Rolling Stone's review of Timeless, a new compilation of unreleased Prince outtakes, argues the album falls well short of the artist's legendary standards. Where Prince's official records thrived on musical restlessness, playfulness and dynamic sequencing, the reviewer finds Timeless flat and incoherent, describing it as feeling thrown together rather than curated to reveal meaningful alternate versions of his artistic development.

The tracklist spans four decades in chronological order, from a 1977 studio demo to a 2016 live recording, but the review says the songs never cohere into a satisfying whole. Highlights are limited to two throwaway rockers, "The Guilty Ones" (2007) and an early 1981 version of "Tick Tick Bang," while other tracks, including a live rendition of "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" and the 2003 rap cut "Calabama," are singled out as weak or poorly chosen. The reviewer concludes the compilation offers little evidence of why Prince was considered such a formidable pop artist.