I party like a rockstar like it's 08

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

15/10/21 : Certified Lover Boy - Drake


I've always been mystified by Drake's appeal - his stuff seems "fine" but he has a massive following.  So what are the chances of this album helping me understand it all?  Slim to none, my friend - and slim just left town..

Yeah - it's "fine".  More interesting noises across the album than I was expecting (and some fine bass) but I can't say I really paid attention to any of it.  I actually thought "Champagne Poetry", the opening track was pretty clever - so my hopes were slightly raised, only to be dashed by the rest of the album.  Particularly when "Way 2 Sexy" turned out to be based around "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred.  Yes, really - that's some level of post-ironic I'm just not getting, I'm afraid.  And I totally didn't need 90 minutes of it all.  And it's a rubbish album title as well - like he's received some kind of Twitter certification of his "lover boy" status.  And the album cover just emphasises the rubbishness of it all.  And yes, I'm a grumpy old man.

We're at #2 in the charts this week - I was extremely pleased to see it was kept off the top (for this week, at least) by Sam Fender, which is a much less polished and a much more enjoyable album.  Drake had managed a couple of weeks at #1 previously and is still hanging around in the top 40 so will probably be with us for a bit - and I still won't understand the appeal, I'm afraid.

Wikipedia has the expected large amount (255 milliPeppers) with two main themes.  The critics general indifference to it ("a patient trickle of Drake lore and fan service that could have come out as is at almost any point along the last decade in his career") and his fanbase's indifference to what anyone else thinks.  And boy was it successful!  Biggest opening day streaming counts on Spotify and Apple, biggest opening week in the US in 2021 and 9 (NINE!) top 10 singles in the US.  Apparently, the one thing the critics and fans did agree on is that the album cover was rubbish.  It was designed by Damien Hirst and if ever there was a man feasting on past glories, it is he.

"Customers also listened to" various names I recognise but can't claim to be an expert on - DJ Khaled, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, 21 Savage.  However, what I have heard from those people strikes me as more obviously worthy of my time - but Drake is the one that leaves them all for dust in terms of popular appeal.  Oh well - they're all very welcome to him in my opinion.

08/10/21 - Surprisingly listenable (and popular)
22/10/21- Not enough to interest me, unfortunately


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