bluegangsta said:

Actually, I've arrived at the opinion that its worst than I first though, especially after evaluating the quality albums that older/ long-time artists have put out this year (Janet Jackson, Keith Richards, Marilyn Manson), I find the lack of substance and musicianship on the album rather upsetting.

I'm not someone who thinks tthat Prince fell off as badly as its often exaggerated (those 90's contract albums were good, damn it!), but listening to how on fire Prince is on recent bootleg recordings, that spark is no where to be found on the album. That's not to say there aren't any redeeming qualities, but its still a big dissapointment.

I see what you are saying. On a road trip I playing HIt n Run in its entirety and then Dangelo's Black Messiah in its entirety. I was irritated at how the influential guru legend sounded like the young follower who was chasing trends to get on the radio compared to a younger artist who came up listening to him.

I put Black Messiah on in the background at work all the time.. no one can understand a thing he sings. It is pleasant background music.

JKOOLMUSIC said:

Nah I work in an office with a bunch of cream puff heads that wouldn't know D'Angelo from Sammy Davis jr. But they hate it when they can hear the words so this record works out great.

JKOOLMUSIC said:

Thanks for this review. I pretty much feel the same. And I've been listening to it from start to end at least once a day. Still loving it.

Bluu said:

Not me. I very much liked this album right out the gate. First time listening through the album every song connected with me. That hasn't happened for me since the '80s. And even back then, most of Prince's albums had one or two songs that needed a few listens before they connected with me. But all eleven songs on HnR I enjoyed the first time I heard them. I always enjoyed him doing electronic music ("Loose!" is a majore favorite) back when he was championing the Minneapolis Sound. But the magic was never in that particular style; the magic was always in PRINCE.

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What surprised me a bit is this: a) the album is short at 37(?) minutes and 11 songs, and the individual songs are all just a few minutes long each, with the longest being 4 min. 28 seconds ("1000 X'S & 0's"). It also struck me as being one of the more (most?) cohesive sounding albums of his career outside of perhaps One Night Alone, For You, and Prince. I always enjoy the diversity of musical styles that usually color his albums--HnR has its share as well--but there is a notable change of tack here in terms of how he structured HnR. It has a logical and effective flow that I think, among other things, may make HnR easier for music listeners (fans & non-fans alike) to understand, and therefore appreciate. For all these reasons (plus the great music) I think HnR may have more commercial potential than any album he's put out in the past 20 years. (Sorry this is kind of turning into a general review when I'm supposed to be responding to the O.P.)

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HnR is still makin' me move nearing four weeks out. I listen to it at home, at work, in the car, doing the laundry. Killer synths and beats (I all but lose my sh*t when "X'S FACE" comes on, or "AIN'T ABOUT TO STOP" starts throbbing in that stunning intro). Banging dance grooves. It's got that one chocolate ballad and then there is "JUNE" that makes you stop what your doing and tune in to the love story unfolding before you. Monster, lay-you-upside-yo-head-electronica. Intros that hook you immediately and with a vengeance. What's not to like about this album. (Don't reply--it's a rhetorical question )

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Haven't gone deep into the lyrics just yet but I will. Count on it.

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37 years into the game, P. can still release an album that sounds different from all the other albums. Incredible. He always has surprises up his sleeve for us.

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Y'all keep overanalyzing the work of the genius from North Minne while I'm too busy having a ball with HITnRUN to care.

[Edited 10/4/15 23:38pm]

[Edited 10/4/15 23:39pm]

[Edited 10/4/15 23:40pm]

[Edited 10/5/15 0:07am]

The only 180 that I have done is I went from buying every single thing Prince has released to I don't even own this album.

he needs to kick ass next album ....he is burying himself this decade

ThomasBjj said:

MattyJam said:

I admit, I was one of the ones who hated on the album when it first came out, but I have to swallow my pride and come back with my tale between my legs to say that I've done a complete 180 and actually prefer this album to AOA (which I always liked, but found little desire to give it repeated listens after the intitial novelty wore off).

I was initially turned off by the fact that the first track on the album features 85% vocals by someone other than Prince and found the inclusion of the likes of Rita Ora and Curly Fryz a bit of a turn off.

After having lived with it a while, it's had the opposite effect on me that AOA had. I've grown to like it more and find the whole album an enjoyable listen from start to finish - something I haven't experienced with a Prince album since Lotus/MPLSoUND.

Anyone else humble enough to admit their initial misgivings were wrong??

[Edited 10/3/15 13:24pm]

I'm with you on almost every point except that I still like AOA a little better, and liked it pretty well from day one.

My last hold out on this album is 1000 Hugs and Kisses, only because the original with Nona Gaye was so amazing and I keep wishing I was listening to THAT version but with more Prince vocals. Had I never heard the older version, I think I might like this version a little better.

The remixes of Clouds and This Could Be Us are good, but don't really fit on this album, in my opinion.

Like a Mack is probably the song that's made the biggest turn around for me. I HATED this song at first. Really. Somewhere along the way, I started listening to it, and grew to like a few small parts of it, and then slowly, enjoy the whole thing. I cringe everytime I think about the fact that I'm listening to a rap duo called "Curly Fries", but name aside, the actually aren't bad for what they are.

Hardrocklover and The X's Face, to me, are classsic Prince songs.

I actually had a relatively similar experience with those two tracks. 1000 Hugs and Kisses I could only initially hear in context of the 90's original but it has grown on me and is now, for me, one of the catchiest stand-outs of the album.

Like a Mack, I was surprised by how good a job Curly Fryz did on the track, it does take a few listens to really appreciate a lot of it but I still love it.

trax said:

KingSausage said:

I wouldn't say I've changed 180, but certainly I like many of the songs more now. At first I was like a lot of orgersin thinking this was his weakest album. But now I really dig Ain't about 2 stop and the sound of the album as a whole - the same sound that repelled me to begin with.

I must say that it constantly bores me when he has other singers sing on his songs, often mediocre or without any of the personality of Prince's voice. The first track bores me, and the intro is tame, unoriginal and disappointing.

I'm honest, and I've done probably near a 25.

At first I liked only 3 tracks ("100 Hugs"-"June"-"Hardrocklover"), now 4 (add "X's Face").

Not all that change, in my book. HNR still runs for the top of the "worst P albums".

I made a complete 180 with HitNRun.

But then I made another one.

[Edited 10/9/15 9:06am]

I've never had an issue with HNR, but I listen to loads of artists, so I've just been listening to other new releases. I do come back to HRN now and then.

However, I do think it would have made a great CD2 to a deluxe edition of AOA. People then wouldn't have been so critical and he could have shifted more AOA discs.

I love how the cover compliments AOA. In years to come those two albums will always be grouped into a single musical era. I can't think of any other projects like this other than the releases from 1994.