Prints, Fred Frith's first vocal album since 1983'2 Cheap at Half the Price, compiles Frith's various vocal tracks from 1987 to 2001. To Fred fans this is great news as many of the tracks are obscure or impossible to find. While the album is framed as a song collection, it is also interspersed with six tracks from a WDR radio production by Alexander Schuhmather, which sought to explore the nature of improvisation by presenting Frith with a series of samples on which he spontaneously improvised. Some of these pieces are song-like, with lyrics derived from new stories of the days, one using the text of Bill Clinton interviewed about Monica Lewinsky, while others use vocal samples in (typically) unusual ways.

Longtime listeners will recognize a few of the tracks, particularly the opening "Trains & Boats & Planes" from the Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach Tzadik compilation where Frith, playing all instruments and singing, gives a sarcastic reading of the song using suspended rhythms in an increasingly disjointed feeling. Already known as well is "Life of a Detective" from Place of General Happiness, Lyrics by Ernest Noyes Brookings Volume II which carries a strong Skeleton Crew feeling in it's bitter take on Noyes' lyrics. Additionally recognizable is "The Ballad of Melody Nelson" from the Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg Tzadik compilation, and "True Love" from the Shimmydisc 20th Anniversary of the Summer of Love compilation.

Listening to this release repeatedly one is struck at the characteristic depth of compositional styles and approaches that Frith brings to his music. Strange sounds, unlikely twists and turns, and unusual vocals make Prints a dynamic and fascinating set of songs and song-like pieces.