Hit n Run Phase Two

HITnRUN Phase Two
Studio album by Prince
Released December 12, 2015
Recorded 2011–2015
Genre Funk, R&B, Pop
Length 57:59
Label NPG
Producer
Prince
Prince chronology
HITnRUN Phase One
(2015)		 HITnRUN Phase Two
(2015)

HITnRUN Phase Two is the thirty-ninth and final studio album by American recording artist Prince and the last to be released before his death on April 21, 2016.[1] It was initially released exclusively on the Tidal streaming service on December 11, 2015 for streaming and purchase[2] as a continuation of his previous album, Hit n Run Phase One.[3][4]

The album is available through the iTunes Store and for streaming via Apple Music.[5] Prince confirmed on Twitter that a physical CD would be released during a weekend of Paisley Park shows in January 2016. The CD was given away to attendees of the shows on the Australian and New Zealand leg of the Piano & A Microphone tour. A CD release occurred in Australia, with physical copies available at JB Hi-Fi retail shops. A previously recorded track featuring a duet between Prince and Nicki Minaj entitled "Damn Skippy" missed the cut of this album. The album was finally given a worldwide CD release on 6th May 2016, to mark the final album release by Prince after his death. HITnRUN Phase Two was released via Universal Music.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundC-[7]
The Independent[8]
NME[9]
Paste Magazine8.8/10[10]
PopMatters[11]
Pitchfork4.7/10[12]
Rolling Stone[13]

HITnRUN Phase Two received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, based on 13 reviews.[6]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone, Kory Grow praised the album as being one of Prince's "most consistently engaging album in years, blending in echoes of the ghosts of Prince past (à la “Sexy MF” and “Come”) while still sounding refreshingly modern."[13] Holly Gleason, writing for Paste Magazine also notes Prince's return to his previous sound, while also commending him for his social commentary on the album, such as on the track Baltimore.[10] Matthew Horton, writing for NME, also comments on Prince's return to a familiar sound: stating that HITnRUN Phase Two is "reconnecting him with the funkiest (and occasionally crunkiest) essentials, if not always his superior sense of melody."[9] While Andy Gill, writing for The Independent, described Phase Two as surprising, coming on the heels of Phase One, which "elicited such mediocre reviews and poor chart placing."[8] Comparatively, Gill praises Phase Two, noting that it "may be Prince’s best album in a decade or two, and certainly the most confident and agreeable confirmation of his qualities for many a year." Gill also commends "Baltimore" as a standout track on the album.

Chris Gerard, writing for PopMatters, was unimpressed with HITNRUN Phase One, but was cautiously positive regarding Phase Two, arguing: it "boasts enough classic Prince moments to sufficiently wash the worst memories of its vapid predecessor out of fans’ memory banks permanently."[11] Gerard concludes that the album is a mix of old, redeveloped tracks and new creations that were not intended to work together in one cohesive album; yet, notes: "That in itself isn’t a problem—some of Prince’s best works have been similar hodgepodge collections of diverse material."[11] Gerard concludes that while Phase Two is not one of Prince's best albums, it is nonetheless "worthy of his name."[11]

David Drake, of Pitchfork, described the album as "underwhelming" stating, "From beginning to end, Prince seems more interested in establishing his proficiency with pop forms, demonstrating his facility with the materials to craft, as it were, a sturdy wooden table. Rather than an artist's interpretation, we get a craftman's tracing."[12] Geoff Nelson, notes that Phase Two is "all too aware of itself" while writing for Consequence of Sound.[7] Nelson notes the songs, "Xtraloveable", "Screwdriver", and "When She Comes" fail to express the sexuality as intended and instead come across as "Prince doing Prince, a cut-rate version of his once iconic fecundity."[7]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Baltimore"   4:34
2. "RocknRoll Love Affair"   4:02
3. "2 Y. 2 D."   3:50
4. "Look at Me, Look at U"   3:27
5. "Stare"   3:46
6. "Xtraloveable"   5:01
7. "Groovy Potential"   6:17
8. "When She Comes"   3:46
9. "Screwdriver"   4:15
10. "Black Muse"   7:22
11. "Revelation"   5:21
12. "Big City"   6:25
Notes

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 117
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 7
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[19] 38
US Billboard 200[20] 116
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 28
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] 8

References

  1. ↑ "Prince Releases 'HITNRUN Phase Two' Album on Tidal". Billboard. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "HITnRun imagery". Tidal.com. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  3. ↑ "Prince surprise releases new album HITNRUN Phase Two". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Prince Releases HITNRUN Phase Two". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "HITnRun Phase Two". iTunes.com. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  6. 1 2 "Reviews for HitNRun: Phase Two by Prince". Metacritic. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Nelson, Geoff (18 December 2015). "Prince – HITNRUN Phase Two". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 Gill, Andy (14 December 2015). "Prince, HITnRUN Phase Two, album review: This is like the blind date from heaven". The Independent. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 Horton, Amtthew (16 December 2015). "Prince - 'HITnRUN Phase Two'". NME. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 Gleason, Holly (18 December 2015). "Prince: HITnRUN Phase 2". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Gerard, Chris (14 December 2015). "Prince: HITNRUN Phase Two". Pop Matters. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 Drake, David (8 January 2016). "Prince: HITNRUN Phase Two". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 Grow, Kory (14 January 2016). "HitnRun Phase Two". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Geslani, Michelle (2013-06-20). "Prince unveils "Extraloveable Reloaded", new version of long, lost song". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  15. ↑ "Prince Surprise-Releases New Album, ‘HITNRUN Phase Two’". Spin. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  16. ↑ "Tidal - High Fidelity Music Streaming". Tidal. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  17. ↑ "Bowie and Prince Prove Death Is Still The Best Marketing Tool". Noise11. May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – Hit n Run - Phase Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – Hit n Run - Phase Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Prince. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Prince. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
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