Album Review with Alex: Donda
Donda, the tenth full-length album from often polarizing and controversial artist Kanye West, covers a myriad of themes and musical concepts that comprise this album’s 109-minute runtime. From gospel rap to drill, West covers multiple grounds sporadically throughout this record and gives a glimpse into his mind as the album arrives about three months after originally promised.
As to be expected with an album of this length, West juggles multiple themes throughout this record. Ranging from his mother, to whom this album is dedicated and named after, God, his partner Kim Kardashian and his recognizable proclamations of his own greatness, West’s inconsistency abandons this album’s sequencing and cohesion. Tracks will end with messages of his missing his wife and admitting to his past wrongs, only to be immediately followed by him bragging about doing those exact things. However, these themes seem to be more like subplots, sprinkled in between larger themes of spirituality and God.
Apart from the spontaneity of West’s thematic fluidity, this record is just as over the place musically. The extensive list of features does not help either, as this record features 30 separate artists, some of them even featuring more than once. While some features shine as small beacons of individuality, such as Kid Cudi and Don Toliver in “Moon,” Jay Electronica in “Jesus Lord,” and The Weeknd in “Hurricane,” other features leave much to be desired both lyrically and musically, such as both of Playboi Carti’s features and Westside Gunn’s feature in “Keep my Spirit Alive.”
Whether for better or worse, Donda offers long-time listeners of West’s discography glimpses of his past self in multiple tracks on this record. Tracks like “24” would not sound out of place on West’s previous record Jesus is King, “Believe What I Say” would find a comfortable home in West’s 2016 The Life of Pablo, and “Heaven and Hell” a nice escapade from the soft melodious Moon, offering a harsh, electronic instrumental and forward-pushing drums that would fit perfectly in West’s 2013 Yeezus.
The best of Kanye comes out in moments throughout Donda’s run time, such as in the track “Jesus Lord” where West reminds us of his incredible story-telling ability and flow. “Come to Life” also offers some of the best production on the record with dazzling piano and synths.
Despite the inconsistency of the features and sequencing, it is still undoubtedly obvious that West is amongst the greatest hip-hop artists of our generation. While Donda would benefit from a substantial amount of trimming, it still highlights West’s ability to capture moments and create moving art.
Whether it was with having a feud with Drake, pushing back the album release date or his three live listening sessions in the weeks prior to this record’s release, Donda kept us on our toes every step of the way. Donda leaves us wondering what West is going to do next. Whether all at once or in parts, check out Donda (https://open.spotify.com/album/340MjPcVdiQRnMigrPybZA?si=qayA0fzZQSCnRkQaDTJwew&dl_branch=1) here!
