Donald Glover doesn’t have to make music anymore. An actor, musician and now the producer and star of “Atlanta,” one of 2016’s best reviewed shows, the tireless artistic genius had every reason to abandon his stage name Childish Gambino and his hip-hop career. And for a while, it looked like this was the plan. But he’s made a return with “Awaken, My Love!” — and what a triumphant return it is.
From the first track, “Me and Your Mama,” it is clear Gambino has taken a departure from the traditional hip-hop and rap of his first two albums and recent EP. The song starts slow, with a melody reminiscent of a lullaby, but halfway through it shifts to blaring guitars and Gambino alternately sings and screams about an unrequited love. It’s a daring style not many could pull off, but “Me and Your Mama” is a masterful start to the LP.
Almost by necessity, much of the rest of the album is a decrescendo to the incredible opening. This is, among other things, an exercise in experimenting with new styles, and though few tracks reach the raw power of “Me and Your Mama,” there are several other standouts.
“Baby Boy,” a funky and soothing melody, is one. Rumors about a possible child of Gambino’s born earlier this year have recently been circulating, and this track seems to confirm the stories. In a grainy but endearing falsetto, Gambino addresses the supposed mother of a newly born boy with truly emotional lyrics: “Don't take my baby boy / Don't take my pride and joy / I hope I stay close, I hope I stay close.” His croons evoke memories of Michael Jackson, and make for a touching song, which ends with a spoken instruction for his child to “walk tall, little one.”
Aside from imitating Jackson’s voice, other tracks adopt the King of Pop’s paranoid and sinister themes. While “Baby Boy” partially highlights Gambino’s fears of fatherhood, songs such as “Boogieman,” “Zombies” and “Terrified” address other types of horror. Of these three, “Boogieman” is the most relevant and profound, critiquing racial fears in America with spot-on lyrics like, “But if he’s scared of me / How can we be free?”
Arguably Gambino’s most successful experiment of the album is “Redbone,” a polished and soulful track. It sounds like a cross between Prince and Funkadelic, but doesn’t rely too much on either style. The resulting blend is unique and rewarding.
“Awaken, My Love!” may not resonate with every listener — it’s undoubtedly too experimental for some tastes — but everyone can find at least one enjoyable track. And even with so much genre-hopping, common themes exist. If the album can be said to have a core, it might be found in “Redbone,” where Gambino repeats the order to “stay woke.” This is relevant on multiple levels, not only does it speak to the racial themes present in many of the tracks, but it also can be applied to the album itself. This is not easy listening, in the sense that it is much too complex to just be background music. It requires effort, but that effort can prove incredibly rewarding.
Glover doesn’t have to be Childish Gambino anymore — so it’s a good thing he still chooses to be. The world is better off with his music in it.
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