I feel like I need to start this review with a disclaimer. I'm a Drake fan. I love all the things about him that people don't. I don't get tired of his singing. I usually like his content. I love his flow. I think he's witty and I've grown to appreciate his swag and the energy he comes with on his tracks. With that said, I'm not sure that it was ever possible for me to not like something about this album. I mean...it's DRAKE.
Ok...so here we go.
The unfortunate thing about Drake's career is that his success isn't based off of whether he's good or not. It's based off of whether or not he can live up to everyone's expectations after dropping that AMAZING...CLASSIC "So Far Gone" Mixtape. I'm not sure if "Thank Me Later" is better than that or not. Some of the songs are...some of them aren't. Some of them could have gone on the mixtape. LOLI have to admit, there's WAYYYYYY more singing on this album than I thought it would be. It's hard for me to compare his music to other artists because nobody really does what he does. It would be stupid to categorize his album and compare it to Weezy's, Kanye's or Hov's. They don't make R&B songs. I appreciate Drake's vocals so all the singing is not a drawback to me. I like it. :)
Just in case you don't want to read my opinion of every song...I'll say it now: the album is good. Is it worth paying $9.99+tax on June 15th? Hell yes. Is it better than "So Far Gone"? Umm...I think it's worth a discussion. But I will say this: If you liked "So Far Gone"...I don't see why you wouldn't like this. It's quite a bit of singing on both. They're both really smooth with Drake singing his own hooks and guests appearances from some of the most respected dudes in the game. There's a few songs that will get played in the club, but most of it won't. I like 9 of the 14 songs and the other 5 still have potential. (I've only been listening to the album since yesterday so there's still time.) Some of the best songs on the album are: "Over", "Unforgettable", "The Resistance", "Karaoke", "Shut It Down" and "Miss Me."
I think the lyrical content is decent. I mean...he's never really been making earth-shattering statements in his music but his ability to stay true to his reality is always something that I've appreciated. The day that he starts rapping about struggling in the hood, selling drugs, and killing people, will be the day that I stop listening to him because that's obviously not his life. He makes songs that I can relate to; the story of a young person trying to manage relationships, friendships, family, and success. He's the he 23-year-old that's trying to work hard and play even harder. On some of his songs you can't help but think, "Damn...is he talking about his life or mine?"One of my favorite things about Drake is his delivery. His flow is sick and his ability to spit a bunch of bars without breathing is impressive. He always knows when to start singing in the middle of rapping a verse. His vocal range is decent. I mean...obviously, he's no Marvin Gaye but I can't think of anyone else who has the versatility that he does. His success is based on the fact that there's really no one like him. And this album is further proof of that...whether you like it or not.
I just know that people are gonna listen to this album and say "This is wack. He's soft. I thought he was gon go harder than that." Stop lying. No you didn't. Go back and remind yourself of what you liked about "So Far Gone"...and realize that he did the same thing for this album. He's still telling the story of your life with catchy, melodic hooks and witty punchlines that either you appreciate or laugh at. Honestly, the Grammy-nominated Canadian kid hasn't changed a bit. This album could have been called "Still So Far Gone."
(Click on the picture above so that you can read Universal Records' Countdown for "Thank Me Later")If he didn't live up to your expectations, I'm not really sure where your expectations came from or what you were listening to before the album came out. If nothing else, the kid was consistent. Go BUY the album. He deserves it. I'm not sure what other artist are supposed to drop this year, but I'm pretty sure that this is gonna be one of the best albums of 2010.
So let's start with the singles. "Over" goes hard. I only needed to hear that song once to know that I loved it. I mean, the chorus had the grow on me but he spit two hot verses over a phenomenal beat. That was an obvious choice for a first single. I can't think of anything negative to say about it.
"Find Your Love" is a good song too. Yes, it's sounds like a leftover track from Kanye's "808s and Heartbreak" ...but I liked that album too so...yea. The lyrics are great. His singing is good and the song is just catchy as hell. If you hear it, you'll find yourself singing it, and then you'll need to hear it again. Next thing you know, it'll be your shit. LOL (Oh...and the video for this track is his best thus far...)
"Miss Me" featuring Lil' Wayne is the third single off of the album. As soon as I heard him say that Drake stands for "Do Right And Kill Everything"...I liked it. But then I heard the chorus, and I loved it. Everything about the chorus is genius. And then Wayne spits a verse...what more can you ask for?
"Fireworks" is the first track on the album. I didn't love the song at first but I gotta say, it is kinda growing on me. I feel like it would have been better without Alicia Keys...or maybe if she was saying something else. I don't know, something about her part is annoying to me. On the other hand, I did a little research and noticed that the first line of the song is: “Money just changed everything” and Drake previously stated that the first song on "Thank Me Later" will be the continuation of "Fear" which ends with “It’s funny how money can change everything." That's not really important but I think it's clever. (And it supports my opinion that this album could be called "Still So Far Gone" lol) Either way, "Fireworks" is OK.
"Karaoke" is such a "Drake song" lol. I feel like if he would have been successful at getting Sade to be on this album, this was the song that she would have been on. It's real mellow. The whole Karaoke theme is cool...the singing is good. I like it.
"The Resistance" is one of my favorites. This is one of the songs where I thought, "Wait a minute. Did I write this song?" lol My favorite line is when he says, "The people I don't have the time to hang with always look around and say the same shit...'You promised me you would never change.'" I can empathize with that struggle of trying to maintain friendships with people who aren't trying to grow, while you're working your ass off to become the best. It's a genius concept for a song and of course his delivery is on point. The way this song starts lets you know that it's gonna be a problem.
"Show Me A Good Time", which is produced by Kanye West, is another good one. The beat is cool...the lyrics are decent. The song is a good time.
As I said on twitter, I really bang with "Up All Night", which features Nicki Minaj. Drake's verse is alright. The beat is good. The chorus is great. I love when he does that little southern accent thing with certain words. Nicki's verse is poppin! I don't like her all the time but I like her on this. "Man for Pete's sake, scratch that, sweep stakes!" LOL
"Fancy" (Feat. TI and Swizz Beatz) is an OK song. I think the chorus could have been better. TI's verse isn't amazing but come on, it's still TI. The song doesn't really get good until Drizzy starts shouting out the girls in different cities at the end and then spits that last verse.
"Shut It Down" (Feat. The Dream) is a great song. I think it would have been better without The-Dream's verse.
"Unforgettable" (Feat. Young Jeezy) is one of, if not THEE best song on this album. Drake's verse is classic. The beat is crazy. The Aaliyah sample is catchy. The chorus is great. Jeezy's verse is sick. I hope that this is the 4th single.
"Light Up" (Feat. Jay-Z) is gonna have to grow on me. I feel like Drake could have came harder on this track. Hov's verse was OK. I was just expecting more from a "Drake and Jay-Z" song. It's not terrible, just not one of my personal favorites from either of these great artists.
"Cece’s Interlude" also has to grow on me. I'm just not sure why there's an interlude so late in the album. The singing is OK. I don't really feel one way or another about this one...
I really like the chorus of "Thank Me Now." I think the concept of the song makes it a clever way to end the album. I'll have to spend a little bit more time with the verses to see how much I really like the whole song.
Last but not least, I heard that the "9AM in Dallas" freestyle is gonna be a bonus track on the album. He goes in and really spits on this song. I wish he would have taken the time to create a chorus/another verse and made this a legitimate song on the album.
So....there it is. I love the album. You could thank him now. Or you could thank him later...on June 15th, to be exact.
(I only downloaded the leaked version because I couldn't wait. I'll DEFINITELY be buying it in 2 weeks.)
Les Is More.
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