Abél Makkonen Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, has released his highly anticipated third studio album, Starboy, and it is filled with down-tempo beats, R&B flare, heavy bass and echoing vocal distortions. It is still in the vein of Michael Jackson and Prince but with darker aggression. The Weeknd absolutely features his clear, distinct falsetto vocals that flow with ease and creates that familiar laid back sound. If ignoring the explicit and sexually-charged lyrics, a chill, relaxed vibe permeates through out the Starboy.
The Canadian singer and producer continues feature an impressive list of guest artists, such as: Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar and Future, but the majority of the record is The Weeknd showing that he can do thing on his own. The title track, “Starboy” which features Daft Punk, was released earlier this year as the debut single and is brilliantly constructed and is ridiculously catchy. As the lead track, it sets the tone for the entire album.
The best track on the Starboy, is “Sidewalks” and features Kendrick Lamar. The song is excellent, but there were times during the chorus that were unnecessarily auto-tuned and it was distracting. While use of auto-tuning can be advantageous at times, it seemed like overkill when the vocals of The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar are both heavily distorted. It would have been nice to see less distortion.
“Sidewalks” was a highlight, but the interlude that preceded it, seemed pointless other than to get Lana Del Rey a cameo and add a female voice to the album. “Stargirl Interlude” was a waste.
Overall though, the album is exactly what The Weeknd set out to accomplish. Starboy is a success and an continues his upward trend to stardom.
Pick up Starboy by The Weeknd on iTunes and most major retailers now.
