The Roshua Review April 2015 | Page 11

Wale

The Album About Nothing

1. "The Intro About Nothing"

2. "The Helium Balloon"

3. "The White Shoes"

4. "The Pessimist"

5. "The Middle Finger"

6. "The One Time In Houston"

7. "The Girls On Drugs"

8. "The God Smile"

9. "The Need To Know"

10. "The Success"

11. "The Glass Egg"

12. "The Bloom (Ambitious Girls 3)"

13. "The Matrimony"

14. "The Body"

Wale has created his first good album since joining MMG, and it goes by the name of The Album About Nothing. Wale returns to his “Mixtape About Nothing” days with flattering production, fitting subject matter, and the guidance of Jerry Seinfeld. However, Wale doesn’t try to capitalize on nostalgia from the mixtape. Instead, he aims to portray his current thoughts through the album because doesn’t actually want to go back to his old music. In actuality, He wants to gain back the respect that he used to achieve, and that is evident through the music. Throughout The Album About Nothing, he actually discusses many of his beliefs, concerns, issues, and experiences (ironic huh?). Although the album is good, Wale doesn’t actually feel completely comfortable until the last third of the project. There is a lot of singing, more than I’ve ever heard from the rapper, and it appears forced and unnecessary. Some of the tracks in the end are ineffective and probably should have been scratched from the final track list. Wale finally catches his stride in “The Need to Know,” and from there the album achieves stability. This album is not perfect, but it is great place to (re)start from.

4 Spins - Amazing

Buy It

Stream It

Ignore It

Best Tracks- The Matrimony, The Bloom, & The Pessimist

Now available in stores and on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play

Worst Tracks- The Matrimony, The Bloom, & The Pessimist