-named for it. (It is not the Charles Mingus tune of that name, just to be clear.) Here, Tony Allen and his 7-piece band ride that groove as if the song were brand new. Purple Cheese: Morris Day Remembers Prince Friday was the first anniversary of the death of Prince, and while you can be sad about his passing, or bemused by the trainwreck of an estate he left behind, and the legal wrangling over whether we can or cannot hear some of his unreleased music, it’s probably more productive and more in keeping with Prince’s spirit to listen to some music released to mark the anniversary.  First up, we have his longtime friend and collaborator Morris Day, leader of The Time, and the man who plays Prince’s rival in the films Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge. His song “Over That Rainbow” was released on Friday, and featured shots of Prince-related images (rain, purple things, etc.) while Day emotes over a mashup of themes taken from the album Purple Rain. Is it cheesy? C’mon, this is Morris “Jerome, bring me my mirror!” Day. Of course it’s cheesy. But it also feels genuine.  Less Cheese, More Dirt: Low Cut Connie’s Tribute to Prince Philadelphia’s garage-iest garage rock band, Low Cut Connie, also marked the anniversary of Prince’s death on Friday by releasing their cover of the early Prince song “Controversy.” In place of the elegant funk/R&B of the original, you get a straightahead rocker. As with the Tony Allen record above, the cover works because the band makes the song its own – trying to “do Prince” would be an ill-advised decision, especially for a band that made its reputation playing gritty, Springsteen-centric, Obama-pleasing rock’n’roll.  Nationalism and The Refugee Crisis Color Nadine Shah’s New Song Nadine Shah is English. Born and raised. But her father’s family is Pakistani, and she has had firsthand experience of being treated like an immigrant in her own country. Shah’s music usually has a sharp edge to it anyway – her last album, Fast Food, is full of post-punk dissections of various personal relationships.  But now Shah is aiming at bigger issues. Her forthcoming album, Holiday Destination, gets its title from interviews done with vacationers on the Greek islands in 2014 when refugees began streaming ashore there. “They’re ruining our vacation,” was a common complaint – one that could be charitably called tone-deaf. But charity has never been Nadine Shah’s strong suit. Her single, “Out The Way,” is a ferocious examination of identity and nationalism, and sports a keening sax solo from Pete Wareham for good measure. Perfume Genius Drops New Single In Midst of Twitter Q&A Singer/songwriter Mike Hadreas records under the name Perfume Genius; he’ll be releasing his latest album, No Shape, on May 5. Last week, in the midst of a Q&A on Twitter, he revealed a new single called “Go Ahead.” It’s glitchy and quirky, with what sounds like several layers of programmed percussion that sketch a beat rather than hammering it home. This is set in counterpoint to Hadreas’s smooth R&B-inflected vocals and finally, a slow, flowing synthesizer line. It’s inventive and a little disquieting, and a very promising look ahead at the new record.