Some of the tracks are downright eerie, like the song “Boogieman” with its perfectly groovy bass-lines and vocals tinged with a bit of evil here and there. The record isn’t all fun and games however, with slow-burning sensual songs like the album’s second single “Redbone” enticing you with Gambino reaching a non-pitch shifted, vulnerable falsetto that could make any listener melt.
Though this song seems to be the universal least favorite on the album, it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do and is meant as a moment of levity and sunshine for the album. Another fun track is “California”, which has Gambino singing cartoonishly over bottles being hit or blown into. You have the fun and funky “Have Some Love” ,which has a tight groove but feels comfortable and loose at the same time, like an impromptu jam session between longtime friends. It’s a six minute journey that leaves you wondering, “What could possibly top that”? Thankfully, there are more gems spread throughout the track-list in answer. The track is a hulking behemoth of sound that kicks off with twinkling keyboards and a g-funk synth only to end up getting periodically punctuated by penetrating sub-bass hits that explode into a soul rending song about loving someone more than you ever thought possible. The album opens with its lead single, and one of the best tracks this year, “Me and Your Mama”. However, that’s not a problem since this album stands tall on its own as both a great funk record and an album that is original in comparison to records from his contemporaries that are going for similar sounds. In all honesty it really can’t be compared to those works because it’s so far removed. This album is quite the note to go out on for the triple threat, especially considering that it’s a complete departure from his two previous full-lengths. The album sees him doing away with the rapping that’s served him well as a creative outlet up until this point, only to be replaced with a vintage funk/soul/R&B sound that takes inspiration from the George Clinton led acts Funkadelic and Parliament. Luckily, Actor/Writer/Rapper Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino, seems to be experiencing far more of the latter than he is the former with the release of his newest, and seemingly last full-length album under the moniker of Childish Gambino, “Awaken, My Love!”. When an artist changes their musical path drastically and abruptly, there are usually two possibilities: the shift will blow up in their face for abandoning the sound they were known for or the shift will bring them praise and usher in a new artistic period that they can thrive in.
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