'The Weeknd - My Dear Melancholy,' Album Review





When you hear a big RnB artist has put out a six track – no vocal feature album– the first thing that comes to your mind is 'they are remnants and leftovers of a previous or an upcoming album' or 'he's releasing this to get hype us up for his new album.'
But 'My Dear Melancholy,' (yes, there's an actual comma in the album title) doesn't sound that way. Either this is a full project to The Weeknd or his production team is just an awesome lot.

Fresh out of a relationship with Selena Gomez, The Weeknd recruits Frank Dukes to executive produce alongside him. Although the songs are chapters of the same 'I just got out of a Break-Up' book, each song got it's own distinctive feel.

'Call Out my Name' and 'Try Me' are definitive standalone hit tracks. In the former, The Weeknd gives his best vocally and delivers the album's most talked about line:
"I almost cut a piece of my self for your life." 

For those not in the know, that's a reference to Selena Gomez's illness last year when she needed a kidney. The Weeknd "almost" did it but her best friend was the one who "cut a piece of" herself. I know talking about something this sensitive on an album sounds cheesy, but you can ask The Weeknd when you see him.

If 'Call Out My Name' and 'Try Me' are definitive hit tracks, ' Wasted Times' is the 2018 RnB track we all need. I wouldn't expect less from power house producers Frank Dukes and Skrillex. I don't know if they've ever joined forces(or beats in this case) but every other alternative RnB artists needs these two (together) in their music life. The highest and laudable part of this track is the production. One that makes the job easy for The Weeknd to flow about another failed relationship(or the same one actually).

'I Was Never There' is the most lyrically and emotionally charged song on this EP... well for the first two minutes of the four minute track before it switches beat for Gesaffelstein, the album's only (vocalless) feature, to show his talents.

'Hurt You' is in the same vein but has pop blood flowing through.

'Privilege' doesn't sound like that incomplete track you just throw into a compilation to make the Billboard 200 cut mark even if I was wishing that was the case.

Conclusively, this is the best I've seen of The Weeknd lyrically since 'Beauty Behind The Madness' and If I was heartless, I'd wish for more breakups...

My Dear Melancholy,'s lowest point is when it ended because you want more of what sound like the beginning of a great album. The Weeknd gives us RnB the best way he knows how. Yes, there is no 'Can't Feel My Face' on this but the whole Album is one big 'The Hill.'
It didn't lack in lyrical content nor does it has a floppy production. It had heart. It had soul. The Weeknd made sure he was the body and we have an RnB compilation that doesn't make you squint at any moment.

Okiki rates it 4.0/5.

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