Prolific Prince ready with album

Less than a year after releasing two albums simultaneously, Prince is ready with another that is "super-experimental," members of his accompanying band say.

Prince will call it "The Hit and Run Album," a reference to the pop icon's recent string of concerts which he announces on short notice.

3rdEyeGirl, the all-female trio that collaborated on one of his twin albums last year, revealed details of the project in an interview released Friday by BBC Radio 6 Music.

The band said the new album would come out "soon" and include "Hardrocklover," a driving funk song that Prince recently put online.

A member of the band -- which consists of Donna Grantis, Ida Nielsen and Hannah Ford Welton -- called the new album "super-experimental."

The album "definitely caters to those fans who just love to hear what Prince has to say, rather than wanting to always hear that classic 'Purple Rain' Prince sound," said one of the 3rdEyeGirl members, who was not individually identified.

3rdEyeGirl, which plays with Prince in concert, said it first heard the album at an after-party following Prince's private concert at the White House last month.

"It was all new music and everybody was having a good time, digging it. Little did we know that we were just jamming to a completely new album," a band member said.

The band said "The Hit and Run Album" was written by Prince with Joshua Welton, who is married to 3rdEyeGirl member Welton and co-produced Prince's 2014 solo album, "Art Official Age."

The 57-year-old's albums last year marked his return to label Warner after a legendary split nearly two decades earlier, when Prince wrote "slave" on his cheek and changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to protest contractual terms.

The long reclusive artist has become more engaged in recent months, releasing the song "Baltimore" that deplored a series of deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.

But Prince has maintained his reputation for unpredictability. He recently removed all of his work from streaming services other than Tidal, which is run by rap mogul Jay Z.
Source: AFP