Why did I review the album? I like Drake
Did I like it? Yes, but it
has a major flaw
Will I listen again? To some
tracks
I was going to review this album
a while ago, but I couldn’t sort my feelings. I knew I liked the album, but I
also knew there was something wrong. I didn’t like the songs as much as I
should. After listening to this album 5 times I finally sorted my thoughts.
In my Yeezus review I complained
that Kanye changed too much of his formula at once. And, I said that changing
the formula works best when an artist changes one aspect and leaves the rest
the same. In this case, Drake changes his delivery and leaves other variables
constant.
Now, here’s the problem with
that. For me, the delivery is the most important part of a rappers formula. Delivery can turn stupid lyrics into passable
ones, and passible ones into great lyrics. Essentially it can revert attention
away from what is said and focuses on how it is said. In this album I found
that drake disrupted his flow and delivery in order to make room for content.
So, why do I like this album? The
beats are still classic Drake and 40 collabos that I fell in love with long
ago. Also, if you strip away the (sometimes) lackluster delivery, there are
some gold mines and hints of pre LP Drake that allowed him to explode onto the
scene five years ago.
For me, the good outweighs the
bad. It goes back to what I said about changing the formula. Experimentation
with music works best when the artist changes one thing from his/her
repertoire. This formula works because it fosters innovation, but keeps enough
features consistent to avoid alienating the audience. Even if the person does
not like the element the artist changed, there is still enough of the original
artist in the song that the person will still like the song. At worst, the
person would notice the attempt to try something new and not like the song, but
appreciate the effort.
He did a dangerous thing toying
with his delivery, but there are still enough elements of the old Drake for me
to appreciate.
My Favs
3. Pound Cake/ Paris Morton Music 2
2. From Time
1. Tuscan Leather
Overall Rating: 70 with a recommendation to listen then decide
