Each new Prince album – this is his 39th and second of 2015 (it was released just before Christmas ) – offers up hope of a return to form hinted at by his incendiary live shows. While patchy, the good news is that Phase Two is much better than its predecessor, offering up some classic Prince moments including political opener Baltimore, the horn-led workout Groovy Potential and the fantastic, sexually charged Xtraloveable. It’s telling, however, that the latter was originally demoed in 1982, while other songs here have already appeared in various forms. Unfortunately, some of the newer material – the embarrassing Stare, an aimless Big City – often feel like jam sessions looking for focus.
