Childish Gambino: Awaken, My Love!
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Childish Gambino: Awaken, My Love!

Some of Childish Gambino’s older tracks end with funky, soulful snippets that contrast with his style of witty, cleanly delivered hip hop. I have always wanted to see these small windows of soul gain their own platform, and now they finally have, with Awaken, My Love!. The third LP by Donald Glover’s musical alter-ego has received rave reviews since its recent release, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Awaken, My Love! offers 11 tracks of wailing blues, soul and funk, all underpinned by Glover’s Prince-esque multi-instrumental abilities. From the funky, gospel attitude of ‘Have Some Love’ to the more tropical grooves of ‘California’, Glover experiments with not only instruments but also his own vocal style, resulting in a diverse-sounding album.

The standout tracks are the slower, grittier, soul-dripping ones throughout, including singles ‘Me and Your Mama’ and ‘Redbone’, slow-burner ‘Terrified’, and the odyssey that is ‘Stand Tall’. ‘Riot’ and ‘Boogieman’ bring the funk, whilst the psych-infused guitar jams on ‘Zombies’ steal the show. Awaken, My Love! is another strong release by Gambino, and hopefully not the only funk/soul album that we get from the talented Californian.

Liberator Music/Glassnote Records
Reviewed by Alex Suwitra
Four stars