I donโt think I need to reiterate just how much Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover is killing the game, at this point it should just be self evident. Following up his highly successful, and first major production, first season ofย Atlanta,ย he drops off his first major album in almost three years. And just as the direction of his first comedy series was largely unexpected, so was the surprising direction he went withย Awaken, My Love!
At this point I think itโs safe to expect the unexpected from Gambino. He seems to be a creative in the purest sense of the word, unafraid to experiment and take risks for the sake of creative satisfaction.ย Awaken, My Love! is a prime example of that. I, like I assume most of his fans, expected to hear a hip-hop album.ย I know heโs always experimented, flirting with pop, electronic, and R&B sounds, but still remained at his core, hip-hop.ย Awakenย is a straight up 70โs era inspired funk album, undoubtedly heavily influenced by artists like Rick James and Funkadelic. Once you get past the initial shock of what youโre hearing, there is some very good stuff here. โRedboneโ, โMe And Your Mamaโ, and โBaby Boyโ are all fantastic endeavors into that time period. Full of all the ethereal voices, psychedelic guitars, and jam breakdowns youโd expect from something from that era; all the songs faithfully adhere to the sounds of the time and genre. But therein lies my biggest gripe withย Awaken. Itโs too faithful to his inspirations and doesnโt inject enough of the levity and personality Gambino has become known for, he gets lost in the times.
โWeโre coming out to get you
Weโre all so glad we met you
Weโre eating you for profit
There is no way to stop it
You will find there is no safe place to hide, hideโ
Thereโs not a single rap bar to be found here. Itโs all singing, all the time. Gambino isnโt a terrible singer by any stretch of the imagination but he isnโt a terrific singer either. His best moments singing on his last projects always came from the fantastic melodies they added to his rapping; these here can wear their welcome out. Iโve always liked him for his unique perspective in the rap game, speaking on things and issues largely ignored by the mainstream sound, giving a whole segment of the culture a newfound voice. That same sentiment canโt be said for whatโs onย Awaken, My Love! The content is largely vapid and only made up for by the sheer sincerity and commitment he gives.
Have you heardย Awaken, My Love!? Whatโd you think about it? Do you think it was a successful experiment? Or was it more imitation than innovation? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your rating for the album.
