Drake – Take Care Album Review

Former Degrassi student, Jimmy Brooks, is back with his second studio release. Following up on his 2010 debut album Thank Me Later, Drake’s Take Care was (to me at least) one of the more highly anticipated albums that had me feeling both nervous and excited with each song released via underground mix tapes, leaks, and official singles on the radio stations. The first album came to me as an unexpected surprise, with each song freshly hitting my ears at the same time, but this time around I found myself actively looking for new samples of what was to come.

So how did it stack up? Well, in all honesty it was a far more grown-up album than what I had expected. Everything seems as though it was put together in a thoughtful and precise manner. The beats for the most part are mellow and low, often reflecting the mood of the mature content reflected in the lyrics. His flow is laid back on several of the songs, almost leaning more towards R&B than rap, but there are a few tracks in which he does speed it up to keep the more aggressive fan base amused (which I feel is not the direction he goes to by default). The words more than anything are the selling point for Drake. What he has to say is more important than how he does it. His words reflect an old soul who is weary on the fame but is hopelessly addicted to the power it brings at the expense of alienating loved ones and sabotaging any chance of a lingering love interest, past, present, and future.

Featuring guest spots from the usual suspects such as Rihanna, Nicki Manaj, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne, as well as others I have not heard much from if anything at all like The Weeknd and Stevie Wonder, this album does a nice blend of back and forth between Drake and the other musicians rather than engaging in a pissing match over who is the better lyricist.

All in all this album is a keeper for those of you who are more into a grown, down to Earth feeling album. While there are one or two potential banger tracks to fill the quota needed in today’s rap game, this album truly is more of a thinking man’s record. If you are looking for something to cruise around with or game to this is not the album you would want to put on, but I suggest you give Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV a spin, which also happens to feature two tracks featuring Drake. Plus, look at that album cover. Doesn’t he look like a depressed Columbian kingpin? Not bad for a former child actor from Toronto.

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