In fact, “Awaken My Love!” is so far sonically removed from Glover’s previous musical offerings that it might as well add another title to his Wikipedia entry besides, “rapper.” It beckons the case of Glover’s newest album, “Awaken My Love!”- an exploration into ‘70s funk and soul-that could hardly be considered a rap album. And thus the Childish Gambino paradigm is born: Fans adore him, but critics don’t. Regardless, Because The Internet was a commercial success, topping the Billboard Rap Charts and selling 525,000 copies. Some reviews questioned his authenticity as a rapper, while others felt the album lacked focus. Sweatpants” even had a Being John Malkovich-esque accompanying music video, directed by the esteemed Hiro Murai that was among the best of 2013.īut critical praise of Glover’s sophomore LP from respected media outlets was lukewarm at best and did not fall in line with the burgeoning number of fans that Glover continued to amass. There were some quality cuts on Because The Internet, like the mega-hit “3005,” “IV. And it’s not outlandish to say that his following is justified. His fanbase is a rabid one, often on par with cultish hip-hop acts like Odd Future and Lupe Fiasco. Accompanying Because The Internet, was a screenplay and Glover even had hundreds of fans rewriting the ending of his script.
The guy got nearly two million Twitter followers on the strength of 18 total tweets, all of which are now hidden. His previous album, Because The Internet, was a galvanizing hip-hop release, which saw Glover waxing on life within the confines of the internet, and it raised Glover’s profile immensely. Glover is a jack-of-all-trades and his Childish Gambino project is a highly influential one among millennials. None of those ring a bell? Then you’ll surely you’ll know Glover after he plays a young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Star Wars Han Solo film. If you’ve never listened to Glover’s music, you’ve likely seen him on Community, or watched an episode he wrote of 30 Rock or engaged with his latest creation, FX’s Atlanta.
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It's a departure, an update of the past, a statement of artistic intent from one of the true polymaths of the millennial era, but above all, "Awaken, My Love" is a stone-cold blast from beginning to end.Childish Gambino is the moniker of rapper/actor/screenwriter/comedian Donald Glover. It's true that the album owes a deep debt to the sounds that inspired it, but there are times when the music, voices, and words come together to make something that sounds owned by Childish Gambino alone. The songs are all as memorable as Bootsy Collins' star-shaped sunglasses, and Glover's vocal gymnastics and impassioned delivery vault things past into more rarified air. It's not an academic exercise by any means, though. Göransson and the tight crew of musicians must all be dedicated students of the era's sounds, and they play with controlled passion and fire. Empowering pop-soul songs ("Have Some Love"), gloomy tales of the entertainment biz ("Zombies"), late-night detours into true love ("Redbone") - everything Glover tries comes off just right and every note on every song is perfectly placed.
Tripped-out ballads like "Me and Your Mama" and "Terrified" bump up against massive jams like "Riot" and "Boogieman," and totally oddball moments like "California" match up well with heartfelt songs about fatherhood ("The Night Me and Your Mama Met," "Stand Tall"), which give the album its heart.
Glover and Göransson construct the album like a soundtrack to a nostalgic trip, hitting all the sweet spots of that magic moment when funk and soul got truly odd and inspiring. He doesn't have a classic soul singer's voice, but what he does have is personality and it comes through loud and clear, even through the murkiest moments of nasty funk. He does use his voice like an acrobat, though, sometimes crooning sweetly, other times screaming like a demon. "Awaken, My Love!" has fuzz guitars, vintage synths of all kinds, burbling organs, grimy basslines, and masses of backing vocals adorning the songs the influence of Sly Stone and George Clinton's various groups is strong, and Glover doesn't rap at all.
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While working on his new TV series, Atlanta, Glover and his longtime sidekick Ludwig Göransson seem to have had some kind of musical awakening brought on by late-'60s dipped-in-psychedelia soul and early-'70s earthy funk. His 2015 EP Kauai widened his approach a bit, with Glover doing more singing than rapping in a hazy modern R&B style, showing off a voice so smooth that it's almost unfair that one guy can have so much going for him. Over the course of a backpack's worth of mixtapes and a couple of albums that won him commercial success, if not critical acclaim, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) staked a claim as one of the brainiest, weirdest, and most inventive rappers around.
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