Prince
HITnRUN phase one

Just a year after the release of two very different albums, Art Official Age and Plectrum Electrum, Prince returns with the 2015 album: HitnRun Phase One. Maybe there will even be a Phase Two by the end of 2015, who knows!?

Key point: In 2015, a review of a new Prince album should be written by someone who has never listened to his previous discography. Because if you know a lot about the old Prince, it will be inevitable to get trapped in the usual clichés—one above all, the unreachable Prince of the '80s.

Unfortunately, I am a devotee of the purple army, but I tried to free myself from the past when I started listening to this album and consequently writing this review.

An initial consideration.

I get the impression that he wasn't very satisfied with the previous work Art Official Age and quickly wanted to correct his aim. An example of this is the remix of the track This could B us already contained in the previous work but, in my opinion, not very incisive. On the new album, it definitely works better, with a nice electric guitar finale. To be fair, I consider the previous Art Official Age to be Prince’s worst album. Whenever I try to listen to it, I really struggle to get past the first three excellent tracks.

But let's move on to the new record and leave the past aside.

The first track, Million $ Show, is almost a joke, starting with three quotes from past songs and then beginning with a mid-tempo featuring a cute finale with prominent horns. It's not particularly effective but could grow on you over time, more to be considered an Intro to the album.

The next two tracks, however, feature modern and bold sounds, especially Ain't About 2 Stop. Prince is in great shape, with incisive bass, nice choruses, and powerful rhythms. All good, I'd say—when you look around, writing songs of this caliber isn't something other artists can easily manage!

And then comes This could B us—see the above comment. Besides the nice electric guitar finale, the part with the piano makes it at times hypnotic and evocative. It's nice!

If it were a 33 RPM old school record (a term so dear to Prince), I would say we have listened to the A-side of the album.

The B-side starts with a delight, in my humble opinion. Fallinlove2nite might seem like a trifle at first, but it grows with each listen. You could also call it easy pop, but it's a very pleasing composition.

Followed by the tracks X's Face and Hardrocklover, good efforts, perhaps a little affected and even experimental at times. We then reach Mr. Nelson, another track that incorporates quotes from the previous Art Official Age. I find this track exceptional in its second half, with a beautiful keyboard featuring oriental touches and a final guitar solo including an encore. Really nice, explosive in the finale. We then softly reach, almost suspended in the air (because the album touches very pleasant sensations in this section), 1000 X's & 0's, a sensual track full of soul and charm.

We come to the conclusion with June, almost a non-song, intimate with Prince whispering personal sensations in a confessional tone.

The album lasts less than 40 minutes, and overall I found it enjoyable. It’s new, fresh, modern, and even a bit minimalist. Prince in this album does not offer usual tracks, but rather refined and experimental ones. Little delights, why not!