PART 1 – DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
I did believe the hype! I bought the promo work that had been done for months before the release of the latest Prince album “HITnRUN” Everywhere you could read that the album was to be released exclusively on streaming service, the Jay Z owned Tidal. Some one at the PR-company of Tidal must have had the best laugh in their life. Exclusively on Tidal – sorry to say so – that’s bull…. and we bought and sadly still buys the hype!
Lets clear things up. The album HITnRUN was exclusively releases as Tidal-only release the 7th of september. Price latest album was released exclusively on Tidal for one week. I repeat for one week only! Exactly a week later, the 14th of september, the album HITnRUN was released on iTunes Store, where you could support the artist – and actually buy the version, instead of streaming only – and download it on you Apple product or PC. The album was released on CD the 15th of September. Probably vinyl also. The album is not possible to stream on Apple Music. As soon as I discovered the album was on iTunes I bought the album – and freaking love it!
The Tidal deal has made Prince releases all his albums on Tidal, including albums previous only available on his NPG Music Club. Albums that has only had a few listeners – can now be streamed exclusively on Tidal. It´s off course a fab way to release much sought after albums, and albums that has for long time been bootlegged (if you did not purchase the album through NPG Music Club back in the day). It’s fabulous to see all albums lined up. Every single album lined up on one place. That´s 36 albums buy the worlds biggest artist!
Spotify has no Prince albums. Itunes Store has “HITnRUN”, ART OFFICIAL AGE, PLECTRUMELECTRUM, and some of his ’00 albums, some of his ’90s albums, and all of his ’80 and ’70s albums in its catalogue. The winner his is without doubt Tidal!
To sum up this part; Prince “HITnRUN” is NOT only available on Tidal. You CAN purchase it on iTunes, you CAN purchase the physical copies. You can listen to the album (almost) wherever you like
PS! I do not have Tidal myself just to have every single album by Prince in one place, but have Spotify and Apple Music subscriptions + I own every album released physically up to “20TEN” on CD, and Vinyl. The three latest Prince releases have been bought on iTunes!
PART 2 – PRINCE IS BACK ON THE THRONE!
So how does “HITnRUN” sound? The album sounds like a Prince album pimped up with todays sounds. It’s unmistakingly a Prince album, even though he has co-production on the album by Joshua Welton. Josh Welton did also co-produce the Art Official Age album. For a long time Prince fan it made my jaw drop to the floor. Prince – gets production help – what happened! Actually not much, Josh has without doubt the musical legacy of Prince in his blood. It sounds unmistakably like a Prince record – with hints of ’90s and ’00 house and club music. The help from Joshua Welton has spawned very much attention – and some roll the dice and gives the album a 1 – others give it a 6, on the other side the Prince albums of the ’90s and early ’00s has been getting mixed reviews. It’s something we have learned to live with when it comes to Prince and his releases.
Being a Prince fan one may think that every record Prince release is pure gold and class. But no, there has been both misses and hits in his catalogue. In my Prince-loving heart it has been 11 years since the release of a classic Prince album, Musicology. You may disagree with me, and that’s no problem for me!
Prince steals from his own catalogue; Where and what is up to the listener to find out my findings is My Name Is Prince, Get On The Boat, Screams of Passion, Papa, 80s Prince, 90s Prince, ’70s prince. He borrows from modern soul stars like Miguel, Justin Timerlake, Pharrell, Dornik, D’angelo who again has Prince as their musical muse. 90s house, 70s disco, Dubstep Prince tweaks his own voice, auto tune – but he is doing it with class and style, and not letting it take over the sounds every one knows as Prince. An all female league guests the album Lianne La Havas, Judith Hill, Rita Ora and Curly Fryz!
Thanks to Josh Welton Prince dares to flirt and spice up his unmistakably Princesque production. HITnRUN sounds like an album prince has been working to release the last 10 years. From 3121, Planet Earth, LotusFlow3r / MPLSound, 20Ten, Plectrumelectrum and to Art Official Age – if you rip those albums apart bit by bit, and put them carefully together again as one album – you’ll get HITnRUN! Princes latest album is the sound of Prince having fun!
Prince sum up his HITnRUN best on the intro to the first track, were he samples his own For You, 1999 and Let’s Go Crazy;
All of this and more is for you…
Don’t worry I won’t hurt you I only want you to have some fun…
Dearly beloved we´re gathered here today to this thing called…
Read and Hear 