Take Care (Deluxe Edition)

Unexplainable Drake effect

Canadian Drake, a unique phenomenon of the contemporary pop music scene, remains a mystery for many of us. If you apply science, analysis, terminology and thorough study of genre history, you will still fail to explain how his album Thank Me Later turned out to be one of 2010 top records. With one foot on the rap ground and the other on the RnB soil, Drake, seemingly effortlessly, conquered both audiences. In the meantime it is no secret that there are rappers with wittier statements and faster mouths than his, and there are singers with stronger voices and wider ranges than his as well. Musically, Drake did not come to surprise anyone either. Unable to solve it, left with banal phrases, we just admit that Drake’s songs hook, touch, move, etc. Besides, another big thing that counts is the expected interest to Thank Me Later as a debut effort by a fresher who had been granted a decent promotion. He also was supported by a whole group of established stars in whose presence the young man was supposed to flush. But… A year came to pass, and Drake surfaced with another CD, Take Care. And the story repeats.

He will definitely tell every thing about himself

The lyrical core of Drake’s last year record was a young man in whom we were doomed to recognize the singer himself. The Canadian did nit break this line, yet he drew it even further and thicker throughout the second album, Take Care. Once the opening piece, Over My Dead Body, starts, we hear the continuation of the same lad’s story. In a year, he has gained some confidence, at times turning into self-assurance, which is a traditional attribute to performers of this genre. After a song about his view on his prospects, Drake lets us in his private matters. Slow Shoot For Me is a set of simple, yet pretty appealing phrases to his ex. Since Drake’s affairs are a big and important question, it is touched upon in several more songs, including charming Doing It Wrong. This one even features Stevie Wonder playing harmonica. Now, can you name a couple of other hip hop tracks with harmonica? Another successful collaboration is the title song where Drake sings alongside Rihanna, and the music is delivered by Jamie Smith from the British the xx band.

Take Care unfailing machine

The variety of well-known guests made Take Care quite a multi-faceted effort with a good deal of surprises. Probably, the most original track here is Crew Love crafted by the open-minded guys from The Weekend who managed to mix typical ballad crooning, piano passages, dynamic drums, and computerized effects into a very pleasant piece. There are songs where Drake is the only start and the whole attention is glued to him, like in ironical Marvin’s Room. And there are songs where the listeners will better remember other performers. Among them, one would rather mention drive-ridden Lord Knows headed by Rick Ross, and another low-tempo attempt, The Real Her, with Lil Wayne and Andre 3000. On the whole, Take Care walks confidently down the road trodden by Thank Me Later, and Drake is loyal to what he is. He still enjoys singing about himself, but he does it with the sincerity and straightness that disarm you. For now, it works.