Drake and PartyNextDoor recently dropped their partner album, “$ome $exy $songs 4 U,” on Valentines day. This was a highly anticipated album for a number of reasons. Not only is this their first partner album following many certified hits on eachothers discography, but this is also Drake’s first album drop since the infamous rap beef with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Since the pair’s previous collaborative songs such as “Members Only,” and “Come and See Me,” became massive fan favorites, there was a high expectation in the quality of the album. They can’t seem to miss when there is a song featuring the both of them, when they blend PartyNextDoor’s smooth, atmospheric sound with Drake’s playful lyricism and production.
In my personal opinion, the album falls rather short in expectations, so I give it an overall 6.5/10. There were some standout songs such as; “CN tower,” “Deeper,” “Brian Steel,” “Moth Balls,” “Raining in Houston” and “Die Trying.”
Feeling underwhelmed by the grunt of the album, these songs in particular stood out to me because they were the most diverse and ear catching. I think that “Die Trying,” was the most colorful song of all.
While it wasn’t the most lyrically stimulating, for lack of a better term–there was a cool juxtaposition between the upbeat tone of the song and the rather dark lyrics.
“Why won’t my tears work?/It’s been a decade since I’ve cried/I got no dog left in the fight/The bark don’t match the bite”
These lyrics showed a rare glimpse of vulnerability from Drake that he had teased listeners with throughout the entire album. It takes us away from rich playboys, and into the hearts of a real human just trying his best. This was one of the few moments where I felt like the song really captured the emotional depth that was expected from both artists.
These songs were definitely the more relatable songs of the album. Unfortunately for Drake, most of us can’t relate to being sad about being a gangster millionaire, so out of all of the songs, these connected with me more as a listener. Aside from the unique beats and sounds, they had pretty unique song themes, at least for what the album seemed to be going for.
Another of my favorites was “Raining in Houston.” The instrumental background coupled with Drake’s melody and PartyNextDoor’s ad-lib cameos really brought it home for me. It sounds much more like older Drake with slow drums and a sultry guitar. It lost points at the beat change, because the beginning of the long had such a unique and complicated sound, but all in all the song was well done.
In terms of chemistry, there’s no doubt that Drake and PartyNextDoor have it. Don’t get me wrong–the album wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t a standout. One thing that may have been lacking was more emotional depth, on Drake’s verses specifically.
While there are some good moments of introspection, they don’t hit the same way as tracks such as PartyNextDoor’s “No Chill,” or Drakes “Marvins Room” which felt more raw and personal. The lyrics here feel very recycled. They’re both very repetitive artists, both in their actual lyrics as well as in their themes, but I think taking a break from that habit would have really elevated the album.
I was highly anticipating this album, so I hate to say that I genuinely struggled to hear it through. The initial excitement definitely dwindled after “CN Tower,” and it quickly became the generic sound.
The album would have flourished if they had taken a step back from Drake’s typical sound, and leaned more towards PartyNextDoor’s sound. It wasn’t really a mix of both, it was giving Drake ft. PartyNextDoor.
Overall, “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U,” is a solid album, but it’s not the game-changer fans hoped for. With some more risk-taking and a deeper exploration of different themes, this project had the potential to be a true standout. Instead, it ended up as just another well done, but predictable release.
