Review of Bando Stone and The New World by Childish Gambino | Well Scattered

Actor, screenwriter, director, Donald Glover has also been Childish Gambino on the microphone for twenty years. However, he announced that this album is the last under this name and that it serves as the soundtrack for the film of the same title planned for this year.

Childish Gambino hasn’t been strictly rapping for a long time. On his albums Because the Internet“Awaken, My Love!” And 3.15.20 – refined and relaunched last May under the name Atavista –it flirts with R’n’B, funk and soul, sometimes in a psychedelic coating.

Bando Stone and The New World further expands the spectrum. Some pieces have rock sounds (Lithonia), electro (Got To Be), pop (Real Love), afro-beat (In The Nightwith Jorja Smith and Amaarae), punk (Running Aroundwith Fousheé) and reggae (Happy Survivalwith Khruangbin). They are not all great successes, but nothing is a failure.

The hour-long album opens with H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥ reminiscent of Kanye West from back in the day Yeezus And Pablo. The lack of originality is not a big deal, especially since it is very well executed. Childish Gambino’s influences have always been quite audible: Ye, Frank Ocean, OutKast, Chance the Rapper, Anderson .Paak. That doesn’t diminish his talent in any way.

The five-time Grammy Award winner for his hits Redbone And This Is America demonstrates once again that he can construct excellent songs. Yoshinoya stands out for the precision of its intention. The beat by Bino and Triangle Park is terribly infectious and embellished with a superb transition. The rapper takes advantage of it to deliver some of his most corrosive rhymes – possibly aimed at Drake: “I was busy buildin’ up the life that n****s don’t have/Told me that money make you lonely, it ain’t so bad/N****s jokes are so dad/They haven’t seen their son in a month.”

The sweet and jazzy No Excuses then the gatherer A Place Where Love Goes are other highlights of the 17 tracks. In both cases, they bear the signature of the brilliant Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, behind the music of the films Oppenheimer, Tenet And Black Panther. This contributed to a third of the production of Bando Stonewhich also benefits from the brilliant Dahi, Michael Uzowuru, Max Martin and Steve Lacy.

Childish Gambino usually delivers energetic shows and this fifth album gives him perfect material for the stage. Unfortunately, his 33-city North American tour will not stop in Quebec. We will have to make do with the album and the film, later.

Rap

Bando Stone and The New World

Childish Gambino

RCA

7.5/10