Of course, Gambino can't get it exactly the way Cameo, Prince or Chaka Khan could, but why should we expect him to? This album is an ode to all of those past influences - too many to name, too inspirational to forget. Sometimes it succeeds at blending old school nostalgia with present day perspectives and technology. It reminds me of the music my dad played on Saturday mornings while we cleaned the house conjures up images of my dad DJing in clubs in the ‘70s and brown bodies slow dancing and booty bouncing on crowded dance floors.Īwaken is an effort to go back in time. It’s the perfect meeting of then and now.Īwaken, My Love! is heavily influenced by the oldies, by singers who ask you questions in the middle of a verse, by black excellence. This is a gorgeous moment: the same throwback aesthetics are present in the instrumentals and in the harmonies, but his voice isn't trying too hard to sound authentically old. "Stand Tall": Gambino sounds the purest here. "The Night Me and Your Mama Met": Glimmering harmonies by soulful sirens accompanied by an ecstatic guitar carry you through this short interlude. It’s a somber yet lovely celebration of his newborn son. "Baby Boy": Smooth, syrupy harmonies and soft pleading serenades you throughout “Baby Boy”. “You can’t run from me.” But why would I want to? I like it when Gambino teeters the thin line between scary and sexy. Groovy, soulful, sexy and somewhat theatrical. "Terrified" is exactly what I came here for. "California": Not one of my favorites on the album, but maybe that will change. However, there is an advantage: before, these singles were beautiful sentences from a book I had yet to read now, the album’s narrative is beginning to come together. "Redbone": Listening to “Redbone” and “Me and Your Mama” within the album makes them feel a little less shiny to me, which is natural. It astounds me that singers have not run out of entertaining ways to sing “Get down baby!” or simply “baby”, for that matter. Besides its centralization of black characters and narratives, they pull from historical black aesthetics or present day issues and trends in black culture, which makes them feel more meaningful and personal to me. I can confidently say that 2016 is the year of empowering black art, from albums like A Seat at The Table to TV shows like Insecure and Atlanta. "Have Some Love": This song is uplifting in a familiar way, reminiscent of songs like “We are Family”, but much funkier. I will try my best to give my most instinctual impressions on Awaken, My Love!. This is new for me: I usually review albums after multiple listens, because there’s so many little things you miss the first time - metaphors fly over your head, instruments sneak past your eardrums. I wrote this review while listening to his album for the first time. Since Gambino is trying something new, I will too. If this is what Gambino can do, I thought, then I am eager to hear more. “So stay woke!!! Niggas creepin”, Gambino’d remind me, when I’m walking down the street or taking a poop or trying to fall asleep. “LET ME IN.TO YOUR HEART,” Childish Gambino and chorus belts, so forward and demanding that I find it oddly romantic, in the same way that Teddy Pendergrass shouts, in equal annoyance and excitement,“Turn them off!!” at the end of “Turn of the Lights”.Īnd sometimes “Redbone” ran through my mind when I least expected it. I love it’s gradual, groovy buildup interrupted by a audacious blast of instrumentals and creepy laughter. I already had “Me and Your Mama” stuck in my head.
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