Donald, aka Childish Gambino, is on a mission to prove he is good at everything. A modern day renaissance man, Glover is well known for his acting on shows/films such as Community, The Martian, and most recently, the FX show Atlanta (highly recommended). He is also a comedy writer, a stand up comedian, and as this review is going to attempt to convey, a multi-talented music artist. Musically, Glover is known for his rapping as displayed in his past two albums Camp and Because of the Internet. His latest album, Awaken, My Love! dropped on December 2nd and after listening to the previewed songs previously, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. The first detail I noticed was that there was no rapping and this is something that stands true for the entirety of the album.
At first, I wasn't exactly thrilled because I am such a fan of Gambino's lyricism and wordplay he uses through a rap medium. I had also seen a few reviews panning the album so I was pretty hesitant. However, after listen to the album in its entirety, I can not get enough of it. It is bizarre when compared to his other work, but in the best way possible. If I had to somehow categorize this effort into a genre, it would probably fit into psychedelic rock/soul. At times, it is incredibly funky and then a second later it is pure 70's rock. I can hear influences of Prince and even The Doors. Regardless, it is a trippy roller coaster ride that at some points I feel like could've made its way to the Woodstock stage back in the day.
Throughout the majority of the album, there are great choirs, fuzzy distorted guitars with reliance on a wah-wah pedal, fat bass guitar, unique usage of synthesizers, and tight drum samples. The instrumentation and use of it in interesting ways is probably the strongest part of this album, along with the production as a whole. One of my favorite tracks, "The Night Me and Your Momma Met" showcases a ukulele juxtaposed with an electric guitar hooked up to a wah-wah. "Baby Boy" uses a very odd, almost harpsichord-like sound that seems like it was pulled out of a cheap Casio keyboard from Wal-Mart. I never thought these combinations would work, but they do very well. You can hear the majority of these sounds throughout the album in its entirety, as well as an interesting take on vocals that I was not expecting. Lyrically, Gambino is still top notch, but the themes of unity, dreams and existentialism are something I likewise was not anticipating.
Gambino has a decent singing voice, a tenor that isn't overly powerful and can come off as a bit thin. However, he has shown his vocal chops on past songs and I thought they were pleasant sounding. Yet, on Awaken, My Love! he seems to take his voice into many different directions. In fact, the only song where I can actually hear the tone that I had previously associated with Gambino is displayed on the last track "Stand Tall" which is also one of my favorites. On other tracks, such as "California," he uses almost rap-like melody choices for the vocals mixed with a groovy, almost reggae musicality. On "Redbone," Gambino shows off some soul with a wailing, raspy tone with an almost wah-like effect on the track. The modulation is another interesting choice for production that seems a bit odd, but fitting at the same time. And maybe that is the best way to describe this album as a whole. It is peculiar, but it works. And as much of a fan as I am of Glover's work as an artist, particularly a rapper because of his keen awareness that he is a bit of an anomaly in that genre, I think this may be his best work to date because it shows that he is multi-dimensional and isn't afraid to move into unmarked territories. And it seems evident that this desire to break the mold is engrained in Glover's psyche through his many lines of work. I am incredibly excited for whatever he does next.
