Fireworks (ft. Alicia Keys): Starting off the album with what amounts to an answer to many of the questions Drake previously didn’t talk about in his interviews, I like how introspective the song feels and I love Drake’s passionate performance on his verses. His singing on the pre-chorus is also smooth and quite nice, and Alicia Keys provides some very beautiful, angelic vocals on the hook. Definitely makes a statement to start the album, and it’s a great start overall.
Karaoke: A song that talks about the relationship problems Drake has faced since rising to stardom, the electronic drumbeat on this track feels like a years-earlier version of “Hotline Bling,” and while Drake’s crooning on his verse doesn’t sound too bad, I’m not really digging the autotune filters on it, and on his rap verse, it kind of sounds like he’s doing a Lil Wayne impersonation. Not a terrible track, but nothing too special overall.
The Resistance: A song that basically sees Drake saying “I’m not sorry” for capitalizing on his success, I like the atmospheric drum beat on this one, and Drake’s vocals on the hook are very smooth. While the lyrics aren’t the strongest in Drake’s discography, they’re not bad, and his flow is pretty solid overall. Think I’ll definitely come back to this one in the future.
Over: A very booming track about (what else?) fame, I like Drake’s smooth, nice-sounding vocals on the hook. For the longest time, the verses really weren’t really all that interesting to me, nor was Drake’s kind of shouty performance on them, and the grand, orchestral instrumentals were honestly a bit overwhelming to me. I was able to see the appeal of this track and why it became so popular, but it wasn't too interesting to me. It took a lot of listens, but it ended up really growing on me, as those things I didn't like about it in 2018 turned out to be some of the things I like about it now. That's all, Matt from the future out.
Show Me a Good Time: A really upbeat, bright track about Drake asking a woman to “show him a good time,” I’m not all that crazy about the instrumental that features some weird scream-y elements that get a bit annoying. Drake’s vocals sound nice and all, and he definitely delivers some passionate performances on his verses, but I still can’t get over how much it still sounds like he’s trying to do a Lil Wayne impression on the hook. Not a terrible track, just nothing all that exciting to me.
Up All Night (ft. Nicki Minaj): A kind of trap-inspired beat backs one of the album’s legitimate bangers. An ode to Drake’s team and his success, I like his flow and performance on his verse, Nicki Minaj comes in and delivers a really fun, clever verse, and the hook has all the potential to become really ear-wormy. Definitely gonna come back to this song in the future, it’s a pretty fun one.
Fancy (ft. T.I and Swizz Beats): The song that originated the all-time classic phrase “oh you fancy, huh?” is an ode to women with independence. Swizz Beats delivers the hook (and the meme), and while it’s not the greatest thing I’ve heard, it’s not bad. The instrumental kinda reminds me of “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé in some ways, which is a good thing as I quite like that song. Drake’s verses are solid as well, but it’s T.I.’s guest verse where the song really shines: it’s clever, the flow is solid, and it’s the most fun part of the song. It’s not my favorite track on the album, and it does go on for a little too long to me, but there’s definitely some appeal on this one.
Shut It Down (ft. The-Dream): Another love song where Drake talks about a woman that he loves, this song sees Drake crooning and his voice is once again very smooth and pretty, even if it is drowning in some auto-tune. The pounding drum beat on this one flows well with Drake’s vocals and the atmospheric, ethereal instrumental, and featured artist The-Dream jumps into his upper-register to deliver some really sweet vocals overall. Even at 7 minutes, I definitely love what’s going on here, and I’ll definitely be coming back to it in the future.
Unforgettable (ft. Jeezy): A loving tribute to R&B music that features Drake talking about his hopes of becoming an iconic musician, this song pays tribute to Nat King Cole and Aaliyah, and Drake’s flow on his verse, while not really his “dumbest” ever, is not bad. Jeezy is featured on this track and his hook, while not terrible, is overall just kind of boring. Overall, if this really is a tribute to the R&B genre, I wouldn’t say that it sticks the landing, unfortunately.
Light Up (ft. Jay-Z): A team-up with Jay-Z that feels introspective in some ways, I’m not all that crazy about Drake’s uneven flow on the verse, or his occasionally cringe-y lyrics, on this track. The hook is really interestingly spacey, though, and Jay-Z’s verse is where the song really shines. Even so, neither of those things really save the track, and all in all, this is one of the least interesting songs on the album to me (outside of Jay-Z’s verse, though).
Miss Me (ft. Lil Wayne): Talking again about a woman, this track features a very snare-drum driven beat and I like Drake’s kind of sing-y rapping on the verses. The hook isn’t one of the strongest on the record, but Drake’s crooning still sounds pretty nice, and Lil Wayne’s verse is about as standard as any other Wayne verse: decent flow but some slightly cringe-inducing lyrics (though, I’ll give Wayne credit, at least the F in Weezy F no longer stands for “phenomenal”). Not a terrible track, but not one of the album’s best.
Cece’s Interlude: An R&B interlude about a woman Drake met (obviously named Cece), this one features another ethereal instrumental and some really smooth, pretty-sounding crooning from Drake. There’s not all that much to say about this track, since it’s a very short interlude, but I think it sounds quite nice, and I’ll definitely come back to it in the future.
Find Your Love: One of Drake’s patented love songs, backed by a pretty overpowering Jamaican beat, Drake moves straight into singing on this one and he does it successfully: he’s got a very nice, pleasant, soothing voice, and he makes the hook really pop on this thing. It’s dance-y, it’s smooth, it’s fun, and it’s got some pretty decent lyrics overall. I like this track quite a bit, I’ve listened to it quite a bit over time, and it still remains really fun for me.
Thank Me Now: Though the album is called “Thank Me Later,” Drake here insists that we thank him now, just in case he didn’t get another chance to make an album. Obviously, at this point, he’s clearly made plenty more, but at least it made sense at the time. Either way, Drake’s flow is solid on this one, and the bright instrumental makes this feel like a celebration, which is fitting for the song. I’m not too crazy about the hook on this one, but it does feel like an appropriate end to the record.
Overall, if you can get over the lack of diversity in the subject matters (most of the songs are about women) and can forgive the inconsistency of the record, Drake’s debut studio album has a lot of good things going for it. Drake clearly has an ear for atmospheric, ethereal production on this album, his rap flow makes up for his occasional lack of lyrical strength, and considering that he jumps into a more sing-y feel throughout the album, he’s got a really smooth, pretty voice that really works here. As I said, the album can get a bit generic at points, and not every song on here is a complete banger (I can say for sure that Drake has definitely put out stronger projects than this one, and I haven’t even listened to the other ones entirely), but “Thank Me Later” still holds up well, and it’s definitely worth listening to despite the flaws.
“Take Care” is up next, and that’s one of the Drake albums I’m most excited to review. Let’s hope my excitement pays off.
Favorite tracks: Fireworks, The Resistance, Over*, Up All Night, Shut It Down, Cece’s Interlude, Find Your Love
Least favorite tracks: Karaoke, Unforgettable, Light Up
Rating: Good
(*An asterisk next to a “favorite track” indicates that the track wasn’t initially one of my “favorite tracks” when I first wrote the review. If a track has an asterisk next to it, it means the song wasn’t initially a favorite of mine, but it grew on me, and the text for the song may have been edited to more properly reflect that.)
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