After the huge commercial and artistic success of his last album,
Thank Me Later
,
Drake
threatened/promised that his next album would be a straight-up R&B record that forsook rapping for vocals. The plan fell through, but his 2011 album
Take Care
has the feel of a late-night R&B album, full of slow tempos, muted textures, impassioned crooning, and an introspective tone that is only rarely punctured by aggressive tracks, boasts, and/or come-ons. For the most part, increased success hasn't done much to improve
's mood, as he details his failures at love, his worries about living a hollow life, and his general malaise.
's longtime producer/partner
Noah "40" Shebib
did most of the production work, and he surrounds
's voice with murky beats, layers of dusky synths, and moody guitars that fit
's voice perfectly; the two work together to create a thick mood of melancholy. When other producers take over, there is a definite shift in mood.
Boi-1DA
gives "Headlines" a jaunty synth line that
matches with his strongest rap,
T-Minus
brings some booty bass to the thoughtfully sexy
Nicky Minaj
feature "Make Me Proud,"
Just Blaze
builds "Lord Knows" around some majestic samples that let
brag like a boss, and
Chase N. Cashe
take things one step further toward R&B by creating a late-night after-hours club feel on the bittersweet "Look What You've Done" (which features a phone message left for
by his grandmother). The album's most unique track, "Take Care," features
Jamie Smith
of
the xx
working with
Shebib
on an (almost) uptempo, (almost) danceable song that has a typically great vocal from
Rihanna
. The super-moody collaboration with
the Weeknd
on "Crew Love" is another highlight, though it does point out the problematic fact that
beats
out in the vocal department. The collabo with the predictably brilliant
Andre 3000
and
Lil Wayne
also point out
's shortcomings as a rapper. Though he drops the occasional line that dazzles ("All my exes live in Texas like I'm
George Strait
"),
is a middle-of-the-pack rapper at best. His true strength, as
proves over and over, is his willingness to delve deeply into his emotions and the ability to transmit them in such a simple and real fashion that it's easy to connect with him even if your life isn't filled with glamorous exes, hangs with
Stevie Wonder
(who adds some harmonica to "Doing It Wrong"), and gold owls. It's an important achievement, and his success might mean that the world was ready for the first emo rapper.
hinted at it, but
makes it plain. And while
's charms may be a little more hidden, with a couple exceptions, than
's were, repeated plays reveal a record that is just as strong and more powerful emotionally. Don't play it at your next house party or DJ night; save it for later when you need something to get you through the rest of the night. ~ Tim Sendra