Prince
HITnRun Phase Two
(NPG)
Four stars
Always a prolific artist, Prince returns with his fourth album in less than 18 months. HITnRun Phase Two follows last September's release of Phase One.
And just as he did during his peak years, Prince is sure to divide fans with this release. There will be those who will see Phase Two as pure pastiche, and there will be some who will hail it as proof positive of the artist's continuing relevance.
The truth appears to lie somewhere in the middle. The album's opener, Baltimore, is about as good as Prince gets, laying a pointed political polemic over the funkiest of beats and sweetest of arrangements.
The song considers the simmering discontent in the American city last year, after Freddie Gray’s death in police custody sparked widespread protests and riots.
But there are problems elsewhere: Stare, with its sampling of Kiss – one of his multiple career peaks – feels like an artist who is running on empty. That said, it is hard not to succumb to Phase Two.
Even as the years march on, the musical environment Prince creates remains a lush and mostly fertile world.
nmarch@thenational.ae
