CHILDISH GAMBINO GROWS UP

Grammy for is a well-deserved tribute to his sexy R&B funk

The problem with releasing anything these days (book, movie, show, album) is that it will inevitably be compared to those that have come before, because nothing’s really new lately. This isn’t to suggest a lack of creativity from modern-day artists, but it’s really tough to be original. Sounding alike is a by-product of a saturated market. For an artist breaking away from their peers, they often need to look to the past (“subversive” hasn’t been a thing since Björk wrestled a gorilla dentist in the Army of Me video). So when Childish Gambino released his third album, Awaken, My Love!, in 2016, the comparisons came rolling in: Prince, George

Clinton and Parliament, and Andre 3000’s The Love Below. But hey, there are worse artists to be compared to.

With Gambino recently winning the Best Traditional R&B Performance Grammy for the track Redbone, it’s worth revisiting Awaken . First, that “traditional R&B” tag: while initially it might seem as though to call Awaken an R&B album would be lazy, Gambino (real name Donald Glover) is in fact making R&B from a time when the genre was experimental, daring, a little dangerous, rather sexy and very interesting.

Yes, Awaken, My Love! is R&B, but it’s also soul, it’s funk, it’s psych-rock. It shows a different side to Gambino, one fans didn’t encounter in his previous records (example, he’s a really good singer). Redbone stands out, of course, as does the delicious psychedelic funk of Boogieman, dramatic (and dare we say operatic) opener Me and Your Mama, the bassy Terrified, and the romantic fourminute guitar solo that is The Night Me and Your Mama Met.

If this album had been released 30 years ago, would it be thought a classic? Probably not. But it’s a wonderful departure from Gambino’s polarising rap days and from pretty much everything that’s being released these days.

Awaken, My Love! is mad sexy: if you need a soundtrack for consensual, slow make-out sessions, put it on the list.

WIN ●

Sunday Times Lifestyle and David Gresham Records are giving away two copies of Childish Gambino’s Awaken, My Love! album. To enter, answer the following question: What is Childish Gambino’s real name? Send an e-mail with the answer and your full name to lifestyle@sundaytimes.co.za with GAMBINO in the subject line.