By Maximilian Diehl | Staff Writer
One of the strangest voices in hip-hop is back with another studio album, and while Don Toliver may be “Love Sick,” he is far from alone. In fact, he seems to have brought most of the West Coast scene with him, with the likes of Kali Uchis, Justin Bieber, Future, Travis Scott, Lil Durk and about a half dozen others providing features across the whole album. Even with all the voices, the vibe is still that same old Don Toliver — neon and night drives.
But, with the exception of that star power and familiar summer night swagger, there is little to love on this album. Perhaps the worst part of the album is the theme itself. From cover to cover, this album has little more to offer than debauchery and misogyny, with the better moments offering the approximate depth of a kiddie pool.
Speaking of kiddie pools, I’m pretty sure if I asked any 8-year-old what they thought love was, they could give me a better answer than any of this album.
With that general overview of the record done, here are some of the best and worst moments of the track list:
Best:
“Private Landing (feat. Justin Bieber and Future)”
The cavalry comes in to make this track the highlight of the album and more than likely the song of spring break for a lot of us. Good vibes, some undeniable star power and a unique beat carries us the whole way through.
“Lovesickness”
One of the most important things for any artist to do when making a titular song is make sure it absolutely hits, and this one certainly does. Toliver gets the stamp of approval on this one.
“If I Had”
Okay, for as much flack as I have given the rest of this album, this song is going straight onto my playlists. Toliver himself says on the track, “I’m tired baby.” We’re all pretty tired of this album, but this song was a bop, so thanks for the break.
Worst:
“Embarrassed (feat. Travis Scott)”
This song is a genuine disappointment to me. Maybe it’s less ‘bad’ than it is underwhelming for having the continually dynamic “Astroworld” star make an appearance.
“No Pole”
As the opening track on the record, one would hope for a good introduction. This certainly fails at that point, and it also serves as a good signpost for the rest of the album.
The rest of the songs on the album all fit into the same category mentioned earlier: debauched and embarrassingly shallow.
