One of the underrated aspects of Drakes charm is his prowess as a vocalist. Paired with the right mood or set of lyrics, he can conjure up a pretty convincing case that hes something of an R&B visionary. On the albums leading up to 2022s Honestly, Nevermind, Drake seemed to mostly forget his status, focusing mainly on rapping over dragging trap beats and only rarely showing off his skills as a singer. Amazingly, at some point prior to the recording of the album, trap fever seems to have broken and some different flavors finally started to creep back into the mix. Working with an array of producers including longtime ally 40, Carnage, and Black Coffee, Drake touches on new sounds like house music and Baltimore club, delves into guitar jazz fleetingly, and only invites a couple guests along to contribute instead of the usual cast of hundreds. It makes for one of his most varied and interesting records, with a melancholy, slightly defensive lyrical viewpoint thats familiar to all who have ever heard a Drake song, but here it feels somehow like the words cut a little closer to the bone. Perhaps its the fact that he keeps the focus pointed directly at himself and doesnt bring anyone else in to distract from his litany of desperate heartbreaks, bitter revenge fantasies, hurt feelings, and romantic betrayals. Unlike his recent albums where the listener might have felt locked in with no escape from the darker side of Drakes psyche thanks to the monochromatic production, here one could choose to ignore the deluge of self-pity and focus instead on the rollicking late-night house jams ("Texts Go Green"), slippery club ballads ("Flights Booked" and the sample-damaged, Mr. Fingers-sounding "Massive"), bubbly summer tunes ("Down Hill"), and the slinky "Tie That Binds," which brings just a touch of Latin soul to the proceedings. Of course, its never exactly fun, since there is a thick coat of ghostly synth pads and backing vocals pulling the clouds over any hint of sun. Nobody really comes to a Drake record for fun, though; they come for a mood, and this record delivers it fully, only wrapped in some new, almost bright threads. There are a few tracks where Drake does some rapping: the pumping Baltimore-influenced "Sticky" is the most fun, while the album-ending, 21 Savage-featuring "Jimmy Cooks" is typical boasty Drake, but since its an outlier, it has a little more impact than when its surrounded by 20 more of them. Honestly, Nevermind is a welcome development in the Drake saga, a left turn off what was starting to seem like an endless stretch of trap-heavy highway. The destination is still sad and self-involved, but at least the scenery is colorful and never boring. ~ Tim Sendra

Rovi