Drake’s Honestly Nevermind Is…
A good time. Though not Drake’s best project overall, the album does have some highs, notably with “Sticky” & “Massive”. Though I don’t love every song, I can say with the greatest of confidence that every beat found on the record is fantastic. The album seems to try to bring back house music from its hiatus in Europe. It can now rest back in mainstream black America, a place it hasn’t flourished in since the 90’s.
Honestly Nevermind, is a good Drake album. While not typically what you would call Drake’s usual bag, this housey/dance side of him can be appreciated like it has in the past. Glimpses of this type of music can be heard sprinkled across projects like More Life. My mind also associates the sounds of Honestly Nevermind with the Drake & Dj Khaled collab single “To The Max” , another club banger. Even still, while some of the songs on this newest album shine, some tracks do fall short. Criticism from regular music listeners claim the album sounds mostly the same. I can attest to this in some ways.
Overall the vibe of Honestly Nevermind is uplifting and dancy. I think too many people dislike it for being different, and for that reason, cling to the final track for its normalcy. I enjoy the album most when it reaches furthest. Drake made a cool, and different, expressive piece. Honestly Nevermind dissects feelings of love and lust, newfound relationships along with break ups. Though I am sure we all secretly wish for a Views 2, it is nice to see Drake experimenting with different things.
Though I do appreciate each song blending seamlessly into the next, there are some songs that seem more like a rough draft than a finished product (“Falling Back” for one). Many fans regard the 21 Savage team-up, “Jimmy Cooks” , as one of the better songs. I disagree. I think they enjoy it due to the comfortability they have with normalcy the track brings. Personally I find the verses to be average. The hook follows suit. The only saving grace to me is the “Rest in peace to Drama King,” line within the hook. The track isn’t even sound sonically appealing. “Jimmy Cooks” is a basic song to end an album on a ‘high-ish’ note, so that fans feel more comfortable ingesting something different. I like different though.
The reason this album is special is because it’s different. I embrace it for this. Honestly Nevermind embodies late night drives up the shore for me. It reminds me of NYC views while driving through the hilly Highlands. True highs on the album for me were (the aforementioned “Sticky” & “Massive” , along with) “Tie That Binds, “A Keeper” , and “Liability” . A love song, “Tie That Binds” , has some of my favorite sounds on the album. The guitar invades during the beat breaks in the most beautiful way. Then on the back end of the song the guitar is aided by Caribbean vocals. Truly a spectacular track and should be spoken about by the mainstream audiences more!
Hand in hand with this album is Beyoncé’s newest single, “Break My Soul” , another housey/dance track. I’m curious to know how you feel about the album and this shift in music. Which artists you would look forward to dipping their toes in this pool of fun? Some artists I think would do well here would be Kanye West, Frank Ocean (if he ever decided to make music), and Rihanna, among others. These three very much lead the generation when it comes to sounds and have been known to make things considered different but successful on their own respective projects. Talk to me about all of this and more @theB985!