I thought I'd weigh in with my 2 cents, as this album seems to have sparked quite a bit of discussion. First, some background, as I tend to disagree with many of you on Prince's more recent (post-heyday) material). I absolutely adore Emancipation, and I have since my inital listen after copping it on a Midnight run to Tower Records, and subsequently scoring a ticket to the post-Oprah record release party at the Park West in Chicago. I also LOVED Musicology, as I thought that it had some of his best songwiting since Emancipation...especially the 2nd half of the album, which I honestly think that most of you have slept hard on. The first half of 20ten also moved me greatly, and I might be the biggest fan of Art Official Age on Earth. To me, it's his most beautiful piece of art since Lovesexy. But enough about my disenting views...on to Hit N Run.

I can honestly say that he sounds completely uninspired on this album. The songs have virtually no substance, outside of June, which is actually quite interesting. I didn't think that his lyrics could have gotten any worse than the songs on Plectrum Electrum, but...they have. He's essentially made a mindless EDM club banger (save for "June", which is stunning).

I guess I feel like even in the past when Prince finally acquiesced and followed the trends of the times (new jack swing and hip hop), the songs were still SO damn good. This time, there's a lot of knob-twiddling, but no depth behind it. I mean, there are a few interesting moments in "Ain't About to Stop", and the guitar work in "This Could Be Us 2: Electric Boogaloo" is nice, but...two moments and one stunning song does not a Prince album make. He needs to lay off hype songs like "Shut This Down" until he truly has something to hype..this album isn't it. It all just sounds very forced to me.

I spend way too much wondering how inspiration dries up. I mean, every great artist (at least artists whom I think are great) go through slumps...no one can keep up the Dirty Mind through Lovesexy streak. That would be impossible. Dylan went through a well-known slump after Infidels that lasted until Oh Mercy in '89. Miles kinda limped to the finish (save for Siesta, which is so incredibly undervalued)....Stevie, Joni, Curtis Mayfield, McCartney...all of them great, and all of them slumped. But they all have climbed back from their inspirational lapses and made AMAZING music (except for maybe Stevie...he's still amazing live, but his last albums haven't been so hot). Is it that people on that level have no one saying 'no' to them? Have they isolated themselves to the point that they can't glean any nuggets of freshness that might inspire them to create something new and different? Or are they just bored? I think Prince might need to hit some jazz clubs. Hell, I'll gladly take him on Phish tour with me (don't judge unless you've seen them). He needs to get freaked out by something. He needs his world shaken up a bit. And he needs to work with a real producer...T Bone Burnett, ?uestlove, Rick Rubin...even DJ Premier. Someone that will get him to step WAY outside of his comfort zone.

I miss the NPG right now something FIERCE.

jackmitz said:

I thought I'd weigh in with my 2 cents, as this album seems to have sparked quite a bit of discussion. First, some background, as I tend to disagree with many of you on Prince's more recent (post-heyday) material). I absolutely adore Emancipation, and I have since my inital listen after copping it on a Midnight run to Tower Records, and subsequently scoring a ticket to the post-Oprah record release party at the Park West in Chicago. I also LOVED Musicology, as I thought that it had some of his best songwiting since Emancipation...especially the 2nd half of the album, which I honestly think that most of you have slept hard on. The first half of 20ten also moved me greatly, and I might be the biggest fan of Art Official Age on Earth. To me, it's his most beautiful piece of art since Lovesexy. But enough about my disenting views...on to Hit N Run.

I can honestly say that he sounds completely uninspired on this album. The songs have virtually no substance, outside of June, which is actually quite interesting. I didn't think that his lyrics could have gotten any worse than the songs on Plectrum Electrum, but...they have. He's essentially made a mindless EDM club banger (save for "June", which is stunning).

I guess I feel like even in the past when Prince finally acquiesced and followed the trends of the times (new jack swing and hip hop), the songs were still SO damn good. This time, there's a lot of knob-twiddling, but no depth behind it. I mean, there are a few interesting moments in "Ain't About to Stop", and the guitar work in "This Could Be Us 2: Electric Boogaloo" is nice, but...two moments and one stunning song does not a Prince album make. He needs to lay off hype songs like "Shut This Down" until he truly has something to hype..this album isn't it. It all just sounds very forced to me.

I spend way too much wondering how inspiration dries up. I mean, every great artist (at least artists whom I think are great) go through slumps...no one can keep up the Dirty Mind through Lovesexy streak. That would be impossible. Dylan went through a well-known slump after Infidels that lasted until Oh Mercy in '89. Miles kinda limped to the finish (save for Siesta, which is so incredibly undervalued)....Stevie, Joni, Curtis Mayfield, McCartney...all of them great, and all of them slumped. But they all have climbed back from their inspirational lapses and made AMAZING music (except for maybe Stevie...he's still amazing live, but his last albums haven't been so hot). Is it that people on that level have no one saying 'no' to them? Have they isolated themselves to the point that they can't glean any nuggets of freshness that might inspire them to create something new and different? Or are they just bored? I think Prince might need to hit some jazz clubs. Hell, I'll gladly take him on Phish tour with me (don't judge unless you've seen them). He needs to get freaked out by something. He needs his world shaken up a bit. And he needs to work with a real producer...T Bone Burnett, ?uestlove, Rick Rubin...even DJ Premier. Someone that will get him to step WAY outside of his comfort zone.

I miss the NPG right now something FIERCE.

I should also add, in the essence of full disclosure, that I also really like X's Face. It's got enough weird to keep in interesting.

Nice post, man. Thanks!

I think alot about the inspiration thing too, it's pretty subjective though. I'm one of those who can't stick just about anything Prince did after Lovesexy. The 'hold on...to your soul...got a long way, to go...' refrain at the end of 'Positivity' was, for me, like 'The End' by The Beatles. Nothing was ever the same after, there's a finality to it (in retrospect).

As for the new album, had a quick disinterested run through the first ten seconds of each track. Business as usual *sigh*

MrsFelicityCrumble said:

Nice post, man. Thanks!

I think alot about the inspiration thing too, it's pretty subjective though. I'm one of those who can't stick just about anything Prince did after Lovesexy. The 'hold on...to your soul...got a long way, to go...' refrain at the end of 'Positivity' was, for me, like 'The End' by The Beatles. Nothing was ever the same after, there's a finality to it (in retrospect).

As for the new album, had a quick disinterested run through the first ten seconds of each track. Business as usual *sigh*

interesting way of seeing the closing refrain from Lovesexy for sure, but...I'm too much of a Symbol Album slut to think that the inspiration dried up in '88. To me, '96 was the last gasp, save for Musicology, which I'll defend to the death.

As much as HitnRun hurts my heart, I recommend giving "July" your undivided attention.

[Edited 9/8/15 21:58pm]

Please post here: http://prince.org/msg/7/418602