lust said:

Prince's most enjoyable album beginning to end since TRC imo.

jonnymon said:

Wow. Now way to be but blunt. That sucked. Phase 1 was okay and at least showed that Prince had some interest in collaborating on production. I almost had hopes that he would get some radio play. But this album of bad songs that sound like they were recorded in a garage is such a huge step backwards.

Music is so deparate for Prince to be relevant. Sure he's respected, but when the only thing people want to hear is 20 years old, then its over. <sigh>

I agree. I also think that these days you have to decide to be a Prince fan. I miss the old days where his music did the talking, and you had no choice but to be a fan. Now we have to settle for some watered down easy listening Jehovah-tunes and a twitter account that is not even run by him. Oh well. Bring on the hits/solo piano/cash grab tour.

3rdeyedude said:

Any word or rumours about when there might be a physical CD release? Cheers

Smillan said:

MattyJam said:

Prince's most enjoyable album beginning to end since TRC imo.

I am beginning to feel the same about Phase 2, it is very solid that way. Nice sequence and no really bad songs like on most of his other albums.

funkaholic1972 said:

MattyJam said:

Prince's most enjoyable album beginning to end since TRC imo.

I am beginning to feel the same about Phase 2, it is very solid that way. Nice sequence and no really bad songs like on most of his other albums.

It won me over last night.

I'm glad Phase 1 was just an experiment with Josh.

Good thing that is OVA.

Graycap23 said:

funkaholic1972 said:

I am beginning to feel the same about Phase 2, it is very solid that way. Nice sequence and no really bad songs like on most of his other albums.

It won me over last night.

I'm glad Phase 1 was just an experiment with Josh.

Good thing that is OVA.

As an elder statement of Rock and R & B, I find nothing wrong with his benovelent nature toward the younger folks....with that said, imagine the stank with blackwell, gouche on bass, i'd keep donna on axe, marucs and adrian on horns , and xavier on keys ...nasty stuff there

lwr001 said:

Graycap23 said:

It won me over last night.

I'm glad Phase 1 was just an experiment with Josh.

Good thing that is OVA.

As an elder statement of Rock and R & B, I find nothing wrong with his benovelent nature toward the younger folks....with that said, imagine the stank with blackwell, gouche on bass, i'd keep donna on axe, marucs and adrian on horns , and xavier on keys ...nasty stuff there

That band you described, in the studio and onstage would force me to withdraw from my savings account and pay whatever penalty from the bank to see Blackwell, Xavier, Donna, Gouche, Cruthchfield and Anderson at mulitiple shows. This album is enjoyable from start to finish and for winter commuting makes it bearable. I plan on copping this album on CD.

Good music, nice production, but the mastering has too much clipping and is compressed to death. Black Messiah is an example of much better mastering. Still I love it though. It's no way near being of the calibre of his mid 80s albums. But it's a very good one. It might lack the HUGE classic songs, but as an overall listen, it has a nice flow and mood to it.

I think AOA, HitnRun1, and Hitnrun2 if combined or if you pick your gems from each is kinda some of Prince's best stuff in a while as it pertains to being contemporary. I'm not saying some of the songs on hitnrun1&2 suck, but there are about 3 or 4 on each album well worth hearing

CynicKill said:

Prince is back, as funky and contradictory as ever

Prince performinmg earlier this year at a 'Rally 4 Peace' concert in Baltimore.

• By Jeff Miers

• Updated 11:48 AM
  December 17, 2015

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We’re really not worthy. Or if we’re worthy, we’re barely so.

On Saturday, with no advance warning, Prince dropped his second album in six months.

“HITNRUN Phase Two” (NPG Records) followed September’s “Phase One” straight to Tidal, the Jay Z-authored streaming site said to be the most artist-friendly of the bunch. Now, you can stream or download the two-part album the way Prince and whatever deity you believe in intended – as a single entity comprising, much like the man himself, contradictory views on almost everything.

Prince hates technology; Prince loves technology. Prince is seeking something spiritual amidst a cultural landscape that is much more Kardashian than Krishna; Prince just wants to steal your girlfriend and teach her something about carnal revelry. Prince is a master of old school analog funk; Prince splashed auto-tune all over “HITNRUN Phase One.”

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These philosophical dichotomies form part of what makes Prince one of the most interesting artists of the past 35 years. The other part is his prodigious talent – as a musician capable of killing it on multiple instruments, as a songwriter, as a producer, as a bandleader, as a dancer, as a man who takes to the stage and does all of these things at once. Critics and over-zealous fans might want to suggest that Drake, or Timberlake, or even Kendrick are the equivalent of Prince, but let’s face it, such arguments could be diffused immediately if one simply handed a guitar (or one of several other instruments) to Drake or Timberlake or Kendrick and asked them to play a solo like Prince. It ain’t happening.

Prince does have musical peers, though most of them are either deceased or older than he is – think Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Parliament Funkadelic – or have left pop behind altogether in favor of more jazz-inflected fusions. When it comes to music that might be considered mainstream R&B, Prince is on his own these days. At 57, he still has full possession of his agile singing voice, and he continues to dazzle as an instrumentalist. He also manages to sound contemporary, without expending much noticeable effort.

So “HITNRUN Phase Two” arrives without ceremony, which seems almost insulting, really, especially once you’ve spent some time with it, and realized that it’s made up of high-level Prince music. If an artist with his talent, pedigree and proven track record needs to pull a surprise attack as a way of generating the publicity that record labels used to consider it their job to generate, well, this somehow seems unjust. Shouldn’t a new release from one of our most significant artists be a bigger deal than, say, the absurd You Tube video for the new Psy single?

Whatever.

As he always has, Prince came to play, and he plays up a storm throughout “Phase Two,” flexing his songwriting muscle on tunes that run the gamut from psychedelic soul-pop to grinding funk, softly-lit and sexy R&B to horn-driven hot buttered soul. It’s top-tier Prince fare – even relative throwaway pieces like “Screwdriver,” a salacious slab of pop-funk that would not have been out of place as a “Purple Rain”-era B-side, is still a more finely-crafted affair than the majority of tracks you’ll find at the top of Spotify’s hit-list.

The album begins with its only political/social criticism piece, in the form of “Baltimore,” a song that focuses on the riots in that city following the deaths of African Americans Freddie Gray and Michael Brown at the hands of police. Prince attempts to aim some sunlight toward this American tragedy, dressing “Baltimore” in trippy psychedelia and soothing tonal colors, but the “no justice, no peace” message still burns through.

“Baltimore” is gauzy and beautiful, which is remarkable, given the true horror behind its inspiration. But “Phase Two” hits its peak later on, with the one-two punch of “Black Muse” and “Revelation,” a combined 13 minutes of music that ranks amongst this prolific wunderkind’s finest. The former is a filthy funk workout that quotes both early Prince and prime period Earth Wind & Fire, but beneath its groove-based veneer is a paean to African American fortitude: “Black muse/We gonna’ make it through/Surely people that created rhythm and blues/Rock ‘n Roll and Jazz/You know we’re built to last/It’s cool,” Prince sings, female backing vocalists joining him in harmony. Three minutes in, the song evolves into a spacious jam with jazzy piano figures sprinkled around horn section stabs and the sort of sophisticated funk that Herbie Hancock was dealing with in the mid '70s.
“Revelation” is a slow-boiling ballad with a Philly Soul heart, bolstered by a bravura vocal performance and a classic Prince sexuality/spirituality double entendre at its center.

Together, these two pieces represent the sound of Prince leaving the competition a few miles behind, choking on his dust.

So is “Phase Two” as great of an album as, say, “Sign O’ the Times,” “Lovesexy” or “Purple Rain”? I might tell you yes, indeed it is, but how would you really know? Those earlier efforts came out during a time when albums meant something. Now, as great as it is, this two-part Prince masterpiece is just another teardrop in an ocean, a collection of sounds that will be given no more credence as a unified statement than will a Spotify playlist curated by Joe or Jane Everyman. And that’s nothing but a shame.

When it comes to music, democracy has its limits. Not everyone is equally talented or worthy of our time and attention. Prince is far more worthy than most. This is fact. Not speculation.

email: jmiers@buffnews.com

Replica said:

Good music, nice production, but the mastering has too much clipping and is compressed to death. Black Messiah is an example of much better mastering. Still I love it though. It's no way near being of the calibre of his mid 80s albums. But it's a very good one. It might lack the HUGE classic songs, but as an overall listen, it has a nice flow and mood to it.

It would be nice if there would come a HD audiophile version with a better quality mastering. This album certainly deserves it IMO.

I love this album so much! Extralovable is just to die for. The whole thing is beautiful.

Maybe his best album in a decade...best prod....great vocals ...Nice melodies....cohesive album....a real Prince Album in a classic way!!

I'm now loving this album. But due to its more . . . subdued nature, I find a great elixir is to follow it with the Black Album. Works for me.

[Edited 12/21/15 16:32pm]

and WHY was this released so soon after phase 1?? cause the tour was postponed and he wanted quick funds??? the giant bomb phase 1 is/was???

luvsexy4all said:

and WHY was this released so soon after phase 1?? cause the tour was postponed and he wanted quick funds??? the giant bomb phase 1 is/was???

ok, sherlock

lust said:

Ok, the last effort was overly produced with way too many technological bells and whistles that ripped the project of the magic of what we'd come to expect. This time it's a return to form, a more organic production and a solid start to finish experience with no dull parts. This is far more familiar territory. And though much of it is a repetition of what we've already experienced, even most of that has been updated. Maybe not the same magic as what we got in the late 70s and 80s but really enjoyable. And that's my review of The Force Awakens but I figured it worked here too.

BEST. REVIEW. EVER.

Can I ask with all due repsect...

What are most of your ages on this site... Just wondering...

feeluupp said:

I like it a lot, came so unexpected. Have not listened to a new P-album that often since Lotusflow3r I think. Look at Me, Look at U is my fav at the moment.

Here is also hope 4 a CD-release !

dodger said:

feeluupp said:

Can I ask with all due repsect...

What are most of your ages on this site... Just wondering...

You go first And why you ask

I feel this album is just fit for a certain age demographic, and I feel that's why many are praising this album...

I just feel it lacks energy, it's not a bad album at all like I said... But I think it's one of those albums that doesn't really have a "bad" song so people think it's great.

But a "bad" Prince album in my personal taste is one that lacks energy and is "boring" just like Planet Earth.

feeluupp said: