ohYeeeeeah said:

hw3004 said:

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21026-hitnrun-phase-one/

I'm pretty much with this guy (although I'd probably mark it a bit higher - say 5.0 maybe 5.5 - ask me in a couple of weeks!).

It's certainly not the steaming pile of shite or work of unadulterated genius that some will argue...but that's the modern society the internet has created, a mass of extreme opinions screaming to be heard with little appreciation for nuanced opinon.

I'm such a grumpy old man

The problem is when you listen to most of the other albums they rate highly on the same page, you really wonder...

[Edited 9/10/15 3:30am]

I also agree with this guy and think this is a decent review compared to the one's Josh is posting on the 3EG twitter feed. http://pitchfork.com/revi...phase-one/

In fact I will cut and paste it instead of writing a review:

Absolutely bloody Love: Hardrocklover X's Face- 1000 X's & 0's June

Still falling in love with: Million $ show Shut This Down (that bass!!) Like a Mack

Really liking: This Could b Us Fallinlove2nite Mr Nelson

and if Aint about to Stop didnt have that really scary, weird, loud voice shouting over & over "aint about to stop!' I might actually start to like the music around it!!

Brilliant album

[img:$uid]http://i59.tinypic.com/ngy4p0.jpg[/img:$uid]

Prince's hype-man instincts defy categorization every bit as much as his vocal and instrumental talents beggar description. Though he's fallen off since the 1980s—who, in his shoes, wouldn't?—it's this artist's strange and frequent urge to over-promise that helps keep everyone harping on Sign 'O' the Times as his apogee. Yet here we are again. An album title like HITNRUN Phase One promises a fair amount, not least the possibility of a concept worth serializing. And that's before the album is announced by its creators as being "experimental" in construction. Though after stripping away the promotional language from this streaming-only platter, exclusive to Jay Z's Tidal service (for now), one finds something far less earth-shaking: a casual, slightly-weirder-than-usual release with one very good R&B song (that's reportedly been kicking around in his vault for a while), stranded in the album's penultimate slot.

To get to that very good song—at least in the manner that Prince and his young co-composer, producer, and mixer Joshua Welton intend—you'll plug through a half-hour sequence that contains a throwaway intro, a trio of putative party-starters cluttered with the confetti of modern-dancefloor production-debris, two reworked (as opposed to improved) songs from 2014's superior Art Official Age, and a tweaked version of the "Fallinlove2nite" standalone single that failed to make that prior album. (Ditching Zooey Deschanel's backing vocals doesn't much elevate that breezy tune's mild charm.)

Among the remains, "Hardrocklover" would seem to be an opportunity for one of pop's most reliably sensuous guitarists to make up ground. But the song seems strangely subdued and bored with itself. While the lyrics ("Turn my guitar up so I can make this woman scream") suggest that the inevitable appearance of guitar-heroism will be climactic, Prince's unfurling of his distorto-wail cape feels rote. The loopy-but-hard-hitting funk of "X's Face" is initially promising, though it too is thin on development. Elsewhere, the (mostly) instrumental "Mr. Nelson" riffs with a modicum of inspiration on remnants from Art Official Age standout "Clouds".

On a first listen, you might suspect that the album's opening sequence of not-disastrous (but not-terribly-memorable) EDM-influenced jams is going to be the focus of HITNRUN Phase One. Though this, too, is part of a formula: compare Prince's almost-rap flow on "Shut This Down" to that of 1992's "My Name Is Prince", and it's easy to see that the artist has a template for approaching ascendant pop trends. There are stray, tasty touches in this opening salvo—a brief electric-bass clinic in "Shut This Down", the integration of saxophone, rhythm guitar, and digitally programmed curlicues in the last minute of "Like a Mack"—but experimental this ain't. Not for the artist who wrote and recorded "Crystal Ball", anyway. (By point of comparison: Prince has also made newly available some truly chancy and obscure work from the late 1990s—like the extended paranoid-freakout "The War" and the mostly-acoustic album The Truth—on Tidal.)

Disappointments and missed opportunities aside, it's still great to have an official, Prince-sung version of "1000 X's & O's" (an old composition once intended for Rosie Gaines). When Prince sings in an environment unmolested by contemporary cliche, he gives us more than at any other point on HITNRUN Phase One—including that iconic, multi-tracked one-man choir, in addition to lyrics that, while they might not be much on the page, snap with a seductive pull when placed in his mouth ("Every drop of sweat on your brow/ Is well-earned/ So you best believe"). Even if, this time around, you can forget the familiar discographical parlor game of comparing each new Prince record to earlier triumphs—this one isn't his best album in the last twelve months, let alone years—songs and performances like that one show why it remains unwise to count him out.

FOR YOU > HITnRUN

dodger said:

Giovanni777 said:

.

These are the exact ones I liked as well. Loving 'X's Face'. '1000 x's & o's' sure does remind me of Dennis Edwards' classic 'Don't Look Any Further'! https://www.youtube.com/w...H3rx8LhrQo

I noticed the same thing about 'Don't Look Any Further' - quite similar.

I'd skip Shut This Down and add Like a Mack (and maybe This Could B Us)

Million $ Show= a good opener for a concert that will definitely get today's audience shakin', but it goes downhill as soon as Josh acts like an usher with the "cmonmm ya guyys!" WTF!... And then Prince shows the widening cracks in his previously invincible confidence with the "Only the haters ever complain. Can't hear jack in the back of my plane!" Another WTF. Prince used to put haterz in their place with comments that oozed disdain and supreme confidence like, "Take a bath, hippies!"

Why ruin the flow of the show with the haterz shout out? Isn't the song supposed to be about the great show? The song should have continued with only the positive beat.

-

Shut This Down= My Name is Prince part 3, but not as funky. And Josh picking on the little kid at the end is stupid. Already edited that part out.

-

Ain't About To Stop= Lay it Down part 2. Listenable but not repeatable.

-

Like A Mack= My least favorite track from HnR.

-

This Could B Us= The remix is placed right where it belongs on the album, and does its job. Maybe Prince is pleased with the original and wanted to try reaching a greater audience with a new take on it. I found myself singing along to the echoed parts (slap me!)

-

FallInLove2Nite= It's a very simple composition but easy to sing along to and the 20's something female crowd likes it.

-

X's Face= Like it and wish that I hadn't already heard it so many times.

-

HardRockLover= potential. But needed some better lyrics here and there.

-

Mr. Nelson= pointless but it would fit perfect for a lifetime award show someday when Prince is introduced as "also known as Mr. Nelson.".

This track could play while they show a montage of Prince's career.

-

1000 X's & O's= Sounds good, feels good, but then Prince blows it with the ending lyrics, "Blindfold, gagged, and bound"... ugh, so he recognizes how hard she works and appreciates her and wants to give her 1000 hugs and kisses but then needs to get his freak on?

-

June= weak. Many others like it but to me it goes nowhere and doesn't deserve excessive praise just because it's different.

-

-

Hit N Run Phase 1 will be among my least listened to Prince albums but I’ll still buy it when released on disc.

This music just isn't going in the same direction I am at the moment but still belongs in my collection.

Nothing here gets me particularly excited for Phase 2 but Indifference sure does.

For those of you on the lench mob, I have modified my review back on page 2 after more listens. I still think tracks 3,4 and 9 are crap, but the rest is okay and track 10 is a stone cold classic. Still AOA is much better than this.

.

For those who can't be bothered with page 2, here it is.

.

First of all big love to the purple family. One of my purple buddies took pity on me and sent me a copy of the album under the condition I buy the CD when it drops. He does not need to ask, I have always stressed that even in this age of digital music and streaming, physical copies are crucial.

.

The music is another matter, there are some fillers here in the first few tracks and with Mr Nelson and its short. It has improved since yesterday and moved up from a D to a C+, still not great though.

.

Million $ Show 6/10, Unexceptional opener, but actually sounds like a real song, still noring braggadacio. I love the early album openers

Shut this down 5/10, Bring out the synthesiser and drum machine, nutune, voice machines neobeats armoured division. This track is a real grower, I hated it eysterday and now I kind of like it.

Ain't about to Stop 3/10, - Please do!!! Some okay singing and Rita Ora ruins it well enough, overall another formless song, no melody, machines.

Like a Mack 4/10, Oh lawd the 3rd crappy electric song in a row, and this one sounds like shit hop with little ghetto gangster wannabe woman (I don't know and don't care who she is). I like it a bit more, but this is still a throw away

This could be us 8/10, I loved it on AOA and this version is not so great with unecessary overdubs and layering of various machines, synths, vocoxes and other shit. Still under all this umbrage there is a great song there.

Fallinlove2nite 8/10, One of my favourite 2013/14 era songs and thank God he has not butchered it here. I love this jam, but already know from a boot I got sent in early 2014. great jam.

X'sface, 5/10 For real, this is very average and silly, nice sound effects and is that the Morris Day pimp voice he was using back in 1982/83 era?

Hardrocklover 8/10, Angry at this song as it promised big things, sounded great as a standalone single, but this song is great, still its okay and a good Prince rock song.

Mr Nelson 6/10, Terrible instrumental with bits of Mr Nelson and other shit, oh lawd, this album will not age well. Its got soe nice samples though and the back beat is pleasing enough.

1000's X & O's 10/10, A decent ballad and easily a standout . The only song apart from Fallinlove2nite that sounds like a epic Prince song. This is first rate Prince balladry along with the AOA cut of This could be us and that superlative soul thing called Futuresoulsong.

June 7/10, Okay closer ruined by daft lyrics, all this stuff about pasta? Insistent beat and on point singing, there is an impending doom in his voice

.

70/110 = 64% a C+ nearly a B, Average

.

.

But it is a new album and I love 1000 X's and 0's and Fallinlove2nite got the release it deserved (Shame he could have put Screwdriver on it too) and a new Prince album is still welcome. It says Phase One, I would hate to see Phase 2.

.

Yeah and my advance copy is a bootleg too , but I will buy the physical CD when it comes out.

[Edited 9/10/15 17:14pm]

I have been listening it 4-5 times and I find that after a weak start it takes off, from track 4 to the end and becomes pretty solid.

The first 3 tracks are really "part 2" of older songs but then it's something new. AOA may have a few higher peaks but this one is more intriguing. Genius is stil there, I have good hopes that a great album can come out sooner that later.

purplethunder3121 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

HITNRUN isn't my favorite Prince album but here's some constructive criticism-Joshua doesn't have a good enough grasp of mixing electronica with pop and funk and I understand that was the musical direction. "Like A Mack", "Aint Gonna Stop", "Shut This Down" especially are cliched and formulaic songs in the genres I mentioned. But I did think on the second half he excelled with the 2nd half of the album with "Hardrocklover" and "June" from guitar music to sublime music. If Joshua keeps at it under an electronic dance music producer he will excel but Prince himself is behind on this cultures so his growth as a producer will be a little behind. The "hits" description is whatever. He'll get better with time.

HITnRUN is brilliant,


Prince's best in a long time, since TRC in 2001, imo...


Million $ Show 7/10 (Great energy, but I did cut off the For You/1999/LGC-intro for my iTunes playlist)

Shut This Down 8.5/10 (Also a great energy, I love the bass and drums on this)

Ain't About To Stop 9.5/10 (Warning, I LOVE THIS! So edgy, really this is FUNKY!)

Like A Mack 6/10 (Weakest song on the album, those lead vocals, hmm the song does not sound like a Prince song imho)

This Could Be Us 8.5/10 (I love both versions)

FallInLove2Nite 7.5/10 (I loved this pop song when it was released last year, it's ok not bad, but it sounds a bit thin maybe "dated" in production? Great finally to have this on an album though, yes)

X's Face 10/10 (already a Prince classic, brilliant, rather short though)

HardRockLover 9.5/10 (Great rock song, I love this deeply, yes its another classic)

Mr. Nelson 7/10 (Not a real song, more like a seague, but the guitar is amazing and sounds like Santana doesn't it?)

1000 X's & O's 10/10 (Maximum, much better than half baked outtake from 1992)

June 10/10 (Omg this is good, in the same league as Sometimes It Snows In April & Joy In Repetition, big words maybe, but the whole atmosphere in this song is brilliant, magical)

conclussion.. this new album is fantastic:

[Edited 9/10/15 22:28pm]

SometimesIwonder said:

Absolutely bloody Love: Hardrocklover X's Face- 1000 X's & 0's June

Still falling in love with: Million $ show Shut This Down (that bass!!) Like a Mack

Really liking: This Could b Us Fallinlove2nite Mr Nelson

and if Aint about to Stop didnt have that really scary, weird, loud voice shouting over & over "aint about to stop!' I might actually start to like the music around it!!

Brilliant album

^ wow I agree, and we think alike don't we..

Brilliant indeed...

I listened to the album a couple of times successively after it came out, and was already pleasantly surprised on first listen. Then I put it away for two days, and am listening to it again just now. Here is my review.

I agree with someone else who wrote earlier that this is a very radical and further exploration of the sound that was first experimented with on AOA. HUTNRUN makes AOA sound like classic Prince (in the vein of 20TEN, 3121, and what have you).

I, for one, am SO happy that Prince is finally exploring new ground - for him. I agree, the sounds and techniques are not NEW, groundbreaking, and often very much pastiche, but at least it is a new kind of Prince, an artist that has fun, creating a concise collection of songs that fit together.

Joshua Welton is there to make songs interesting that would previously sound like Lolita version-a-lot.

I can even stand the remix of This Could B Us, although I think that this is the biggest letdown on the album. The guitar solo makes it worthwhile to go through the diarreah of Welton's childish effects, though.

I was growing so tired of albums like 20TEN, 3121, Musicology, etc etc. which is strange to say, because I actually loved them when they came out. Even AOA sounds 'safe' in comparison, and it still contained Clouds, The Breakdown, songs that could as well have been on any of the previous albums. HITNRUN is a definitve step in a new direction.

Million & Show - Fun opening track, much like Art Official Cage, although this sounds more like a collaborative effort. It's shorter, more chaotic, but catchy in the meantime. Prince's contribution reminds me of Graffiti Bridge era songs, for one strange reason or another.

Shut This Down - This does sound like 90s Prince, and comparisons with My Name Is Prince are well in order. Some nice sound effects, some cringeworthy, but in the end a decent song, with a MAADDD bass towards the end.

Ain't About To Stop - Great, mad, song, with effects all over the place, Rita Ora's contribution is MAAADDDD. Love the multivocal chorus, followed by the dubstep effects. One of my favorites.

Like A Mack - 90s, Summertime kind of song, nice guitar, nice bitsounds, ... just love it; another one of my favorites.

This Could B Us - It wasn't the best song on AOA, and in the beginning, I absolutely hated this remix. Just way too many effects, that work against the theme of the song and the lyrics. I can only enjoy this song to a certain extent, when I listen to it in the context of the album, in the background, and when it grabs my attention halfway when the guitar solo starts.

Fall In Love 2Nite - What a fun, catchy, poptune. Never gave it this much attention, until it wound up on this album, and I love it more and more evertime I listen to it. Camille voice, nice background horns, nice melody. Fits the purpose of the album perfectly, but brings back the flow of the album to 'safe ground'.

X's Face - I have always loved Prince's more underground, experimental kind of stuff, like Dance With The Devil, Neon Telephone, or his version of 100 MpH. Also songs that wound up on Chocolate Invasion, like Supercute. X's Face gives me the same kind of feeling I have when I listen to many of his legendary outtakes. It's the kind of song that you can use to prove to your friends (as if one would want to...): he does this kind of dark stuff as well. AOA has U Know, HITNRUN has X's Face.

Hardrocklover - Great Song, we all know this one. Maybe the one song that stays closest to Prince's own sound.

Mr. Nelson - You know what, I kind of like this song, especially the second part. It's a nice segue. I enjoy it as much as the latter part of FunkNRoll on AOA. And the guitar solo blows it through the roof.

1000 X's and 0's - The way the title is written, is just so confusing. I liked the original version, I like this version. They have very different vibes. I just looooooooove the way the song is produced, with the hauting keyboard layers. Same vibe as Time; I like this song more, because I think the chorus in Time is just too damn repititive. Another one of my favorites.

June - Very nice closing song to support the atmosphere that was laid out in 1000 X's and 0's. It certainly is not my favorite song, but it's good enough.

There you have it.

Now I'm fully addicted to THIS COULD B US and MR. NELSON.....can't stop spinning those two.

-

THIS COULD B US settles into a mighty righteous groove at about 2:55.....man, that's like heroin for me!

-

And I love how MR. NELSON starts out in this heavenly, little, proto-Minneapolis passage before cart wheeling off into some weird little Arabian fantasy segment.

-

This is all pure Prince! I hate to bite KCOOLMUZIQ's style and all, but this album REALLY is a masterpiece!

stesa said:

I listened to the album a couple of times successively after it came out, and was already pleasantly surprised on first listen. Then I put it away for two days, and am listening to it again just now. Here is my review.

I agree with someone else who wrote earlier that this is a very radical and further exploration of the sound that was first experimented with on AOA. HUTNRUN makes AOA sound like classic Prince (in the vein of 20TEN, 3121, and what have you).

I, for one, am SO happy that Prince is finally exploring new ground - for him. I agree, the sounds and techniques are not NEW, groundbreaking, and often very much pastiche, but at least it is a new kind of Prince, an artist that has fun, creating a concise collection of songs that fit together.

Joshua Welton is there to make songs interesting that would previously sound like Lolita version-a-lot.

I can even stand the remix of This Could B Us, although I think that this is the biggest letdown on the album. The guitar solo makes it worthwhile to go through the diarreah of Welton's childish effects, though.

I was growing so tired of albums like 20TEN, 3121, Musicology, etc etc. which is strange to say, because I actually loved them when they came out. Even AOA sounds 'safe' in comparison, and it still contained Clouds, The Breakdown, songs that could as well have been on any of the previous albums. HITNRUN is a definitve step in a new direction.

Million & Show - Fun opening track, much like Art Official Cage, although this sounds more like a collaborative effort. It's shorter, more chaotic, but catchy in the meantime. Prince's contribution reminds me of Graffiti Bridge era songs, for one strange reason or another.

Shut This Down - This does sound like 90s Prince, and comparisons with My Name Is Prince are well in order. Some nice sound effects, some cringeworthy, but in the end a decent song, with a MAADDD bass towards the end.

Ain't About To Stop - Great, mad, song, with effects all over the place, Rita Ora's contribution is MAAADDDD. Love the multivocal chorus, followed by the dubstep effects. One of my favorites.

Like A Mack - 90s, Summertime kind of song, nice guitar, nice bitsounds, ... just love it; another one of my favorites.

This Could B Us - It wasn't the best song on AOA, and in the beginning, I absolutely hated this remix. Just way too many effects, that work against the theme of the song and the lyrics. I can only enjoy this song to a certain extent, when I listen to it in the context of the album, in the background, and when it grabs my attention halfway when the guitar solo starts.

Fall In Love 2Nite - What a fun, catchy, poptune. Never gave it this much attention, until it wound up on this album, and I love it more and more evertime I listen to it. Camille voice, nice background horns, nice melody. Fits the purpose of the album perfectly, but brings back the flow of the album to 'safe ground'.

X's Face - I have always loved Prince's more underground, experimental kind of stuff, like Dance With The Devil, Neon Telephone, or his version of 100 MpH. Also songs that wound up on Chocolate Invasion, like Supercute. X's Face gives me the same kind of feeling I have when I listen to many of his legendary outtakes. It's the kind of song that you can use to prove to your friends (as if one would want to...): he does this kind of dark stuff as well. AOA has U Know, HITNRUN has X's Face.

Hardrocklover - Great Song, we all know this one. Maybe the one song that stays closest to Prince's own sound.

Mr. Nelson - You know what, I kind of like this song, especially the second part. It's a nice segue. I enjoy it as much as the latter part of FunkNRoll on AOA. And the guitar solo blows it through the roof.

1000 X's and 0's - The way the title is written, is just so confusing. I liked the original version, I like this version. They have very different vibes. I just looooooooove the way the song is produced, with the hauting keyboard layers. Same vibe as Time; I like this song more, because I think the chorus in Time is just too damn repititive. Another one of my favorites.

June - Very nice closing song to support the atmosphere that was laid out in 1000 X's and 0's. It certainly is not my favorite song, but it's good enough.

There you have it.

Good review. I agree with a lot of it after a few days of listening. The sequencing is good and has made me tolerate Fallinlove2nite, X's Face and even TCBU a bit more. I still think Hardrocklover and 1000 X's & O's are the best 2 tracks by some considerable distance, probably because Josh hasn't over done it with his sound effects.

i played AIN'T ABOUT 2 STOP in the car last night for my daughter.

.

.

she said, "this makes me sad."

when i asked why, she replied, "prince is better than this." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!

!

!

!

mouth of babes

(also, that gigantic thumbs down warps this entire thread on my ipad, so if we could not? please? i get the sentiment but still.)

starkitty said:

(also, that gigantic thumbs down warps this entire thread on my ipad, so if we could not? please? i get the sentiment but still.)

starkitty said:

(also, that gigantic thumbs down warps this entire thread on my ipad, so if we could not? please? i get the sentiment but still.)

Opposed to thumbs?

Stranger said:

starkitty said:

i played AIN'T ABOUT 2 STOP in the car last night for my daughter.

.

.

she said, "this makes me sad."

Ok really, she said that ?

- then it's time for you to give her a little education...

Ain't About To Stop is good for dancing... (I guess, so... maybe you should show her? Most kids love to dance with their mom, right?),


all I no is... I loooove this funky track a lot..

.

After more times listening to it I was thinking a thing.....

.

If it was a "Maxi-Single or EP" in the kind of the "Gett Off EP" and "Cream EP" probably I would have looked at it with less expectations and with more goodwill, even tought it is evidence for me that it is one of his worst achievement.

.

But folks this is promoted and sold as "The new Prince Album".

.

[Edited 9/11/15 8:12am]

After getting into it a bit more:

MILLION $ SHOW - Intro is worse than someone ripping out pages of scripture and reading them backwards. #shittingonclassics #thisisartisticrape #addanetorap. I actually don't like Prince's vocals on this song, and would rather it just be Judith. Prince sounds like he just chain-banged 20 Pall Mall's.

SHUT THIS DOWN - I do like the vocal delivery but the lyrics are so awful. The song gets good at, "I'll get u, baby, all sweaty and hot." This is when he starts hinting at the forthcoming bass-gasm. The full-on bass-gasm at the end is absolutely murderous. I could throw someone down a flight of stairs when it comes on.

AINT ABOUT TO STOP - Being from Minne, I can't help but sing along to that part. I'm actually in the market for a Rockstar Salad Crusher, and I hope this is at the merch table when he finally tours this record in 2019. As with SHUT THIS DOWN, the best part is the bass portion at the end.

LIKE A MACK - I'm over the initial fits of laughter from hearing him sing, "club fulla thots," and can now hear this song for what it is: a pretty average throwaway. The super deep bass sounds great on a good system but it doesn't save the song.

THIS COULD B US - He needed something to slow the train down for a second, and this fits the bill, but it gets old pretty fast. THIS COULD B STUDIO TR-TR-TR-TRICKS.

FALLINLOVE2NITE - Comes in like breath of fresh, melodic air. It's better without Zooey's warble, and I agree with the Sleep Around comparisons.

X'S FACE - He's in great voice on this song. Also, he should have put this out as soon as he finished it because it was probably already on the verge of sour during mastering.

HARDROCKLOVER - I would never play it by itself, but it works contextually. Still feels silly hearing a 60 year old using words like "turnt" and "thots," with no sense of irony.

MR. NELSON - Still a puzzler. Why does the last portion sound like 80s car-chase music?

1000 X'S & O'S - I think this is my favorite. I'm a sucker for 90s R&B. The spoken word about the world being a bitch sometimes doesn't really cut it for me as a bridge. This song needs a better bridge and outro. I find myself wanting to hear him kill it with some vocal improvs but then he doesn't really go for it, even though the spare production leaves so much room to showcase his voice.

JUNE - I refer to this song as PASTA in my head. You know how there are just some words that don't belong in a song, no matter how sexy you try to sing them? This isn't much of a song to me but I do like to hear his personal reflections. Do you think he really wishes he was "born on the Woodstock stage?" It almost comes off like rockstar posing.

6/10