For All The Dogs - Drake: Review
Drake
needs no introduction, come on guys.
Review by Lav:
Drake hate is so corny in 2023. Much like every single new album cycle people who probably didn't listen to For All The Dogs came out of their caves to bash it relentlessly. Thankfully this is so routine at this point that the tactic gets easier and easier to ignore every time. The best I can do to contribute to the discourse is actually try and digest the material he's releasing and give an honest reflection about it. As if it wasn't already the most obvious thing on earth, the truth about the album lies somewhere in between Drake's devoted haters and his biggest fans.
I won't break down every single moment of For All The Dogs as like many Drake albums it is TOO long. Drake is limited artistically and his songwriting lacks the scope and ambition to make an 80-minute album feel fresh throughout. I think he realizes that because this album is absolutely stacked with talented collaborators. Normally that helps a lot, but not always.
Early on the record Teezo Touchdown tries to step into a gospel chorus on the song Amen and it reminds me why I've never found him all that compelling in the first place. He pops up again later on the record to provide an even more awkward ending to one of the album's more formless songs 7969 Santa. IDGAF with Yeat is easily the worst song on the entire album and not even the excited Drake meme can save it. I went into Calling For You with pretty high hopes because I liked Drake and 21 Savage's collaborative album last year. Unfortunately, Drake comes out with his absolute worst material right out of the gate and while Savage's verse is decent it's very familiar for him.
Other moments can just be plain weird. Gently with Bad Bunny is a solid cut but to get to it you have to hear Drake do one of the cringiest accents I've ever heard in my life as soon as the song starts. All The Parties is a song that feels genuinely too weird for Drake. From Chief Keef's unique performance to the random Pet Shop Boys interpolation to the radio announcer at the end this song makes me feel like I'm genuinely going insane.
There are also songs on the record where Drake just reaches his artistic limitations. Bahamas Promises has a good beat and I like that there are actual dogs on it, but it doesn't achieve much beyond that. Virginia Beach is the opener and it's okay, I'm mostly just disappointed that it isn't a Pusha T diss with a title like that. Speaking of disses, Fear Of Heights sees Drake at his most petty and defensive and it continues to be a look he doesn't wear well.
That's about half the record and it's clearly a mixed set. Even then though I certainly don't hate all of those songs there are plenty of silver linings. Thankfully, pretty much the entire rest of the album is on point. Daylight features some killer beat switch-ups and the rap debut of Adidon which I think is too adorable for words. First Person Shooter with J. Cole is in line to be one of the big hits from the album and it's easy to see why. Cole and Drake have so much chemistry as they trade off catchy bars throughout.
Speaking of great collaborations, the albums lead single Slime You Out is still a major highlight. Drake and SZA make for a great combination and even though the song is a touch longer than it may need to be, it's still great. SZA pops up again later on the album on Rich Baby Daddy and I have to say, this song is spectacular. It might be my favorite Drake track since Nice For What. I mean seriously Sexyy Red's hook is absolutely perfect and the best is infectious. Drake's performance here is one of the best and most exciting he's done in years and as usual SZA elevates everyone around her. The song is 5 minutes and I love literally every second of it.
Speaking of singles the other one 8am In Charlotte is also great. That isn't just because Charlotte is getting some well deserved attention, but that helps. Hearing Drake take on a more vintage combo of piano and vocal samples sounds great amid the parade of trap beats. Both Drew A Picasso and What Would Pluto Do get better and better as they go along with the former in particular being one of the catchiest songs on the entire album.
When Drake has a lot of chemistry with a guest there are also fireworks. Members Only isn't the best thing Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR have ever done, how could it be. But god I can't deny just how good they sound together on a spacious R&B cut. Similarly, Another Late Night is a far sillier track made by the jubilant charisma of Drake and Lil Yachty working together as a team.
The entire second half of the album is honestly REALLY good. That momentum carries to the very end first with Away From Home which sees Drake compellingly reminiscing on his own artistic history. I know he does this a lot but he always has the little details and flourishes that elevate the sentiments he's expressing that it just gets to me. Closing track Polar Opposites doesn't make a big effort to wrap up the album from a conceptual standpoint but more as a cool down of a final moment.
The first half of For All The Dogs has its highlights but it also has plenty of boring and straight-up misconceived moments. But wow, the second half of this album is Drake's best run of songs in a LONG time. Save for individual moments on otherwise enjoyable songs I can't really point to a ton of flaws in the sequence. While as usual, I think Drake could have left some songs on the cutting room floor and ended with a better album, I also have to give credit where it's due. Compared to a lot of his contemporaries who drop long projects with mind-numbing sameyness, Drake takes some risks on this project I didn't expect from him. But he isn't just taking risks, he's paying them off. For all of the album's flaws, For All The Dogs has some of my favorite Drake tracks in years. 6.5/10
For more rap check out my review of Travis Scott's Utopia
