One of the most well-recognized names in music today, Drake dropped his newest album, Certified Lover Boy. With 21 tracks and the album being dropped just a few days after the album Donda by Kayne West which turned out to be a great album, the expectations were high.

          Track one Champagne Poetry is a classic Drake intro being 5 minutes long and showcasing a beat switch during the song. This was an excellent way to start the album and get things going in the right direction. Track two Papi’s Home is another solid track being an upbeat track with some hard-hitting 808’s. Nicki Minaji is featured on the track’s outro as well, with an excerpt from a separate interview. To me, track three Girls Want Girls (feat. Lil Baby) is just a boring track, and it sounds like Drake didn’t try it on with some pretty bad bars that make you cringe and a flow that sounds like he’s falling asleep. Lil Baby’s feature didn’t add much to the track, as it sounded like just another Lil Baby verse. However, it was better than Drake on this song. Track four In The Bible (feat. Lil Durk & Giveon) is another track where Drake sounds like he’s not trying his best and just using lackluster flow to finish the track. Lil Durk did well, and so did Giveon; however, it was still a very forgettable track that I won’t go back to. Track five Love All (feat. Jay-Z) was a track I was anticipating before releasing as Drake, and Jay-Z is a combo that has rarely been seen, so getting it left me very interested. Although it’s another laid-back track, the instrumental on this one shows out, and Jay-Z does pretty solid along with it. Track six Fair Trade (feat. Travis Scott) is up there for my favorite tracks on the album as the instrumental and Drake’s performance on this track makes this altogether a fantastic track. The hook is very catchy and would be my favorite part of the track if Travis Scott didn’t put down a great verse on his part. Track Seven Way 2 Sexy (feat. Future & Young Thug) seems to be the hit off this album already, with Tik Tok already taking this song and making dances out of it immediately. The simplicity of this song makes it easy to get into, and although the song itself is corny, it’s a fun track, and I enjoy it quite a bit. 

           Track eight TSU keeps the streak of great tracks with another space-like beat, and Drake just seamlessly flows over it with no issue. The beat switch during the song holds you in the way, which I like a lot, so no complaints about this one. Track nine N 2 Deep (feat. Future) starts slow as most of the album before another beat switch brings life to the track. Future did well once again on this track and did his part well on this album. Way ten Pipe Down shows multiple flow changes that seem unnecessary, but overall it’s almost perfect for this track. The beat sounds like one he would typically rap on, but he caught me off guard with some of the singing and low tone on the way, which was a pleasant surprise. Track eleven Yebba’s Heartbreak is a beautiful song that serves as an interlude almost to the album. Yebba is the woman who sings this track with Drake, not making an appearance on this song, and she showed off her talents, and it was a perfect way to take a breather before the next track. Track twelve, No Friends In The Industry, switches the album’s vibe right away, and this track shows some of the best of Drake’s rapping ability and the production of the album. This song comes when Drake and Kayne West are in a supposed beef so that this track couldn’t have come at a better time, in my opinion. Track Thirteen Knife Talk (feat. 21 Savage & Project Pat) continues the harder track theme right away, with Project Pat putting in a small part of the song at the intro before 21 Savage came in with his verse. This track is pretty solid, with everyone putting in their part, but it wasn’t anything too crazy. Track fourteen at 7 am on Bridle Path is what you expect when listening to Drake with wordplay, flow, and a heavenly beat. This song also has a diss on Kayne West with the line “give that address to your driver make it your destination, instead of just making it a post out of desperation.” This is a direct shot at the fact Kayne posted Drake’s address on his Instagram just hours after adding Drake to a group chat and telling him he would never recover. 

             Track fifteen, Race My Mind, goes back to a slow singing style, and Drake had his vocals on point in this track. The track reminds me of some of his older songs, and it was refreshing to hear. The track also features a subtle beat switch where Drake switches the flow and raps effortlessly, completing this track on that note. Track sixteen Fountains (feat. Tems) takes the album on a bit of a down note again after such a strong run of songs as this track is just dull overall. It’s not horrible, just not something I’m personally going to go back to at any point after this album. Track seventeen Get Along Better (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) rebounds very nicely after the last track, with the production on this track being phenomenal, and it seems like Drake tried on this track. Ty Dolla $ign did a significant part on this song, too, that elevates this song even more. Track eighteen You Only Live Twice (feat. Lil Wayne & Rick Ross) reminds me of the old Drake more than any other track with two great features with Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, especially who was probably the best feature on the album. Drake did his thing on this track as well, making this easily one of the best tracks on this album and one of Drake’s best performances on the album. Track nineteen IMY2 (feat. Kid Cudi) was another track I was very excited to hear before the album was released as a Kid Cudi and Drake pairing is not something we have seen much of at all. This is primarily because Drake and Kid Cudi had problems only a few years ago during the peak of Kayne and Drake’s issues. It was very refreshing to see them make amends and, at the same time, make an excellent track. Track twenty F****** Fans is a slower song that Drake does much better than most of the other slow tracks on this album which were quite dull. The best part about this track is instrumental, which is relaxing and can blend with Drake’s vocals well. Track twenty-one The Remorse is a fitting outro to the album where the lyrics seem like he reminisces on some things in his life. This song is perfect, and the piano in the background is fantastic, really a great way to wrap up the album. 

                This album is one I originally had mixed emotions on, but after a few listens, it sounds much better, and I enjoyed it a lot. I give this album an 8/10. It had some weak spots, but it was overall quite solid.