![]() On Views, Drake is starting to sound a little weary of it himself. Eventually, people will get tired of the same old song if it's sung too often. Basically, Drake needs to lighten up and add some new colors to the paintbox, whether it’s songs about something other than his bummer love life (like the good times before the inevitable breakup), or the fabulous things that come from all the money and fame he never lets anyone forget he's accrued. And if he's never going to get the same respect that someone like Chance the Rapper gets, making records as self-pitying and self-serving as Views isn't going to do much to further Drake's career artistically, either. However, despite my rep, don’t expect this to be a total Aubrey bashing session when he’s good, he’s very, very good, one of the best in the modern era, in fact. Drake has not only arrived, he's taken over. But hey, I’m you’r friendly neighborhood Unbiased Album Reviewer, and every rapper on a pedestal must get chopped down to size. The track, like so many others made up of over-blown boasts, seems to be fighting a battle that was won long ago. Blige sample running through the track, but stumbles when Drake name drops Katy Perry and brags about wrecking marriages. A few other tracks connect, like the almost light-hearted "Feel No Ways," which makes good use of a stuttering Malcolm McLaren sample or, of course, the hugely catchy hit song "Hotline Bling." The nostalgic "Weston Road Flows" comes close, with the great Mary J. ![]() ![]() Still, these poppy moments feature Drake as the wounded lover, being treated poorly yet again. Of the songs that stand out, his uptempo, Caribbean-flavored duet with Rihanna ("Too Good") is the most enjoyable "One Dance," another song with a Jamaican dancehall feel, is another fun track. No matter how ably the production casts his raps and ballads in the best possible light, no matter how well the frequent use of chopped and swirled samples from '90s R&B songs fit in the mix, no matter that the occasional song rises up from the narrative and makes a splash, the album is a meandering, dreary rehash of what Drake has done before in much better fashion. Frankly, it's become as boring and annoying as a needle stuck in a groove. He's already delved deeply into his insecurities, lambasted all his exes, and displayed his fierce self-pride, never shying away from telling everyone exactly where he started and how far he's come. As before, he casts himself as both the melancholy bachelor looking out over the city from his penthouse manor, and the criminally underrated rap genius demanding his due, and it's one album too many for both personas. ![]() 2016's Views is another in a string of dour transmissions from the dark night of Drake's soul. It clocks in about the same run time, a full hour and 20 but feels significantly less tedious, with way more variety and rewards for those interested in entering Drake's world of generous Champagne pours, cold nights and private flights overseas.Since the release of his last non-mixtape/non-collaboration album in 2013, Drake has solidified his position as a pop music icon, scaling the charts, dominating gossip columns, and generally living the good life. Its highs are higher, and its lows are deeper and richer hued. Its bolder than Views in nearly every aspect. More Life is a celebration - of Drake's continuing victories over the lames and haters, of the real friends and family that have stuck with him along his rocky path to success, of life itself and all its occasional headaches. It's as good an introduction to the album as anyone could ask for. More life," Drake wrote in an editor's note on Apple Music. It came with a prayer: "More time with family and friends. After months of delays, Drake finally put the finishing touches on More Life, a playlist by October Firm, and shared it with the world on his OVO Sound Radio show Saturday via Apple Music. ![]()
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