DRAKE

Take Care

[Young Money]

Every movie about fame has a scene in which the rising star ducks out of the party and stares through the penthouse window, weighing what they’ve gained against what they’ve given up. Stretch that moment into an entire album and you get Take Care, the sophomore effort from Canadian hip-hop phenom Drake. With his confessional lyrics and sing-rap-chat vocal style, Drake follows in the footsteps of Kanye West. While he sometimes enjoys his success—check out “Under Ground Kings” and the Rick Ross teaming “Lord Knows”—Drizzy mostly obsesses over exes and industry pressures, playing out his internal dramas over minor-key synths and pensive beats. Self-indulgent and at times narcissistic, Drake nevertheless comes across as sympathetic. That’s down to the honesty and insights on tracks like “Doing It Wrong,” where Stevie Wonder’s harmonica helps him explain why saying “I love you” would be a lie. Welcome to Drake’s party, where the truly lucky are those who get to leave. –Kenneth Partridge