In his Maid of Honour album review, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says despite a few bright spots, “less would’ve definitely been more.”
Last night, Drake surprised fans and the hip-hop world by dropping not one but three albums in one night. While some are impressed by this level of output, others have concluded the three album release is his way of getting out of his current record deal with Universal Music Group. That was my initial reaction.
Let me preface this by saying that I’m a big Drake fan. I wouldn’t be too far off to call me a Drake Stan. When my Spotify Wrapped comes out every year I’m usually in the top 5% worldwide in Drake listeners. A big part of it is the quality of the music, and a part of it is being from Toronto. What Drake has done to bring Toronto to the world is unparalleled. Shoot, he had the world watching a stream where the sights and sounds of Toronto were in full display.
With that being said, I was really rooting for Drake. I still am. But I gotta keep it a buck. While Drizzy put on a lyrical masterclass on Iceman, Maid Of Honour ain’t it. In fact, his bar from Churchill Downs haunted me as I listened to this album. “You niggas drop trash, you litterin'” Unfortunately, Drake may have done that exact thing.
Now, we know Drake is a sound businessman. We’ve seen him make business moves like suing his label even to the detriment of his reputation in hip-hop. Clearly he doesn’t play when it comes to business. So I completely understand his decision to drop three albums to get out of his record deal with UMG, but when it comes to the quality of the product, dropping three albums doesn’t do him any favors. Less is more is a true statement and we see that with Maid Of Honour.
Now, as a dude, I’m not the target demographic for this album. This album is full of party records for the ladies, but of the three categories Drake exists in—bars, R&B, and club tracks—the latter is his weakest, especially in recent years when it comes to up-tempo club songs for the ladies. This is the man who gave us “In My Feelings” and “Nice For What”. Classics. Anthems. Drake has always had his finger on the pulse of what the ladies want, but even with the recent success of “Nokia”, I’m starting to have my doubts.
Let’s be honest, it’s time to bring the Sexyy Red experiment to an end. While he may have a soft spot for her as a friend, their collaborations don’t help him in any way. Their collabs feel subpar and only bring down his brand. When it comes to female collaborators, Drake hasn’t been able to recapture any of the magic that he had with Nicki Minaj. There are some artists who bring out the best in Drake, giving us classic tracks, and Sexxy Red isn’t one of them.
Yes, there are a few bright spots on the album. Reggae vibes Drake is always on point and we get a taste of that on “Amazing Shape” featuring Popcaan. Island vibes Drake is only matched by UK vibes Drake and we get some of that too on the previously released “Which One” featuring Central Cee. I hate to say this as a Drake fan, but outside of those two tracks and maybe “Road Trips”, this project should’ve stayed in the vault under lock and key.
Again, we can’t criticize the business moves, but when it comes to Maid Of Honour, musically, less would’ve definitely been more.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s editor-in-chief and Senior Arts & Entertainment Reporter focusing on film & TV, music, and fashion. He was named one of 340 international voters for the Golden Globe Awards and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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