Aubrey Drake Graham, aka Drake, seems like one of those artists that has always received more flak than he deserves. Despite his brand of hip hop always erring on the side of caution and getting a little too friendly when it came to radio play, his albums have managed to maintain catchy hooks, cemented by a wide variety of guest vocalists. Such was the case with his 2011 record Take Care, which maintained commercial appeal through the likes of Rihanna and resident bad bitch, Nicki Minaj.
This time around, Drake attempts to combine said appeal all while hearkening back to his older material. Using what sounds like a reversed beat as its blueprint, ‘Tuscan Leather’ acts a strong opener for the album, showcasing his repertoire of lyrical flow. In contrast to that, the simplicity of ‘Started From the Bottom’ makes it undeniably infectious, whereas Sampha’s guest spot on ‘Too Much’ makes the song an unexpected highlight.
The main issue with Nothing Was The Same is, ironically enough, the fact that it all sounds a little too familiar. Hinting at his 2009 So Far Gone mixtape comes off more like back-pedalling rather than nostalgia.
What’s really infuriating is that the album is made up of great individual pieces, yet end up being mostly forgettable by the end of its 60-minute run time. Detail’s vocal hook in ‘305 To My City’ is sure to stick with you long after, even if the rest of the track doesn’t quite do the same.
Nothing Was The Same isn’t a terrible album by any means, but it’s definitely only going to be gracing a select few end-of-year music lists. Hey, at least you did better than The Weeknd this year, Drake.
