We’re currently living in the days where being an MC isn’t nearly revered as being a caricature.
Almost all musicians associated with Hip Hop’s present era have to be equipped with some sort of quirk to get ahead. As genetics would have it, Donald Glover and/or Childish Gambino is that quirk by default. From arriving on the scene spitting fiery raps in testicle-threatening shorts to becoming that reclusive heartthrob who attracts attraction from everyone across the entertainment spectrum, his trajectory into music notoriety has been an interesting one. He’s managed to obtain fans who dig his nerdcore lyricism and dismissed his crooning as being knockoff-Drake, and fans who cling to his imperfect falsetto and hope his name and “bars” never intersect in a sentence again.
Childish Gambino has redefined the term “esoteric” and made it commonplace in his music. Which earns his third studio effort, Awaken, My Love! points for being so daring, breaking the umbilical cord that still attaches him to rap’s embryo. (Hey, he has Atlanta and his fictional cousin Paperboy for that now.) The album transpires without so much as a lyrical couplet — exchanging raps for electromagnetic soul and fluorescent funk — and will ultimately be remembered for its experimentation over its execution.
Without question, Awaken, My Love! serves as a greenhouse for vibes as the album transitions from one tenured music hybrid to the next, often without so much as a crescendoed buildup. So in its quest to create a sonic out-of-body experience, it’s no surprise the project crashes with a long-winded harmonic mess in “Stand Tall,” that switches from inspirational hymn with angelic background vocals to Roots jam session before it abruptly cuts off. And then there are diversions from the overpowering psych-funk score like lime-in-the-coconut feeder “California” or aphrodisiacal interlude “Terrified” that never fully gel within the context of the album’s flow.
Comparisons to George Clinton and Funkadelic come easy, but there’s a lot more nuance in the equation that disassociates the project from being straightforward P-Funk. Think Ween with a splice of Andre Three Stacks’ past Dracula rendition. And hey, let’s compare it to early genre-warping Childish Gambino for that final cherry on the top.
The lack of a focused masterful visage doesn’t take away from ‘Bino & Co’s musicianship aptitude, however. Longtime not-so-secret weapon Ludwig Göransson once again maestros the compositions with wah pedals, clavinet grooves and mellotron wizardry that smash through any complacency on how albums are supposed to be presented in a digital age. See the lavish, harmonized shrills of “Redbone,” a song that has already stood the test of time less than 90 days after its first release. Likewise for the lead single “Me and Your Mama,” a dazzling acid trip of a record that injects long lost sentiments of love into song. (“Let me into your heart/Oh, this ain’t no bullshit/I really love you, girl/Oh, oh God” he screams on the hook.)
Awaken, My Love! won’t pierce everyone’s soul because Donald Gambino wasn’t birthed to be everyone’s cultural hero. And by foregoing his junior rebel-without-a-cause rap year, the alienation was inevitable. He’s the Atlanta outcast without a Dungeon to call home, but in time, especially with the musical strides exhibited on this project as whole, he just well may birth a new wave of artists who simply want to pick up an instrument and jam.
Wack 100!! Snoop bush an 7 Days of funk better imo!!
I’m surprised y’all didn’t mention the Prince influence as well. I mean, look at his Redbone performance on the Tonight Show. Chill album though.
a zero is too much for this un-listenable garbage.
you better check your tastes in music man. this album is actually good ! childish gambino is trying something different. It sounds like a George Clinton Funkadelic in 2016. It’s clearly not a rap album per se, but as far as musicality goes this is really good. You might not like it, but don’t hate on the man like that.
It’s a 4/5 to me
For developing as an artist and experimenting… it’s good. But I wish there was more lyrical content to pull me in!
Yeee
ive always loved childish gambino, ever since his first mixtape. he has opened so many doors to different types of music for me, and i am starting to listen to different genres of music other than hip hop
This album had a vibe that reminded me so much of the old funk days. So much nostalgia in one album, and for me, the experimentation is welcome. 4.5/5 since “Zombies” is not my favorite and “Stand Tall” is a bit scattered. Keep doing yo thang Gambino!
This is exactly what is wrong with modern day music. this is album is completely derivative of another era. Do u know how easy it is to copy another era of music? You have thousands of funk bands over thousands of cities that could make an album like this but Childish Gambino does this, simply to appear sophisticated but this isn’t greatness. Greatness belongs to the innovators who bring this to the table. James Brown, Parliament, The Meters, The Blackbyrds already invented this sound. Even when d’angelo or Lenny’s kravitz do this sound, they sound at least original. Childish Gambino is doing a “look-what-I-can-do-I’m so-talented” phony sort of baloney. Props are deserved to the innovators of this era who are trying to push boundaries, make new soundscapes and sound current: Chance the Rapper, Kanye, Kendrick, Drake, Schoolboy Q are good examples. Childish Gambino is trying to pull wool over your eyes but most musicians know that this album is very derivative not as challenging as making something new that pushes boundaries
This is almost all true, but may be an exaggeration to say that “thousands of funk bands over thousands of cities” could have made this record… fact 1: they didn’t because there is only so much room on the Daptone roster. fact 2: making a SOLID piece of music that is dedicated to a genre (even if it is derivative) is not as easy as you make it sound. fact 3: none of what you wrote in any way argues that this is a hastily-written, poorly crafted, badly played or shittily recorded album. it isn’t a masterpiece, and it’s not a classic, but it is exactly what some people (who are completely unaware of the roots of this music) need to hear right now… but maybe, after hearing this album, they will explore the artists you correctly identify as members of its family tree.
This album is an incredible throwback to how music is so great in general and made me experience once again the excitement I had over his last record.
So much goddamn goodness on this album! Dude sounds EXACTLY like that ’70-’75, Westbound era Funkadelic. All I have to say is THANK YOU for re-introducing this type of music to my generation, lord knows we need it.
This album is a masterpiece. His growth as an artist is crazy. He is doing the most rn in the industry and if anyone says he isn’t then they are wrong.
Love it
incredible masterpiece from top top bottom
Another good rapper turned to be a wack ass rnb bitch.
I respect his creativity, but its not my cup of tea.
4.5 Very dope album for real thats getting heavy rotation from me. I was like WTF when it first came on, I had no idea what I was in for but wow, pleasantly surprised. One on my top albums this year.
Album of the year in my book. The style leans on some of the greats but is original in itself too. Have listened to the album at least 25 times since it dropped, and not tired of it at all. California is the only (minor) misstep, only because it is kind of out of place on the album. Brilliant piece of work overall though. Also gotta give props for the sweet placement of the album cover in he Juneteenth episode of Atlanta, which aired pre-album release.
This guy has had a great year. His evolution since Sick Boi has been amazing to watch.
love the direction childish gambino took with this album. It sounds funky, groovy, also it has a jam session music feel.
Love the Clinton influence on this tune
more sly and the family than clinton