CD reviews
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
EACH album by Kendrick Lamar sounds vastly different to the others, perhaps never more so than his latest release and the one before. From working with James Blake to Rihanna to Bono (yes, “that” Bono!) it would seem on a surface level that Lamar has aimed more squarely at the mainstream on this album, his fourth. But that’s not really the case. Damn. is less dense, less cluttered with ideas than his last album, the truly amazing How to Pimp a Butterfly. His ideas for Damn. are delivered in an easier-to-digest way, which is a good thing. Lamar, for better or worse, has been tasked with a heavy burden since day one of his career. He is a speaker for his generation. He is a guy with serious messages. Can the guy live a little? Have some fun for once? On this album, he manages a good balance of fun and serious stuff. A lot of the material on Damn. has a feeling of spirituality. It also has vibes straight from his hometown streets of Compton. He has given himself permission to let loose on bragging rap tracks like the blazing, heavy hitter Humble or the shapeshifting, punchy banger DNA. But then he does a pop song with Rihanna. He’s smart to get her to stretch her legs and do more than “just sing the hook” which is what most people would do. Rih also raps. Did anyone know she raps? It works beautifully. And Bono? That could have been a cash grab like when Lamar turned up on a remix of a Taylor Swift song (for a six figure payday). But the classic rock god does so little on the song XXX he is unnoticeable. Just the way I like him, ahem… Lust is thematically one of the most interesting songs on the album as it takes a look at what people think it is like being a successful rap artist. No one knows better than Lamar how that goes, from the trappings to the constant expectations and pressure. Of course the album has D.Trump lines, but let’s just not go there today. Fear is a highlight worthy of a mention, but not for Lamar himself. Noted producer Alchemist outdid himself with the music on this one. Phew. Breathless. The blues licks flicking across the strutting beat is killer. Duckworth, the closing song that takes Lamar’s birth name, tells a tale of a fight that could have ended in blood. Was it inspired by his father and his label owner Top Dawg? Was it a true-to-life retelling? Who knows; what we do know is it was a hell of a way to close the record out. It is captivating.