![]() How was Drake going to make an album of dancehall music about life in Toronto? I had no idea, but I was excited to find out. With the release of the tracks leading up to Views, I was so fired up because I thought that is where the album was going. One Dance especially is a near perfect song, which manages to combine the sinister, moody aesthetic of the rest of the album and lay it on top of an irresistible beat. Controlla and One Dance are so clearly the standouts it’s kind of unfair, and their placement as track 11 and 12 on the album make it hard to not just stop the album there and listening to the two of them on repeat. The album’s best moments come on the dancehall songs. ![]() It’s immersive and lush, moody and twisting, and the whole thing sounds fantastic. Get a good pair of headphones and put on Weston Road Flows or Childs Play and you can feel the music washing over you. Noah “40” Shebib produced 10 of the 20 tracks and he’s at the peak of his powers on this record. The production is spectacular, though, sonically precise and interesting. It’s too long - 20 songs is a haul, no matter how good the production - and there are absolutely zone-out moments, patches where you drift off and come to and realize it’s been two songs and you aren’t even sure what track you’re on. It’s something you work your way into, explore. This isn’t an album that grabs you by the throat. Views didn’t have the arresting visual element that we got with Beyoncé’s Lemonade, nor the bombast of a Madison Square Garden viewing party like with Kanye’s The Life of Pablo. ![]() Let me get out of the way and say that while I was underwhelmed upon first listen, this is an album that is going to grow on you. ![]()
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