I've always waited to buy Prince until I could buy it locally. So Friday was my first full listen and it's been on basically non-stop.

On first listen (even though I've heard some of the songs before) it seemed kind-of boring and flat. Baltimore did nothing to me.

But like much great Prince it started to grow.

I can't believe how much I'm digging Baltimore. Even though I heard it before I never got into it. But damn, the way it builds!

I'm very much grooving on the CD as a whole.

Gave it the once over. Nothing special.

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I am different than most people with Prince releases. I take my time. I really am still playing "Age," "Plectrum," and "Phase One." I also bounce around from the new releases to older stuff. New Prince always makes me go back to older Prince because, to be honest, the new stuff is just nowhere near the caliber of older albums. So to be happy, after playing the new stuff, I put on "Parade" or "Dirty Mind."

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I am glad I never fully digest a new Prince album in a week or a month of its release. I take it slooooow. Man, it took me over a year to finally break into "The Railway Children" and like it.

Copped it today..1) "Baltimore"..Good message but not crazy about the tune..I do like the orchestration buildups...2)"R.A.R.L.A"..OK tune....3) "2Y2D"..OK tune, love the Wurlitzer organ....4)"Look At Me.."...Nice laid back jazzy/r&b tune..reminded me of Sly......5)"Stare"..Love the funk bass and drums on this...I like the snatches of "Kiss" and "Sexy Dancer"......6)"Xtraloveable"...Hadn't heard this one..slower and cleaned up to the older version....7)"Groovy Potential"...Nice funky rhythm guitar playing throughout.......8)"When She Comes"..Nice soul ballad in the vein of classic Al Green.....9)"Screwdriver"...Was never crazy about this song..lyrics are kinda corny but the guitars are cool..should have been on "Plectrum"....10)"Black Muse"..Nice r&b tune that reminds me of Sly from 1976..Cool bassline and I love the jazzy Stevie Wonder style breakdown....I really dig this song.....11) "Revelation"..A nice "quiet storm" slow jam..It almost reminds me of "I Hate U"/..very classic P......beautiful sax playing blended with some mellow Fender Rhodes.....NICE guitar solo...........12)"Big City"...Cool upbeat tune..reminds me (again) of Sly's "Heard You Missed Me" era.........I think P played drums on this throughout.....I like "Phase Two" way more than "Phase One". Better songs and a little more focused. Wasn't expecting anything huge, but I like it for what it is.