This song is interesting at first listen, because it suggests pain from much more of a spiritual plane of existence than a physical one. The second, more painful verse seems to convey the message of the speaker knowing he’s done things to deserve his misfortune, such as infidelity, but he continues to plead to the entity to reconsider. Gambino uses the first verse to describe how much he has grown to love this “baby,” before going into the hook, where he pleads to some outside entity to not take his “baby boy” away. The instrumentation on this track is simple, as Gambino once again channels his inner Andre 3000 to create the image of, as the title suggests, a baby boy. The xylophone is a nice touch, and the chanting…was that in a previous song as well? Analogous to the tone of the electric guitar, the message of this song seems to be one of punishing, vengeful self-reflection, as Donald explains that, “You’re (He’s?) the one that’s terrified.” Terrified of what, I’m unable to ascertain upon first listen, but maybe the following tracks will provide more context. Sonically, this track sounds like a Marvin Gaye production, especially with Gambino’s dynamic vocals over the song’s tardy bass, hollow background, and tortured guitar. The tone of the album has definitely slowed down and mellowed out. Gambino’s autotuned vocals sound kind of creepy, but at least I finally get to hear some rap-singing on the album, as Donald narrates in a frustrated tone “her” desire to move to California, and his lack of enthusiasm at the prospect.

With the instruments and the slow, tardy feel of the track, it almost sounds very island-ish, especially with the cool, carefree backup vocals around the hook. Like the last track, this song opens up with a very mellow vibe. In terms of lyrics, there’s one phrase that keeps being repeated, and is really catching my ear: It feels like it could either be baby-making or night-riding music. It’s easily my favorite song on the project so far in terms of its instrumentation and delivery. This song, with its backup vocals and really soft keys in the background is super sexy. Gambino’s raspy vocals sound like Andre 3000’s, and for some reason, I can’t shake the thought that it isn’t on accident. The combination of the smooth guitar riff and the subtle, sleepy bass almost sounds like something one would hear from Bootsy Collins back in the day.

The opening of this next song is crazy smooth, a sharp contrast to the previous track. “They tried to kill us… But they won’t take me and my pride.” 6. However, with the aggressive nature of the instruments, the Counterculture era theme of the music, and the straightforward nature of the lyrics, I’m becoming more and more convinced that this project is not only a Black Power album, but also a subtle call to rebel against the powers of oppression. For some reason, I’m convinced that I probably won’t. “They don’t know what happens they just stay alive.”Īlso, it’s interesting to note that Donald isn’t conveying this message in a way that suggests that he’s any different from anybody else, but rather as a final, dying message before he’s consumed by the zombie horde as well.Īs this track opens up with the violent, yet organized noise of synths, electric guitars, drums, bells, and probably some other instruments I haven’t yet been able to isolate, it dawns on me that I’ve yet to hear Donald rap.

With the title… dang, is Donald trying to get at somebody’s mama? With the lyrics, the choir’s chanting of, “Let me into your heart,” and verse’s lyrics, “They wanna see us fallen apart,” and “This is our last night sleeping under the moon and the stars,” it seems like this is song is meant to encapsulate a burning, passionate, pressure-filled declaration of love. Oh snap, is that Donald? He had range like that? This is hard. Right as I get comfortable with the vibe of the first part of the song, the second part hits me in the face with a triumphant, heavily distorted guitar and some similar vocals, almost reminiscent of something Jimi Hendrix would do, if I daresay. The drums have come in at this point, accompanied by some drums, synths, and rhythmic chanting I can’t make out right now, but knowing Childish Gambino, it’s probably outlining the premise of the story his album is meant to convey. Ever been skinny-dipping at night? Yeah, it sounds like that, and somehow, that analogy makes sense. The opening begins with some light, soft keys fading into an otherwise hollow-sounding track. Adhering to the rules of 1-Listen, I jotted down my initial reaction to this album between the shower, my walks to class, and my car (at red lights, of course), without any replays or lyric searches, prior to writing this “review.” This is my initial reaction to Awaken, My Love!

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