Prince: HITnRUN phase one album review

I woke up bright and early this morning on my bathroom floor.  I wiped the dried vomit from my face, changed my clothes into something more flannel and hopped onto the old computer, very cognizant of the fact that today marks the release of Prince’s new album HITnRUN phase one.  I knew you loyal readers would be chomping at the proverbial bit to hear my thoughts on this latest work so I turned the volume up and set fingertips to sticky keyboard keys in an effort to adequately explain my thoughts. 

Right away I must question the logic of starting the album with clips from other famous opening P tracks like For You, 1999 and Let’s Go Crazy.  Similar to the clips at the end of Musicology it can be dangerous to remind the listener of such stellar tracks while premiering new untested ones.  Still, MILLION $ SHOW is a bubbly attention grabbing track, so bubbly it’s like a pleasant version of spilling a gallon of shampoo in my eyes.  I love this melody.  Initial impressions are that it makes me happy (though maybe not as much as headscissors).  It’s a bit shocking that Prince almost doesn’t sing at all on this song aside from a little rap like part in the middle.  Instead the vocal parts are given to Judith Hill who does have a great spirited voice.  Its such bright song, already stuck in my diseased brain.  The Kid always does right with the openers and this is no exception. 

SHUT THIS DOWN sees Prince pushing his voice in the style of My Name is Prince; a refrain also reminds me a bit of Chococlate Box.  I can hear all the production techniques that controversial co-producer choice Joshua Welton has added to this sound.  But I quite like them on this track, save maybe the sampled voices.  Holy shit, that bass solo is incredible.  This is a stormer and creates a great one-two (fruit) punch to start the album with. 

AIN’T ABOUT TO STOP really sounds nothing at all like Condition of the Heart but the way he starts off each verse kind of trembly in his higher register makes me think of one of part of that other song.  This is a very crunchy tune, carrying over the braggadocio of the last song.  I’m not sure how much I like the middle eastern style synth (I’m guessing it’s a lot) but I’m pretty sure I don’t like the pitched low vocals that repeat the chorus line.  But then I love the nutty bridge breakdown thing with the bass and synth and all kinds of goo-dads and slee-slorks going on!  Damn, this sounds great with the volume high and me slamming my face into the wall until I draw blood.  Surprisinglyaggressive song.  Sometimes some good ol’ fashioned chaos (and disorder) can rescue things.  There are eccentricities which I appreciate (a la the extended version of Partyman, still one of the all-time classics) and I sense this song will grow on me like fungus, especially when taken in context of the whole album. 

LIKE A MACK comes on and this is slick, hot funk!  I’ll blast this is in my car while on the way to a Latin themed club.  I love those horns!  Damn I love dem horns!  I love that guitar part too but it is a bit of prototypical guitar funk that I sense Prince could do in his sleep!  Maybe he recorded this song while sleeping, which would be wild.  I dig that ending too, give me horns and synth and smooth funk and I’m happier than a mangy dog rolling around in a pile of steaming pig shit!  After more listens I love this tune.  Great modern Prince funk.  All these guest stars originally gave me pause but Curly Fryz (who the hell?!) actually kills on this one.  And holy moly does that chorus guitar and horn hit me like a sack of hammers!  Easily my favorite so far and I’ll add it to any mix and play it all my future dinner parties. 

I didn’t look at the title of track 5 and when the Purple One started it up by asking “Are you ready?” my first response was oddly not a pointed answer to his question but an intrinsic reaction of noted familiarity.  Had I not heard this beginning recently on another song?  Then I remembered what I’d forgotten (the boiler is going to explode!): For some inexplicable reason HitNRun phase one features a remix of the song This Could be Us from last year’s Art Official Age.  Those who know me best know that was one of my favorite tracks from that disc and unfortunately I do not care much for the remix.  There is a nice searing guitar solo on this version but I’m not sure it fits with the vibe of the song – even the weird compromised vibe of this version.  Overall this tune kills my buzz a little bit.  Though while I was in my kitchen pouring myself a glass of orange juice I listened through the walls and realized this remix does fit well on this album.  I’m still not into it though.  I don’t force anything. 

The next song also starts with a question but this actually brings my buzz back like I’d just chugged an entire bottle of Patron Silver.  Savvy fans know that FALLINLOVE2NITE (Darn it’s hard to write out the titles to his songs) actually premiered on New Girl after some Superbowl or some game or something one or two years ago.  I have loved that tune ever since and feared it would never make its way onto an album proper.  So imagine my perverse delight to find it here!  This is the perfect purple panacea for the pain that the previous pandering and pestiferous remix brought to my perforated (gages) ears.  It’s just such a cute tune, sort of throw-back and yet futuristic at the same time.  Its jaunty, it swings, it’s simple and frothy.  It’s so light and airy it almost disappears entirely but while it’s on I love it to pieces.  I’ll listen to this while driving through the city at night.  My second fave on the album.  The cute Camille-esque voice is always a winner (where I am so obviously a loser). 

Holy mackerel, X’S FACE starts up so heavy with that synth and falsetto.  Not sure how I feel yet, the groove might be a little too angular.  Okay, now he drops the register like I drop after being set on fire and I can feel it a little more.  Still, that groove is almost Nailsish but it’s not really going anywhere.  Or is it?  Oh, but that little breakdown is real nice.  Not sure….

Man, HARDROCKLOVER lays it on great and thick with the guitar heroics and the trademark screams.  I’m not sure I like the production, a little modern and arena yearning but this song does hit that spot of sweetness that makes me crank the volume and drink a six pack of Chucklin’ Cherry Squeezits!  Those guitar solos soar into the clouds!

Which is a fantastic segue to the next song MR. NELSON, which sounds to all the world like a remix of Clouds from Art Official Age.  Clouds was another of my favorite tunes from that release so at least he’s retreading over the ones I dig.  And unlike the aforementioned This Could be Us remix, this one makes me feel good.  It’s easier to think of it more as a musical segue than a flow blown song but I hear some Caribbean xylophone do-blads and disco hall grooves.  I can blast this no problem.  It almost reminds of the extended remix things on the Diamonds and Pearls singles, maybe something from the Cream remixes. It works quite well as a followup to the hard rock of the last track.  Never underestimate the importance of sequencing in an album.

        

1000 X’s & O’s is straight R n B which is not always the easiest genre for yours truly to get into as my background is full of scorching death metal and polka laden Germanic folk songs.  Good gravy, that bass is groovy though.  I am going to learn that line and play it for 47 hours straight.  I think this song will sound lumberjack slammin’ once its off my fifth rate computer speakers and on the old Sony Stereo.  It’s only ok though. 

JUNE.  Finale.  Sweet and refreshingly understated.  Great slow jam.  Must be the pasta. Oh, and I can’t tell if that little bass flourish is a bass guitar or synth bass but it makes me drool.  

I have no clue how thes thoughts may change over the coming miserable years of my worthless life.  The excitement of a new Prince album is always an intense thing and my feelings shall surely morph and evolve though who can say if is shall be for the better or worse?  Does the “phase one” in the title mean more music of this type is to come?  Or will he will lose interest and move on?  Will he keep Josh (and 3rdEyeGirl) around or try something or someone new?

Overall this album feels almost like a mixtape or a flipside to Art Official Age and that’s not a bad thing.  It’s a fast, intense slab of electronica, funk and rock.  It felt a bit like downing an extra sugary fruit drink and jumping around for 40 minutes.  The album starts so strong and beautifully and kind of flubs in some parts but overall I find this an exciting work.  It does not immediately strike me as a major album in his catalogue but it does strike me as a compelling and interesting one.  I’ll take it!