The Rocker Formerly Known as Prince Returns with New Single (Video)

10:15 AM PST 1/23/2013 by Seth Abramovitch

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Backed by an all-female trio, "Screwdriver" harkens back to the artist's grittier '80s sound.

If you're a diehard Prince fan who longs for the foot-stomping grooves of decades past -- classic jams like "I Would Die 4 U," "Raspberry Beret," and "U Got the Look" -- then the prolific Purple One's latest incarnation might be just what Dr. Everything ordered.

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Released on Tuesday, "Screwdriver" is a guitar-and-kick-drum propelled old-school Prince rocker. Next to the endless, brass-heavy jams of the artist's New Power Generation-backed material, the economical and undeniably catchy "Screwdriver" is a breath of fresh air.

Credit is owed to guitarist Donna Grantis, drummer Hannah Ford, and bassist Ida Nielsen -- the three women who make up Prince's new band lineup after two decades backed by solely NPG. The trio debuted last week at Minneapolis' Dakota Jazz Club, The Current reports, where the still unnamed collaboration -- there's rumors they are the 3rd Eye Girl that has surfaced on Twitter -- brought out Prince's lighter side.

The 2013 Billboard Music Awards will honor Prince during a live ABC broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 19.