Over 30 albums in to his career, Prince is still finding new ways to surprise listeners and be funky.
“Stare,” his latest single from The Hit & Run Album, is a dramatic turn from the first single “HARDROCKLOVER.” Where “LOVER” was sparse and psychedelic, “Stare” is full-bodied and energetic. Prince goes in for nearly four minutes over a busy horn section and a drum shuffle reminiscent of The Time.
Prince uses this crowded track to reference one of his most notoriously minimalist songs, 1986’s “Kiss.”
The most interesting decision, however, might be the way Prince chose to release “Stare.” It’s streaming on Spotify, making it the only Prince track on the service after he pulled his entire discography and moved it to Tidal earlier this month.
These all-over-the-place artistic and commercial decisions are what should be expected of Prince, and it certainly falls in line with what 3rdeyegirl said about the album in an interview with BBC 6 Music.
“Super hardcore Prince fans that know every song he’s ever recorded — we refer to them as ‘The Purple Collective’ or ‘The Purple Army’ — this album is absolutely for them, because it’s super funky. It’s weird. There’s a lot of experimental sound.”
The new album will drop before the year is out.
(via FACT)
