NouveauDance said:

I will say though, I'm all about 'June' - I loved it from the first note. More like this please.

June actually sounds like a Prince song.

NorthC said:

filthyrichyuppie said:

Someone said earlier that Mr. Melson made them nostalgic for Clouds. LOL. Have we really sunk that low? The worst thing you can say about this collection of songs is that it's not as good as AOA which, up to this point, was his worst album in decades.

Who is Mr. Melson?

Your real dad.

^^ Right! This is NPGMC Ahdio 2015!

Now that Prince is trying to be a 57 year old tween, I wonder if he can get Disney to make him the new Hannah Montana.

[Edited 9/7/15 11:55am]

filthyrichyuppie said:

NorthC said:

filthyrichyuppie said:

Your real dad.

Nah. Must be Mel Gibson's son.

That's not what I heard.

Cheater07 said:

^^ Right! This is NPGMC Ahdio 2015!

Wow, goldstandard is spot on and this describes it perfectly. I dig the album as mixtape.

All in all, not a very good set. There's some splashes of good ideas here and there, that last about ten seconds. Most of the time, I was just wishing Prince would use his guitar tracks on better songs.

The standout - June. The one great song in the lot. Josh's production works really well on this kind of stuff. If he's going to produce another album, let it be full of songs like this (though I wish he'd let the song fade out instead of using another annoying Josh-staple wooosh). It's another Way Back Home type song - melancholic, vaguely introspective - but better and less over the top. In my opinion, it's the best song from AOA and HitNRun along with Time.

Other highlights: Hardrocklover, 1000 X's & O's.

Million $ Show- 10/10: Great album opener, I love the little twists and turns it takes. Wish there were more Prince vocals, but Judith Hills wonderful vocals make up for that. Love the string arrangements throughout the song, but especially the end it sounded like something out of Parade.

.

Shut This Down- 1/10: What the actual fuck is this?

.

Ain't About To Stop- 6/10: Lyrics are sloppy but it's catchy. I love me some Rita Ora. I can't really hear what they are chanting at 2:10, something about Rita's blood clot? Kind of expected a better collaboration between the two.

.

Like A Mack- 8/10: Don't know who Curly Fryz is, but her vocals sound so good. She sounds like Rihanna back in 2007. The song grooves, and I love when Prince calls out them thots in the club. The horns and rhythm guitar are a great addition and keep the track funky. Good job Josh and Prince.

.

This Could B Us- 10/10: Great remix. Completely redone, reimagined, and well executed. That piano loop is hypnotizing and the guitar solo is icing on the cake.

.

Fall In Love 2nite-7/10: Sounds way better without Zoey's vocals. Simple dance/pop song, nothing groundbreaking happens here, but it could be a hit on the radio if he pushes it.

.

X's Face- 8/10: Great hook and lyrics. It's catchy and vibes well. It's ends right when it starts to get boring so good editing on their part. However that segue into HardRockLover is horrible so, shame on them for that....

.

Hardrocklover- 10/10: One of my favorite Prince songs. Lyrics are creative and tell a good narrative. The guitar work is sublime. Also that huge scream followed by the guitar solo is pure Prince. Classic.

.

Mr. Nelson- 9/10: Got me dancing the second it started. Great build up and that guitar...awesome job to Prince and Josh.

.

1,000 X and O's- 10/10: A through and through good Prince song. Great synth hook and drum loop, vocals are on point, and he gets pretty nasty for 2015 Prince towards the end. He could find a hit with this song as well, especially on R&B stations.

.

June- 10/10 I still haven't wrapped my mind around this track yet....I can't decide if I love it or hate it. It's so trippy and unlike anything Prince has ever done.

.

HITNRUN PHASE ONE- 8.5/10: After the hype of Million Dollar Show, Josh's production overtakes what could be a solid run through of tracks. It isn't until This Could B Us that I feel I'm actually listening to a Prince album. The last 7 tracks are a proper continuation of the theme of AOA. Yes, there are remixes, but to me they stand on their own merit. The music is his most accessible to all generations. Something we haven't had in a long time. I'm 21 and have played AOA for people my age and they love it, and I feel I could play songs from the album and not be embarassed. Great job to Prince and Josh. Yes with every new album there are flaws, but overall Prince is on the right track!

[Edited 9/7/15 12:09pm]

Prince's plan - make us appreciate 3rdeyegirl and PlectrumElectrum more. We all went crazy for AOA, but weren't feeling PlectrumElectrum. Listen to PE now. That shit is AMAZING compared to HITNRUN.

"I'm going to release some stupid solo shit to test your patience. After HITNRUN, these fools will absolutely LOVE the organic 3rdeyegirl album that I'm about to surprise them with. Watch me."

daniorU said:

June is a(too short) valid song.The rest is not my cup of tea.I'm not a Joshua fan... I'm curious abuot what Prince said in a recent interview: "Joshua alleviates me so I can do other things" I really like to know what these other things are...

yeah, Prince could've done all of that. If not better... unless Prince is burnt creatively, which I hope isn't the case. But he's been recording for soooooooooo long..

MILLION DOLLAR SHOW

ok track, but i just don’t like someone else to sing lead on prince album tracks.

if this had prince on vocals it would be a cool track to open the album but as it

is now i’ll probably skip it 9/10 times. the intro is pretty pointless. except if you

take the song as a literal introduction, like say, at a carnival, a lady singing the

praises of the million dollar show, to entice you inside, with samples playing in

the BG of that fabled show (for you, 1999 etc). i just don’t want to have to think

that hard and just enjoy a banging opening track. with prince on vocals. meh.

SHUT THIS DOWN

see, now we’re getting started contrary to many people on here (at least it

seems like a whole lot) who don’t like this new “outdated” electronic sound,

i just love it. no, it’s not Burial or whatever post-dubsteb wunderkind you are

all listening to or not, it’s prince’s take on a genre, and it’s a bit cheesy and a

bit unique and a bit fucking fabulous. we’ll get 20 more albums from prince

and i’m glad we finally got one with some hard hitting beats. vocals are cool,

they’re so in your face and unrelenting also love how the verses are so hard

and the hook/‘chorus’ gets softer and sung in falsetto. nice tough. the combo

of the electronics with the bass near the end is making me a bit moist. awww.

AIN’T ABOUT TO STOP (notice it's "TO" and not "2" ?)

i always get a bit mushy whenever prince incorporates arabian sounding bits

and bobs in songs and so i love this don’t mind rita on here, it’s nice when

a guest vocalist is just that, a guest, not too up front i love how all that josh

has in his laptop is just triggered all through the song. it’s just so much that it

overpowers everything, but this song can take it. and THEN comes the guitar

and a classic prince scream. and more sound effects i absolutely love

it. although i feel slightly weary about that since i have a feeling that some of

those lyrics are super bad oh well. i’ll have 3 more scoops please.

LIKE A MACK

ehm, well i just don’t know what to think about this yet. there are some

elements in there that i adore and there are some that i abhor, let’s just leave

it there for now.

THIS COULD B US

still don’t like it. i thought the original, on AOA was a nice song, but this

should have just been an internet only cast off. in hindsight it would have

been nicer if we’d gotten this through Live Nation along with “What If”,

instead of “X’s Face”, which would then have been a new track for us now.

the best part of things having been that way? well, this tracks wouldn’t be

on this album occupying a slot that could be filled with another, new cut.

FALLINLOVE2NITE

see “this could b us (version 2.0)”

X’S FACE

loved it when we first got it about 6 months ago and still love it now. the

track is good enough and fits in with the other beat heavy songs so well

that i don’t mind it being on the album now. would have loved for it to be

a bit longer on the album though, it seems very short.

HARDROCKLOVER

one of the best songs here. for me it’s one of his best songs in ages and the

only thing that could have made it better would be if it were a bit longer,

as in: i wish the guitarsolo went on for another minute. alas it doesn’t and

it’s just the ‘single version’ we already had.

MR NELSON

girl, miss Nelson, please

1000 HUGS & KISSES

deceptively simple sublime princely deliciousness i LOVE those

“love thy will be done” type of synth fills behind the chorus. and when i

heard that last minute, my eyes went wide, wider, widest, ooooh snap!

you dirty old dog

JUNE

i can see why some would not like this, but i love this type of thing because

it’s so different for prince. this falls somewhere between Time / Reflection

and Way Back Home. still think he’s had something with Andy that is now

over or still somehow generating an afterglow when i heard lyrics like this.

anyway:

our bodies got used to eachother

now they're used to the sound

of Richy Havens' voice on the vinyl

spinning round & round

sometimes i feel like i was born way too late

should have been born on the woodstock stage

that’s a cool lyric. echoing Haven’s performance of Freedom at Woodstock

with that “sometimes i feel like.....”. i guess he means born too late as in got

into music too late, would have liked to come into his own during that whole

Woodstock era?

what’s up with that pasta lyric though? is that something from a children’s

song or show or something from american culture that we don’t know over

here in europe because that seems sort of random for such a ‘deep’ song.

______________

so, all in all, i like the new songs that have prince on lead vocals a lot. as an

album i’m disappointed because the opening track doesn’t have prince on

vocals, and thus the album has a bumpy start for me. then there’s the remix

of TCBU which is pointless for me, FALLINLOVE is the same, although at

least that is not a remix and just a non album track. although it feels very

lightweight amongst the other songs. the Clouds remix is just silly and very

lame.

i’m interested to hear what the physical release sounds like because my

main gripe with the entire project is the way these tracks ‘flow’. as in:

they have no flow, they all seem to cut short, end abruptly, or are mixed

and edited pretty horrible. like the last seconds of the previous track

bleed into the next one etc. like with June. nobody wants a track like that

to start off with 1 second of the previous one, then a bit of silence and

then for the track to actually start. that’s just sloppy. i hope that’s just a

thing on the tidal player and an issue that won’t be so glaring on the cd

release.

TheKid94 said:

Million $ Show- 10/10: Great album opener, I love the little twists and turns it takes. Wish there were more Prince vocals, but Judith Hills wonderful vocals make up for that. Love the string arrangements throughout the song, but especially the end it sounded like something out of Parade.

.

Shut This Down- 1/10: What the actual fuck is this?

.

Ain't About To Stop- 6/10: Lyrics are sloppy but it's catchy. I love me some Rita Ora. I can't really hear what they are chanting at 2:10, something about Rita's blood clot? Kind of expected a better collaboration between the two.

.

Like A Mack- 8/10: Don't know who Curly Fryz is, but her vocals sound so good. She sounds like Rihanna back in 2007. The song grooves, and I love when Prince calls out them thots in the club. The horns and rhythm guitar are a great addition and keep the track funky. Good job Josh and Prince.

.

This Could B Us- 10/10: Great remix. Completely redone, reimagined, and well executed. That piano loop is hypnotizing and the guitar solo is icing on the cake.

.

Fall In Love 2nite-7/10: Sounds way better without Zoey's vocals. Simple dance/pop song, nothing groundbreaking happens here, but it could be a hit on the radio if he pushes it.

.

X's Face- 8/10: Great hook and lyrics. It's catchy and vibes well. It's ends right when it starts to get boring so good editing on their part. However that segue into HardRockLover is horrible so, shame on them for that....

.

Hardrocklover- 10/10: One of my favorite Prince songs. Lyrics are creative and tell a good narrative. The guitar work is sublime. Also that huge scream followed by the guitar solo is pure Prince. Classic.

.

Mr. Nelson- 9/10: Got me dancing the second it started. Great build up and that guitar...awesome job to Prince and Josh.

.

1,000 X and O's- 10/10: A through and through good Prince song. Great synth hook and drum loop, vocals are on point, and he gets pretty nasty for 2015 Prince towards the end. He could find a hit with this song as well, especially on R&B stations.

.

June- 10/10 I still haven't wrapped my mind around this track yet....I can't decide if I love it or hate it. It's so trippy and unlike anything Prince has ever done.

.

HITNRUN PHASE ONE- 8.5/10: After the hype of Million Dollar Show, Josh's production overtakes what could be a solid run through of tracks. It isn't until This Could B Us that I feel I'm actually listening to a Prince album. The last 7 tracks are a proper continuation of the theme of AOA. Yes, there are remixes, but to me they stand on their own merit. The music is his most accessible to all generations. Something we haven't had in a long time. I'm 21 and have played AOA for people my age and they love it, and I feel I could play songs from the album and not be embarassed. Great job to Prince and Josh. Yes with every new album there are flaws, but overall Prince is on the right track!

[Edited 9/7/15 12:09pm]

This is exactly what I'm hearing on twitter from young Prince fans, they LOVE this record and you know what you absolutely should as I agree with you. I have it 7-7.5/10. My daughter is still bumping 'Like a Mack'! It's crazy the difference's between opinions but its all love!

TheKid94 said:

Ain't About To Stop- 6/10: Lyrics are sloppy but it's catchy. I love me some Rita Ora. I can't really hear what they are chanting at 2:10, something about Rita's blood clot? Kind of expected a better collaboration between the two.

If you're not a Rita bot, you're a blood clot

So I guess I'm a blood clot.

[Edited 9/7/15 12:24pm]

I'm a Prince fan in my mid-40's, I loved AOA, and I like a lot of stuff that garners a lot of criticism from fans (MPLSound, Plectrum, etc.), but if I heard most of these songs on the radio, I would keep it moving. This does not sound like a Prince record. I will give it a few more spins, but I'm left very cold after my first listen. (On another note, I think I like Tidal).

7 songs on here that I automatically skip. That's sad.... I didn't do that with AOA. And even on PlecElec it was only like 4 songs.

*sighs* oh well. Imma stop bitching about this and just wait for the next one

ha!

controversy99 said:

Joshua Welton featuring Prince Makes Newpower Soul sound like Purple Rain in comparison The first four tracks are easily the worst four in a row he's ever released. And I actually like Art Official Age, to put this in perspective. Second half of the album is passable. But I don't know if it's even worth making a playlist of those. If I wasn't an obsessive compulsive, I would stop coming to the Org until a better album is released. I'm going to try to stay away. Why waste my time on junk like this. (PS: Very cool to see commercially unavailable albums on Tidal: Xpectation, C-NOTE, ONA, etc. And the sound quality seems really good.)

dadeepop said:

reallly would have worked with a little calienté español thrown in for shiggles and grits.

terrig said:

that curly fries track would be huge in latin america, i hear that kind of stuff around here non-stop...this album isnt just for the usa....i can see where it works globally.

egansmind said:

All corporatist media reviewers are paid off. They get flown out on someone else's dime to hob knob with the entertainers, clothes get paid for as an expense to go out to parties and dinners, they drink for free, usually get "free" copies of the albums and copies for all their friends. JayZ has had to pay out a lot to get the media to hype his little project; HITNRUN wont save it from eventual bankruptcy.

Aerogram said:

Nikkie said:

The Guardian's 'First Listen' review is very positive, **** http://www.theguardian.co...b-gdnmusic

I'm sure Prince paid The Guardian and USAToday to say something nice, that's the only explanation since we at the Org are so objective when it comes to Prince and not at all creepily overpersonal.

[Edited 9/7/15 9:45am]

Is it just me or does "MILLION $ SHOW" kinda sound like Mika's "Love Today"?

I'll also take "MILLION $ SHOW" sounds like Prince's brain on Skittles®.

IstenSzek said:

Something reasonable and level-headed that doesn't sound like Prince left him at the altar back in the day.

Loved your review.

Hannah needs to stick to her ferocious drumming and decent backup singing and stop deceiving fans.

derrick31 said:

BELL6983 said:

I totally disagree with the negative feed back on this album. Best one in years! Its new, its fresh, and its different. "I love it!" all 11 songs are great. Definitely radio ready. Good job Mr. Nelson

Not one of these songs will be played on the radio and NO ONE under the ageof 30 will ever listen to or buy the album. Oh Hannah, where are all the hits you said would be on the album? These people that work for him live in their own naive little Prince World. It's sad.

i'm kind of amazed -- i'm 52. i like it.

whats hes done is what's current. thats not a bad thing!

it's good business!

as an album the title hitnrun gives a reason for 'scattershot' as the NYT says so Prince definitely knows what hes doing, and joshs average edm production doesnt overshadow princes songs at all.


what a bunch of crunchy old farts in here lololol - you can have hitnrun AND lovesexy in the same universe and its a good thing.

[Edited 9/7/15 12:44pm]

terrig said: