At this point of his career, the word "prolific" is attached to
Gucci Mane
almost as often as "Atlanta" and "trap." So it's a surprise that it took two years and a whole lot of soul-searching for the prolific Atlanta trap godfather to complete his official 16th full-length,
Breath of Fresh Air
. Unlike past albums, this one is notable for being one of
Gucci
's more "positive" LPs, an intentional pivot that came as a result of the numerous high-profile deaths and imprisonments of his close friends and mentees. Indeed, the album lives up to the title and is one of his most accessible and enjoyable sets to date, packed with nostalgic samples, refreshing production, and his ever-reliably quotable bars. While the wanton violence and anger has been toned down slightly, the sober family man hasn't been declawed by any means. The beats hit hard, the sex is still explicit, and his guests more than make up for his occasional laid-back approach. Highlights include "Thank Me," which features a posthumous appearance by one of his aforementioned fallen comrades,
Young Dolph
, and production by
Kori Anders
so popping it'll put a stank face on the hardest of critics; the head-bobbing earworm "There I Go" with
J. Cole
and
Mike WiLL Made-It
; and the Disc 1 bookends "Must Be Me" and "Stomach Grumbling," two of
Fresh Air
's main thesis statements. Disc 2 features standouts like the dramatic, string-laden "06 Gucci" with
DaBaby
21 Savage
and the
Zaytoven
-produced singalong "Say No Mo." Even though it's marketed as a "new positive"
,
shouldn't worry longtime fans wondering if he's seen the light and switched to gospel: this is yet another collection of rousing, engaging trap from a master veteran who knows exactly what his loyal fan base demands. ~ Neil Z. Yeung