The only issue is that Drake is nowhere to be heard on the track, and while he is no stranger to letting others shine solo on his projects (Skepta, Kendrick, Sampha etc), all it does is contrast how superficial much of this album feels in comparison.
![gods plan drake sample gods plan drake sample](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/U9BwWKXjVaI/sddefault.jpg)
The emotional high point of CLB is "Yebba’s Heartbreak", which features the eponymous Yebba delivering a soul-wrenching performance over a haunting piano instrumental. The sparse production on the first half of "N 2 Deep" gives way to a bass-heavy, darker mood as the beat switches, and Future delivers one of the few memorable guest moments up until point.
![gods plan drake sample gods plan drake sample](https://miro.medium.com/max/1132/1*jmh41BNZitS1PP40Pb334A.png)
While the less said about ‘Way 2 Sexy" the better, the album does start to spread its wings creatively after this point with two highlights "N 2 Deep" and "Pipe Down" managing to kickstart the flagging momentum. Basically, they closely follow the classic Drake formula. The production on each feels nocturnal and soulful, with Drake delivering melodic verses that play out as stream-of-consciousness, containing countless quotables and yet little to no depth. Other early album cut "Papi’s Home", "Girls Want Girls" and "Love All" similarly echo Drake’s earlier work, with these tracks feeling like they’d comfortably sit on any of Drake’s last five projects. This slightly avant-garde experimentation lasts all of 150 seconds before the track switches to a more traditionally soulful rap instrumental, with Drake tapping into the same energy he delivered on Nothing Was The Same opener "Tuscan Leather".
![gods plan drake sample gods plan drake sample](https://compote.slate.com/images/6a7dfb1c-a3a9-42f1-99ba-9994c518b214.jpeg)
Unfortunately, while the long-awaited Certified Lover Boy is a more consistent and polished final product than Scorpion it still feels like a regression, as the subtle flirtation with experimentation has been shunned in favour of a fan-pleasing, enjoyable but ultimately by-the-numbers album that does little to evolve the Canadian’s sound.Ĭertified Lover Boy actually begins with an interesting flourish, with the first half of opening track "Champagne Poetry" chopping up a Beatles sample, setting the thematic tone of the project while hinting at a new direction for the album’s production.