Pop music stalwarts have always tested the waters in myriads of Dance music, be it Lady Gaga’s enthusiasm with electro and house or the Weeknd’s recent endeavors involving Swedish House Mafia, to varying degrees of success. The world of EDM has intertwined (and once ruled) over the pop industry time and time again, leading to fabulous records that became heartthrobs of many. Talking about more recent matters, I saw a very interesting case having developed at the OVO (October’s Very Own) label, as its illustrious owner seems to have taken a liking for house music in his most recent album.
The Canadian singer/rapper Drake has, over the last decade, catapulted over the scene and established himself numerous times over on the charts. Whether one likes it or not, it’s safe to say his discography has become iconic, and thus he an immensely influential figure in the industry (much thanks to the fashion apparel stores that play them endlessly). So imagine our surprise as to when “Honestly, Nevermind” came out, and it was filled out to the brim with the RnB artist fully immersing himself over four-by-four beats. Making the co-producers list for the compilation here are accomplished aliases such as &Me and Rampa (2/3rd of Keinemusik crew), Black Coffee, Klahr, and more.
After perusing through the album on what might be twice or thrice, I realized the most glaring issue: there’s not a single collaboration, except the closing track with Future21, which happens to be a rap song. There were plenty of admirable instrumentals that urge a secondary performer’s presence, such as the hypnotic and analog-laden “Falling Back” (&ME, Rampa) or the percussive and brilliant pianoforte enclosing “Massive” (Klahr), or even the rather amusingly squeaky yet energetic jersey beat (Black Coffee). Then, comes the follow-up problem. If there’s not one synergistic effort in sight, then the lead act be better worth it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Our celebrity musician over here might have been a tad shortsighted, as his vocal range remains narrow and sporadic, even awkwardly repetitive. The overdone autotune pushes the voice to its unnatural and wavering limits, a stark contrast to the soulfully deep ensemble going besides.
Then am I saying this album is a wasted opportunity? Certainly no. There are ample instances of top-notch production at the display, albeit your mileage may vary on accepting the vocal duties. Yet, that alone isn’t the saving grace, as it doesn’t supersede expectations and unfortunately becomes a target of being labeled “average” or “mid” by both his die-hard audiences and electronic music connoisseurs.
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