If there’s one thing we can all agree on about Drake, it’s that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Drake has made a career by understanding the industry, knowing what people want and feeding it to them, one hit song after another. He knows his place as a rap mogul, being one of the biggest and most successful artists in the world.
This time around, the Toronto rapper decided to take a chance with his seventh studio album “Honestly, Nevermind,” arriving just a swift nine months after his last full-length album, “Certified Lover Boy,” which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Executive-produced by South African house DJ and previous collaborator Black Coffee, “Honestly, Nevermind” sees Drake trying his hand in lo-fi dance/house music while staying true to his signature R&B sensibilities.
After a brief, yet entrancing, album intro with a seductive saxophone section over moody, dreamlike pads, the album kicks off with “Falling Back,” properly introducing the listener to the wavy house soundscape that shapes the backbone of the project. While the bouncy, four-on-the-floor beat remains static through the majority of the song, this track contains one of the album’s catchier productions. Although, I was not too impressed with the vocal performance. Drake sings at his natural vocal tone in the first half, but as he reaches the track’s main hook — “Falling back on me” — he strains to hit a high note he can’t quite reach. Nevertheless, the track opens the album with lo-fi, danceable energy to really sink your teeth into.
The album then smoothly transitions into the bubbly “Texts Go Green,” where he reflects on a past relationship and changes his phone number in the process — hence the song name. This track also adds a bouncy, syncopated rhythm with a stripped-down drum beat, which is complemented by a muted piano passage that appears throughout the song.
While this beat is catchy through its minimalism and smooth vocals, it contributes to the central issue I find through most of the album — a lack of musical complexity. The album is rooted in a minimalist approach with its production — it is dance music, after all — but oftentimes a song ends with me wanting more, whether through more intricate layering of sounds or a more complex song structure. This lack of complexity might be a result of how quickly the album was released. However, this issue is not a dealbreaker; I still catch the vibe with each listen.
“Currents” is a step up in song structure, switching between a euphoric synth pad and choppy vocal samples that weave together nicely. Yet the beat is propelled by what sounds like a creaking bed mixed within the instrumental, essentially squeaking to the beat, which becomes wildly distracting as the song continues. The unusual sound effect has even stirred up controversy on social media amongst the album’s criticizers — Twitter users were quick to pick up on it and start the flow of memes.
Towards the middle of the album’s tracklist are some of project’s best moments, including the track “Massive,” which really hones in on the structure, build up and upbeat tempo of a club rave track. Suggesting an early-Daft Punk influence, the track shines with a bright staccato piano melody and gliding vocals that bring a joyous energy to the album experience. My personal favorite, “Flight’s Booked,” features a beautiful synth pad chord progression, which sits underneath Drake’s signature vocal sample refrain as another complementary element to the melody. That with the booming four-on-the-floor kick drum creates an ethereal experience, perfect for a late-night summer drive with the ocean out your window.
Near the end of the album, “Liability” leans toward an R&B sound that Drake has honed in over the years. This track is intentionally slowed and pitched down slightly, creating an alluring energy reminiscent of a SoundCloud or YouTube “slowed and reverb” remix of your favorite songs.
Despite their incredibly infectious energies, the two true-to-form hip-hop tracks from the album, “Sticky” and “Jimmy Cooks” featuring 21 Savage, disrupt the consistency of the dance vibe by sticking to a trap blueprint. To be fair, they are justified within the tracklist by giving the album the fresh bangers that are essential to any Drake project. It would not be a Drake album if it didn’t contain at least a couple party ragers.
This album is the perfect soundtrack for your next night ocean drive or a low-key weekend dance party. Beyond how the music sounds, the biggest takeaway from “Honestly, Nevermind” is that Drake didn’t show up this time to please everybody. This album shows that Drake is not going to repeat something he’s already done before — we don’t need that.
Drake came to push his musical versatility even further by giving the world something fresh, something new, despite anybody’s expectations. Most Drake fans might want him to continue releasing the trap and R&B hits he’s known for. But this daring new album showcases a generational icon choosing free creative expression and experimentation over people-pleasing. I believe this to be the key to a lasting artistic legacy, and for that, I tip my hat.
