The most anticipated album of the year, Drake’s “For All The Dogs,” prompts mixed thoughts.
Just a day before the release, Drake went on Instagram on Oct. 6, and shared that it is a 23-song album.
In the past, Drake received criticism for his most recent albums, “Her Loss” and “Honestly, Nevermind,” which both dropped in 2022. Many didn’t like the album cover or style of the music, saying it sounded like elevator music.
“The Breakfast Club” co-host,Charlamagne Tha God,went on his radio show to offer his thoughts on “Honestly, Nevermind.”
“I don’t mind the vibes, you know. The vibes to me are the vibes you hear when you’re at a Beverly Hills luxury hotel,” Charlamagne explained. “This is lobby, elevator music.”
This time around, Drake emphasized during his Houston tour that this album would be a “classic,” going back to his old style of music.
Despite him marketing it as a better album compared to his 2022 releases, this didn’t seem to change.
While not all songs are bad on the album, some songs don’t meet their full potential.
“For All The Dogs” has several of the same problems that past albums have had with the setlist being too long and beats sounding the same.
Drake also has some songs featuring terrible beat switches that throw off the rhythm of the song.
“Rich Baby Daddy” is an upbeat track until 3:50 minutes into the song when Drake slows the momentum. It almost sounds like a completely different song but it isn’t.
For Drake being such a staple in this era of music, it should only be expected of him to keep coming up with better songs or just as good songs rather than slowly declining in quality.
But not all is bad; the album also has some high points.
There are songs that flow greatly, giving a similar style to how some of Drake’s greatest hits sound. As he usually does, he incorporated great lines that always make his albums stand out no matter the amount of flaws.
The biggest achievement of this album is the great amount of features he included.
Different artists like Bad Bunny, SZA, 21 Savage, J. Cole, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Chief Keef and many more all collaborated to make some of the best songs in “For All The Dogs.”
The chemistry with the artists is heard throughout the songs, creating a variety of excellent styles. Drake also incorporates a twist of Spanish and English in “Gently,” featuring Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny.
Drake fans also get a glimpse of Drake’s 5-year-old son, Adonis Graham, who guest-starred in “Daylight,” singing at the end of the song and in “8AM in Charlotte,” where he comes out in the music video.
For the most part, Drake’s most well-rounded songs feature another artist and the ones that struggle are some of his solo songs.
Although it isn’t a perfect album, “For All The Dogs” has an average type of feel. Some songs will be picked up for several fans to keep listening to, while the rest of the songs will die out.
