Hit n Run Phase Two

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HITnRUN Phase Two
HitnRun Phase Two.jpg
Studio album by Prince
Released December 12, 2015
Recorded 2011–15
Genre Funk, R&B, pop
Length 57:59
Label NPG
Producer
Prince
Prince chronology
HITnRUN Phase One
(2015)HITnRUN Phase One2015		 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 12, 2015 for streaming and purchase[2] as a continuation of his previous album, HITnRUN Phase One.[3][4]

The album is available through the iTunes Store and for streaming on 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. The album was finally given a worldwide CD release on May 6, 2016 by Universal Records.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 63/100[6]
Review scores
Source Rating
Consequence of Sound C-[7]
The Independent 4/5 stars[8]
NME 4/5 stars[9]
Paste Magazine 8.8/10[10]
PopMatters 7/10 stars[11]
Pitchfork 4.7/10[12]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[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 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" (featuring Eryn Allen Kane).[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 Writer(s) Length
1. "Baltimore"   Prince 4:34
2. "RocknRoll Love Affair"   Prince 4:02
3. "2 Y. 2 D."   Prince 3:50
4. "Look at Me, Look at U"   Prince 3:27
5. "Stare"   Prince 3:46
6. "Xtraloveable"   Prince 5:01
7. "Groovy Potential"   Prince 6:17
8. "When She Comes"   Prince 3:46
9. "Screwdriver"   Prince 4:15
10. "Black Muse"   Prince 7:22
11. "Revelation"   Prince 5:21
12. "Big City"   Prince 6:25
Notes
  • "Baltimore" was originally released on Prince's Soundcloud in early May 2015; it was then re-released as an official single with additional horn and orchestra overdubs later in the month, which is presented on this album.
  • "RocknRoll Love Affair", originally called "Rock and Roll Love Affair" was originally released as a single in November 2012. The version presented on this album has added horn overdubs.
  • "Stare" was originally released as a Spotify exclusive track in September 2015.
  • "Xtraloveable", originally called "Extraloveable" was originally written for Vanity 6 and demoed in 1982 before being scrapped. It was then re-recorded featuring a rap segment by Andy Allo and released in November 2011 exclusively for iTunes to promote Prince's Welcome 2 Canada tour. The version presented on this album is the "Extralovable Reloaded" version with the rap omitted and horn overdubs added that was released on Prince's 3rdeyegirl.com website in June 2013.[14]
  • "Groovy Potential" was originally released through Prince's 3rdeyetunes.com website in August 2013.
  • "Screwdriver" was originally released as a single in February 2013.
  • The track listing was originally set as a continuation of Hit n Run Phase One,[15] with "Baltimore" as track 12; the album, as it exists on the Tidal website, is now split into a two-volume bundle.[16]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 117
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 7
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] 47
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[21] 38
French Albums (SNEP)[22] 34
Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 45
Italian Albums (FIMI)[24] 41
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[25] 41
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 50
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 21
US Billboard 200[29] 40
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[30] 5

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – HitnRun - Phase Two" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – HitnRun - Phase Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Prince. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – HitnRun - Phase Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – HitnRun - Phase Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  23. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 19, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – HitnRun - Phase Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – HitnRun - Phase Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Prince. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
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