Drake may claim everything’s changed, but I think it’s fair to call hyperbole. After all, nothing really has changed in the life of Aubrey Graham—he’s still exceptionally proud of his fancy watches, exceptionally sensitive about his past loves and he still knows how to put together a fun, if predicable, bit of velour-soft hip-hop. His latest album, Nothing Was The Same, follows in the footsteps of chart stomper and critical wunderkind Take Care—sometimes to the point of redundancy and exhaustion.
That’s not to say there aren’t good songs on Nothing Was The Same. The record’s first half is full of excellent cuts, especially the opening virile/vulnerable dualism of “Tuscan Leather” and “Furthest Thing” and the run of “Worst Behavior,” “From Time” and “Hold On We’re Going Home.” “From Time,” featuring hook empress Jhene Aiko, particularly gets to the heart of Drake’s appeal; he’s a man who, when all the cards are down, isn’t afraid to cry—but before he does he’ll drop enough bars to level a consumer grade radio. “Worst Behavior” is Drake at his most abrasive (which is as abrasive as Henry Rollins gently stroking your cheek), and propelled by DJ Dahi’s skeletal production it’s an immediate highlight of the record. The production in general is consistently great, and we’ve primarily got Noah “40” Shebib to thank for that. His production is frequently the most compelling part of the whole affair.
So yes, it’s a functional album, full of bangers and heart breakers in equal supply. But does that make it a good listen? My immediate response is no, it doesn’t—over the course of 15 tracks, Drake manages to grind his “softest in the game” persona, worn like a fine cashmere, straight into the dirt. Maybe he started from the bottom, but by the end of Nothing Was The Same he’s still stuck there, middling in forced introspection and oddly juxtaposed “greatest of all time” mantras. Part of the issue is that Drake simply can’t justify a solid hour of attention (the fact that Take Care was a solid 20 minutes longer and still more captivating speaks measures); he’s a man with ambition and exceptional potential (and, of course, an incredibly gifted in-house producer) but he just isn’t at the top yet.
Rating: B
