For All The Dogs / Drake / October 6, 2023
- Joshua Yoo
- Jan 29, 2024
- 2 min read
It’s somehow both unpredictable and predictable what a new release means for Drake at this point in his career. The hope is always for a focused album with veteran penmanship and standout features, which Drake has proven is more than capable of despite his recent track record. ‘For All The Dogs’ may not check every box, but it’s the closest thing to that hope in a while.
For a majority of the album, Drake hones in on his R&B, melodic-driven sound, letting the vocals fly pretty often. Expectedly some of these tracks fall victim to the aimlessness that often plagues his melodies, but there are a surprising number of well-crafted sung hooks (“Tried Our Best”) and textured instrumentals (“Virginia Beach”) that genuinely bring these tracks together nicely.
The more rap-focused songs are more sparse in quantity but not necessarily quality, as the verses that pair with features like the gospel-inspired chorus from Teezo Touchdown or the absolutely gem of a guest verse from J. Cole are some of the better from Drake in a long while. His latest installment in his freestyle series ‘8am in Charlotte’ might be the biggest highlight of them all, standout bar after standout bar over yet another gorgeous Conductor Williams beat.
Yes, the length of the album is still a bit bloated and not fully justified, and yes, there are still plenty of weird or laughable one-liners; it’s come to be expected. The positives seem to outweigh the negatives though, which is a nice change of pace for a new Drake album.
Highlight(s): 8am in Charlotte, Amen, First Person Shooter, Tried Our Best, Virginia Beach, Daylight, Rich Baby Daddy, Bahamas Promises
Lowlight(s): Calling For You, Another Late Night, Slime You Out, Polar Opposites, Gently
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