I will preface this review with that I am not a giant hip-hop/rap fan. It’s just nothing I ever just listen to. Although, I have heard some songs and artists that I have enjoyed listening to and I heavily respect the hip-hop/rap scene.
Moving on, there was a poll casted for what album I should review and the votes came in like a storm.
There were several amazing recommendations but Drake’s 2011 album, Take Care ended up on top.
I will be going track by track and give each song its own rating, and then give an overall rating for the record.
So, enough talking, let’s get on with the review!
“Over My Dead Body” is a very good opening track and introduction to the album. I love the R&B elements and it’s great that those elements continue throughout the record.
Rating: 7.3/10
“Shot for Me” is a groovy track that seems to comment “taking a shot” for somebody, literally and/or figuratively.
Rating: 6.7/10
“Headlines” is extremely catchy with a chorus that just embeds itself into your head.
Rating: 8.5/10
“Crew Love” is the first feature on the album having The Weeknd sing on the song. It’s a very chill, almost lo-fi type song that slows the vibe down just a little bit like a small little break. Overall, very catchy and a nice listen.
Rating: 7.8/10
“Take Care,” the title track, features Rihanna and seems to be a heartfelt track about taking care of and being there for someone through hard times. It also has an infectious drum beat that really gets you moving.
Rating: 8.3/10
“Marvins Room” was the first song I skipped. It was not a bad song in the slightest, but I felt that it dragged on.
Rating: 5/10
“Buried Alive Interlude” is the shortest track, which is probably the reason it is titled as an Interlude. Overall, it’s a pretty cool track and the Kendrick Lamar feature was pretty nice, too.
Rating: 6/10
“Under Ground Kings” is the track that hooked me immediately. It is an excitable, energetic track, and it truly made me crack a smile as I was listening to it. This one is certainly a personal favorite and a highlight on the album, in my opinion.
Rating: 9/10
“We’ll Be Fine” is a straight-forward, catchy song that also grabbed my attention. It has a great hook and nice groove to it. Certainly another track that is one of my favorites. It also features Birdman, which is pretty cool.
Rating: 8.5/10
“Make Me Proud” is another quite energetic track, and it features Nicki Manaj. There seems to be a pattern that Drake is good at writing a simple, catchy chorus that can get stuck in your head. I will admit Nicki Manaj’s verse made me chuckle a bit. The way she delivers her lines is great.
Rating: 7.8/10
“Lord Knows” is another R&B forward track, especially with the chord progression in the intro. This song has another feature, that of Rick Ross. I love the big choir and the melody they are singing that’s backing the verses. I’m one for large ensembles of voices. A lovely, smooth track that has a neat transition into the next track.
Rating: 8.1/10
“Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude” is the longest track on the record mainly because of it being a 2 in 1 track. “Cameras” is another groovy track that talks about the lies and facades in the media and how people are different when they have cameras on them. It’s a pretty good track all around.
Rating: 7/10
“Doing It Wrong” is a track I immediately recognized from the first line, mainly due to it being somewhat of a meme. Other than that, this song has a great vibe. It has very ethereal, atmospheric elements that make for a nice listening experience.
Rating: 6.4/10
“The Real Her” returns with an R&B feel and also returns with some features–the only difference being that there are 2 features, Lil Wayne and André 3000. A nice smooth melody and groove carries the track, and I’m a big fan of Outkast, so it was pretty cool hearing André on this song.
Rating: 8/10
“Look What You’ve Done” is another extremely heartfelt, touching track talking about troubles in relationships and the complicated emotions that come with said troubles. It’s a tribute to his mother, his grandmother, and his uncle. There is a voicemail sample of Drake’s grandmother wishing him well. This song is certainly a highlight of the record.
Rating: 9/10
“HYFR” is a song that seems to generally be about just being famous and the dumb questions that can come along with it. There is a snotty, sarcastic tone to the track, and I am personally in love with it. Although it’s not really a highlight on the record, it does feature Lil Wayne, and he references a Juvenile song, so that’s neat.
Rating: 6.9/10
“Practice” is a fairly simple song basically complimenting a love interest on their looks. Again, there is nothing necessarily special about the track. It’s pretty smooth and groovy with a cool vibe like most tracks on this record.
Rating: 5.5/10
“The Ride is the last track on the record and is certainly an interesting switch up from the previous track. This song has some almost gospel-like qualities with the backing vocals happening in the verses. The chorus continues the gospel with some smooth, falsetto vocals. I can’t point out exactly what, rather who the song is about, but it is certainly talking to someone. Another good track and a nice closer to the record
Rating: 6.9/10
“The Motto” is the bonus track that comes along with the deluxe edition of the record and also a pretty straight-forward track once again and also has the 3rd feature from Lil Wayne. This track sounds like a party. I picture red solo cups when I listen to this song, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Overall, this song is a pretty easy listen and a nice short treat for a bonus track.
Rating: 6.7/10
Overall Rating: 7.3/10
This album is the first rap album I’ve listened to in full, and I can say I’m surprised how much I liked it.
It certainly isn’t a favorite of mine, nor is it the worst, but, with all the talk I hear around Drake and how bad he supposedly is, there were some nice highlights on this album.
It was a great listen, and it felt good stepping out of my comfort zone of 90’s rock and heavy metal.
Listening to the album allowed me to more fully appreciate the rap scene of today. So many of the artists have this drive for music that you never really see nowadays.
I also appreciate the amount of R&B that is incorporated within the music and specifically this album.
This album was very nice to listen to and it is, at the very least, a respectable record.
TL;DR: Enjoyable album, not something I’d listen to all the time, but I certainly appreciate the production, songwriting, instrumentation, and melodies.
