Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, over the last few years has gotten quite a huge fanbase. From his acting and writing roles on "Community" and "30 Rock", to his breakthrough album's "Camp" and "Because The Internet", the dude is seriously everywhere. That being said, I've seriously never been anything close to a fan of his. As far as "Camp" goes, there were some alright beats and some decent flows, but they were mixed in with bizarre vocal harmonies and odd gimmicks here and there. Not to mention, boy oh boy, some of these lines were just so corny I wanted to scream (That one describing himself and "Hip Hop" to "The Black Sid and Nancy" absolutely sticks out). The rest of the lines there really weren't any better. Half the time, I felt like Gambino had TONS of potential, but then would combat that absolutely ridiculously corny one liners that I couldn't take seriously if my life depended on it. On top of all of that, there were all of these moments where Gambino was trying so hard to be deep and emotional, that didn't go over as far as I'm concerned either. A few years later Gambino released "Because The Internet". Now, seriously this WAS a slight improvement, and I still think "Sweatpants" is one hell of an awesome tune. But I still seriously had issues with taking Gambino seriously, even though he constantly was showing more and more technical prowess. Now, from all of that being said, I think there is plenty to like about him. He's clever when he's not being corny as hell, and as far as freestyles go, he may be the best in the world right now. So, I figured I would give his new album a listen, especially since I heard this was far from a his old material.
The album starts off with “Me And Your Mama”, which instantly introduces us to some spacey keys. What follows in the next few moments is seriously jaw dropping. Between those cosmic guitars and stellar group vocals, this is by far a) the funkiest thing I’ve heard all year and b) 100% NOT what I was expecting here from Gambino. It’s beautiful, seriously sexy, and really well planned out. It’s evident that Gambino has seriously been boning up on his Sly Stone and Funkadelic, and when that bass hits it comes completely unexpectedly. Between all of the spacey elements and the over-the-top sound clips that pop in and out, Gambino has really resurrected the sound of Funkadelic for 2016. There’s almost a progressive feel as well here in the way everything keeps changing instrumentally. The production here is pristine as well, there seriously isn’t a single instrumental out of place. As the group vocals continue, they just keep getting more and more insane. Even Gambino’s vocals are seriously above average for him. All of that being said though, “Me And Your Mama” doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all, and remains a really solid throwback. Man, what a hard right turn for Gambino’s sound. Up next, the tasteful throwbacks continue with “Have Some Love”. Now, any Funkadelic fan will immediately say this sounds a whole lot like “Can You Get To That”, and it certainly does. But overall I feel like this just comes off so fresh sounding, Gambino has come across a seriously underlapped market as far as throwbacks go. Gambino’s performance here is energetic, and quite frankly it’s a little odd. It doesn’t come off obnoxious though surprisingly, it comes off entertaining and seriously wild. The group vocals continue to be right on target, and that little jam that comes in after the second chorus comes off wonderfully. While I’m seriously digging all of this, I know a ton of classic funk enthusiasts that are going to be a little aggravated by this at the end of the day. But I think it’s just such a great salute to that era of 70’s funk, and I continue to be floored by just how unexpected this change in sound is. “Riot” later on in the album doesn’t waste a single second, and may be the most straightforward track here. One again we see Gambino much more animated and wild in his performance, and the group vocals surrounding him are just as as animated as he is. “Riot” is by far the shortest track here, and to an extent I wish is was longer yes. But for the time that it is here, it’s instrumentally one of the most intense tracks here, and overall contains some of the most memorable moments on the entire album. On the other hand, Gambino goes for the same wild vocal performance on “California” and seriously fails horribly. “California” starts off hopeful though with some of the funkiest guitar licks your going to hear, and overall there’s a very quirky feel to everything. But as soon as Gambino comes in with his vocals, he does nothing but get on my nerves really quickly. He’s already proved here on multiple occasions that he can pull off a seriously classy vocal melody wonderfully. On “California” his vocals don’t even sound like him, they just sound annoying as anything. If “California” is supposed to be a “Fun” track, man did it ever miss the mark. Even the instrumentals have no hope in saving this from being a complete toss away.
Now, anyone can sit down with this album and pick up on the Funkadelic influence. But call me crazy, but I seriously think Gambino has been boning up on his Frank Zappa recently as well, most notably with the tracks “Boogieman” and “Zombies”. On “Boogieman” both the opening guitar riff and those backing vocals scream Zappa. The funk here is undeniable but Gambino’s vocals aren’t really where they should be here. Overall the vocals are decent, but there are a few moments during the verses that get a wee bit obnoxious. He does pick it up nicely for a great hook though, and all of the other instrumentals on “Boogieman” will seriously get you grooving. Not to mention, those synths floating through the background are absolutely to die for. Gambino embracing this new genre is seriously one of the best things he could have done at this point in his musical career. Up next is “Zombies”, which is overflowing with even more Frank Zappa influence. “Zombies” starts off more on the subdued side, sounding very “cool” and still keeping the funk at the forefront. On tracks like this that quickly take Gambino from “a complete ripoff of 70’s funk” and elevating him to “Paying great homage to 70’s funk”. Instrumentally this continues to be very VERY solid, whoever he got in the studio to play these instrumentals seriously did a wonderful job. As far as the vocals go, on “Zombies” and a ton of other tracks here, I can’t remember the last time I heard Gambino so sure of himself and genuinely confident. The backing vocals here are catchy and quirky, stating “We’re coming out to get you, we’re oh so glad we met you”, sounding like something right off of Frank Zappa’s “Apostrophe” or “Over-Nite Sensation”. It’s completely goofy, over-the-top, and hell yea is it ever a little satirical. But it comes off wonderfully, and “Zombies” ends up being one of my favorite tracks here. If slower, more soulful funk is what your into though, look no further than “Redbone”. Everything on “Redbone” continues to be well orchestrated, and while the vocals are absolutely drenched in effects they still come off soulful as hell. “Redbone” is all about Gambino though, with none of the instrumentals getting in the way of his performance. Gambino has seriously been working majorly on his vocal performances, cause these are by far some his best. He’s been trying to work some singing into his performances for years, but it’s never really come off that serious for me. However this right here is absolutely stunning. “Redbone” is just a fantastic tune, and probably the funkiest thing I’ve heard all year. “Terrified” is still pretty good for the most part, but begins the “late album slump” this album seriously suffers from. Gambino on “Terrified” doesn’t waste a single second bringing in the funk, and the vocals here are some of his most soulful. This track is super different from the rest of the album though, it’s super hushed and easily the quietest thing here. It still has a solid atmosphere though, and the instrumentals are still pretty darn good, just much less extravagant. Gambino is once again absolutely the star of this one, and the instrumentals are still funkier than ever. But for me, things are starting to slow down on Gambino, and it seems like he’s slowly running out of ideas.
To me, one of Gambino’s biggest downfalls has been his inability to finish ideas. Album after album, he has a solid handle on things and some great technique, and ends up messing things up one way or another. On “Awaken, My Love!”, it’s no different. There is so much fantastic material here that hearing the last few tracks that round this album out is just depressing. For example, “Baby Boy” starts off just fine with some funky licks. But instantly everything just sounds stale. It’s sweet and all, and it sure as heck fits the atmosphere of the album nicely. But that timestamp, why in God’s name did this track need to be 6 minutes? “Baby Boy” quickly goes from being “average at best” to painfully boring, and not the least bit adventurous. It’s a shame too, because these vocals are seriously on point for the most part. But after 6 grueling minutes I barely have anything to talk about, and that’s a problem. Up next is “The Night Me And Your Mama Met”. another subdued jam, and some of these are a little hit and miss. There are some sexy guitar licks here and there, and the vocal harmonies that float in are certainly nice, but man this track just takes so long to get going. It’s alright, it fits the tone of the album but once again man I really don’t have that much to talk about. The album finishes up with “Stand Tall”. Not too shockingly, this album started out funky, and it’s going to end funky. Gambino here is back front and center, and some of his vocals are actually sorta sweet here. Instrumentally though, this one is a serious snooze fest. This could have seriously been a gigantic, epic outro. It’s certainly not the worst thing here, but it just kinda happens and leaves no real impact.
Rating : 7.7/10
Give A Listen To: “Me and Your Mama”, “Zombies”, “Riot”, “Redbone”
Overall Thoughts: From a guy that's the furthest thing from a Childish Gambino fan, this is easily the most enjoyable thing he's done. By far. As far as instrumentals and production go, this thing is impressive, not a single dollar was wasted on that. Gambino also has seriously been working on his vocals, most of them come off really well. If it wasn't for a few boring tracks rounding this album out, this probably would have been one of my favorites of the year. It's still a really exciting, tasteful funk album, and it seriously has me interested in whatever Gambino is going to do next.
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